Book Magazine's 100 Best Characters
March 20, 2002 11:14 AM   Subscribe

Book Magazine's 100 Best Characters in Fiction since 1900 (Book Magazine via NPR). Jay Gatsby is #1. Harry Potter is #85. No Gandalf, Bilbo or Frodo. And yet some claim LotR is the book of the century (First post for me)
posted by rshah21 (74 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
And a good one it is, rshah.
posted by allaboutgeorge at 11:19 AM on March 20, 2002


In the absence of real content... post a list! It'll get people talking, no one will agree, we'll be relevant! Or, the Entertainment Weekly approach to stimulating debate.
posted by krewson at 11:22 AM on March 20, 2002


Good link. And those are all decent books (or at least the ones on there that I have read...)
posted by adampsyche at 11:23 AM on March 20, 2002


I'd be interested to know how the list was arrived at.
posted by walrus at 11:26 AM on March 20, 2002


krewson: I didn't realize the point of Metafilter was getting us all to agree. I thought the point was to foster discussion, which this will certainly do.
posted by UnReality at 11:26 AM on March 20, 2002


What a cool list - Winnie the Pooh is #29!

rshah - The Lord of the Rings may have been a great *book*/trilogy, but that doesn't necessarily mean the characters were all that outstanding - for Tolkien, the story/plot/history is more the focus, not characterization. All the characters listed in your link are particularly vibrant or memorable, they stand on their own apart from the stories they are from. I don't think Tolkien's characters do.
posted by annathea at 11:26 AM on March 20, 2002


James Bond and Tarzan but no Superman or Batman? Nobody takes you seriously when you do your work in tights. (Boy, if I had a nickle for everytime my boss has told me that...)
posted by Shadowkeeper at 11:29 AM on March 20, 2002


Oskar landed at number 30? 'Tis a tragedy.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:30 AM on March 20, 2002


I'm really impressed, and would more or less agree on most of those top 100 characters, although I would have put them in different order. (Sherlock Holmes would be number one: Remember we're talking about memorability, not the overall literary quality of the work. If the latter were the criterion, Nabokov would have the first 50 places.) The "Lord of the Rings" really introduced only one truly original and memorable character: Gollum. There's no question that he should have been on the list. There is nothing memorable about "To Kill A Mockingbird" (Boo Radley, Number 81). Why is everyone talking about that miserable book?
posted by Faze at 11:32 AM on March 20, 2002


annathea - I agree with your point about Tolkien's characters, but don't you think maybe Gandalf could have nudged out Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh (#96)? I mean, jeesh, he's a wizard!
posted by cowboy at 11:34 AM on March 20, 2002


Hey, el coronel made #15!

Well, Irene Adler (not that one, the one from El Club Dumas) would never have been read by enough people in the first place, so it's the best I'm going to get... :)
posted by CatherineB at 11:36 AM on March 20, 2002


The difference is Bond and Tarzan originated in novels while the SuperBatmen originated in comic books. Yes, comic books are fiction, but the criteria was probably characters in "books." After all, it's from Book Magazine. (sidenote: for a wonderful take on comic books, read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay.

For Lord of the Rings, the best character is probably Gollum. The rest are basic archetypes, but Gollum is definitely interesting. However, his archetype may be the Golem, which brings us right back to Kavalier and Klay!
posted by billder at 11:37 AM on March 20, 2002


Jay Gatsby beat out Holden Caulfield? That's just....wrong, somehow.
posted by jonmc at 11:41 AM on March 20, 2002


...although I am glad to see Dean Moriarty sneak in at #62.
posted by jonmc at 11:44 AM on March 20, 2002


Agreed, Gandalf should have been there...

And What! No Zaphod Beeblebrox? Only THE most amazing man in the universe!!!
posted by drgonzo at 11:45 AM on March 20, 2002


I'm glad to see Yossarian get his due. Although 22 seems a little low. Maybe they stuck him down that far to have a play on the title. Yeah, that's it.
posted by daveadams at 11:52 AM on March 20, 2002


I'm a little confused about Big Brother from 1984...the novel mentioned him a lot, but IIRC we (through the author's omniscient perspective or the other characters') never really "meet" him. Does that still qualify him as an actual character?
posted by alumshubby at 11:53 AM on March 20, 2002


A pretty good list overall, but there are a couple that I would have liked to see in there...

1. Either Guy Montag or Captain Beatty from Fahrenheit 451
2. Ralph, Jack, or Piggy(!) from Lord Of The Flies
3. Rodion Romanovitch Raskalinov from Crime And Punishment

among others...
posted by almostcool at 11:54 AM on March 20, 2002


Marlow from Heart of Darkness barely creeps onto the list? Behind Harry Potter and Eeyore? Consider me manipulated into a meaningless disgust.

Also, Nathan Zuckerman is shamelessly low.
posted by BT at 11:55 AM on March 20, 2002


I woud have liked to see Arkady Renko from Martin Cruz Smiths trilogy on the list but overall I liked most of their picks.
posted by keithl at 12:01 PM on March 20, 2002


Ah, damn! I just remembered. What about Kilgore Trout? (most notibly from Breakfast Of Champions, but springing up in other Vonnegut work as well)

I like Eeyore as much as the next person, but I wouldn't be sad to see either he or Harry Pooter get dumped from the list for Kilgore Trout!
posted by almostcool at 12:01 PM on March 20, 2002


almostcool: Crime and Punishment was originally published in 1866. Otherwise, I'm sure Raskolnikov would have made it.
posted by liam at 12:07 PM on March 20, 2002


And What! No Zaphod Beeblebrox? Only THE most amazing man in the universe!!!

i'm with drgonzo on this one.

also, i think just presenting a list with no explanation or elaboration makes for an extremely weak article.
posted by chrisege at 12:07 PM on March 20, 2002


Weren't there at least three Aureliano Buendias in One Hundred Years of Solitude? Do they count as one character (not a bad conclusion, given Marquez' manner)? Or are they hedging their bets?
posted by argybarg at 12:12 PM on March 20, 2002


Who is John Gault? Apparently nobody, but civilization does go on. Nice first post!
posted by Mack Twain at 12:22 PM on March 20, 2002


My hand to God, I thought Britney Spears was a fictional character.
posted by mathis23 at 12:22 PM on March 20, 2002


Agreed almostcool, Kilgore Trout absolutely should have been on that list. On the other hand, I'm impressed that they included Grendel. And of course, Ignatius Reilly rules!
posted by homunculus at 12:28 PM on March 20, 2002


Glad to see Binx Bolling from the Moviegoer on this list at number 33.
posted by trox at 12:34 PM on March 20, 2002


Ignatius Reilly!

WoooHOOOO! And Willie Stark and Binx, too? Great list.
posted by ColdChef at 12:38 PM on March 20, 2002


And yet some claim LotR is the book of the century

Yes, but they're all still living with their parents.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 12:42 PM on March 20, 2002


rshah21: this gets you on the 100 best first posts, definitely. It's probably the first of this kind I have to agree with. I have a French, 3-volume, +3000 pages, Dictionary of Literary Characters somewhere, but to go looking now would be cheating. Congratulations!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:43 PM on March 20, 2002


It was nice to see a nod to Proust ("Marcel" at #37), but the narrator is an poor choice. The most memorable character in A la Rechere... is easily the Baron de Charlus. Hands down. I found the narrator's character a little dull.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:59 PM on March 20, 2002


Patrick Bateman?
posted by NoMoreLSAT at 12:59 PM on March 20, 2002


I am shocked to see that the overlooked Meursault from The Stranger. By far one of the best characters in literature, in my opinion. I do also think that Holden Caufield is a little high on the list at 2, but thats just me.

Oh and I'm glad to see my boy Gabriel Garcia Marquez got some recognition on this. His stories are absolutely wonderful.
posted by rift2001 at 1:00 PM on March 20, 2002


I am proud to be named after the second-best character since 1900. And hear here on Kilgore Trout. Remember that passage when he puts on his glasses and takes off his glasses and he appears and disappears? Am I remembering that passage wrong? I read it in seventh grade and thought it was most excellent.
posted by Holden at 1:02 PM on March 20, 2002


How about Tyrone Slothrop from Gravity's Rainbow?
posted by mzanatta at 1:13 PM on March 20, 2002


I would have liked to have seen more female characters in the top spots. Phoebe Caulfield before Janie? yeah right.

and are Shakespearian characters excluded from the list because it's limited to fictional characters in novels? that's a shame too. Hamlet, Othello, Lady Macbeth...
posted by mariko at 1:42 PM on March 20, 2002


I would have liked to have seen more female characters in the top spots. Phoebe Caulfield before Janie? yeah right.

and are Shakespearian characters excluded from the list because it's limited to fictional characters in novels? that's a shame too. Hamlet, Othello, Lady Macbeth...
posted by mariko at 1:42 PM on March 20, 2002


sorry for the double post.
posted by mariko at 1:43 PM on March 20, 2002


oh, and i didn't see the post-1900 thing
posted by mariko at 1:44 PM on March 20, 2002


Weren't there at least three Aureliano Buendias in One Hundred Years of Solitude? Do they count as one character (not a bad conclusion, given Marquez' manner)? Or are they hedging their bets?

I assume, argybarg, that they are implying Colonial Aureliano Buendias, the first Aureliano in OHYS. The other two were Aureliano Jose, his son, and Aureliano Segundo, his great nephew. Plus, there's the 17 different Aurelianos that the Colonial sired while at war. Personally, i think Ursula was a better character, and would have been a better choice out of this novel (sorry, i just finished it).
posted by Ufez Jones at 1:51 PM on March 20, 2002


The Book Magazine site has more on the methodology (including who picked) and detail on the top 10.
posted by smackfu at 1:58 PM on March 20, 2002


Some of these definitely got boosts from their movie roles.

And what's with all the James Joyce in the top part of the list? I thought it was well-established that his books are near unfinishable, especially Ulysses... Or maybe that's what I've been telling myself. He did write a wonderful book about a cat and a devil I love.. the devil coos, 'mon petit chou chat!!' That one should have made the list.
posted by dness2 at 2:01 PM on March 20, 2002


Colonial Aureliano Buendias

Fucking hell. I try to come off sounding like a know one thing, and I misspell Colonel like 4 times.

smashing fingers between bricks so they won't make dumbass mistakes again
posted by Ufez Jones at 2:09 PM on March 20, 2002


And, "a" swear, "a" don't talk like Yosemite Sam. Sheesh.
posted by Ufez Jones at 2:10 PM on March 20, 2002


I'm glad to see Grendel punch in at #57. Great book, great character.
posted by Pinwheel at 2:16 PM on March 20, 2002


Jay Gatsby beat out Holden Caulfield? That's just....wrong, somehow.

Yeah, but if you asked Holden Caulfield, he'd probably say it's fitting he finished second to a guy like Jay Gatsby.
posted by Mooskey at 2:17 PM on March 20, 2002


I'm happy about Augustus McCrae from Lonesome Dove, though I don't understand having 2 characters from Winnie the Pooh but no Tyler Durden or Gandalf or Patrick Bateman or Tom Joad.
posted by catatonic at 2:24 PM on March 20, 2002


I thought it was well-established that his books are near unfinishable, especially Ulysses...

*faints in horror* ;)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 2:34 PM on March 20, 2002


And What! No Zaphod Beeblebrox? Only THE most amazing man in the universe!!!

Oh, no. It's all about Ford Prefect. Completely.
posted by Windigo at 2:49 PM on March 20, 2002


Glad to see Judge Holden from "Blood Meridian" on there. I am no McCarthy fan, and had to be dragged screaming and kicking to that book, but the Judge is one of the most amazing constructs of characterization I have ever seen.

And for pure depth and entertainment value of character, Ignatius should be much higher. Great post.
posted by umberto at 3:37 PM on March 20, 2002


"Georgette was a hip queer ..."

and yet she didn't make the list. Selby gets shafted by the establisment once again.

Coincidentally, I've been trudging through "Confederacy of Dunces" over the past week. Ugh. Reily might top a list of top caricatures, but characters? He's not a literary creation, but a 400 page punchline. Satire at its worst, an in-joke between author and reader. If you want New Orleans, read Algren's "A Walk on the Wild Side." He didn't make the list either. I guess that compassionate, naturalistic characters are too real for the lit police. Depth sacrificed on the altar of clever.

At least Chinaski made it, god bless 'em.

On the continental front, they wisely include Grass and Proust, but ignore Genet ...

I don't even know why I bother with these lists anymore. I need a cigarette.
posted by hipstertrash at 4:03 PM on March 20, 2002


I'll second allaboutgeorge on your debutante status here, rshah21, and hey!--I just read this article at the clinic today--talk about your serendipity...

Of course, I was somewhat discomfited by the absence of Cugel the Clever from the list but, I know, picky picky picky...
posted by y2karl at 4:05 PM on March 20, 2002


I'll take a list over a generator any day. Nice link.
posted by iconomy at 4:52 PM on March 20, 2002


You're right mzanatta Slothrop is a great charachter in so many ways.

Actually what I really wish was that instead of the list on its own they'd put down a short paragraph of reasons for each choice as I just find the undigested list difficult to understand without a context.
posted by nedrichards at 5:57 PM on March 20, 2002


Man, I'm bummed out for fellow me'fi'er hincandenza. And I also would have put on Bobby Shaftoe from Cryptonomicon and Joe Kavalier, mentioned above.
posted by vito90 at 6:13 PM on March 20, 2002


vito90 - if a character from Infinite Jest were to be on the list, it should be Don Gately not Hal Incandenza. Ol Bimmy was a far more sympathetic character. Now that I think of it, I'm tempted to offer Poor Tony Krause and Randy Lenz as honorable mentions.
posted by jonmc at 6:36 PM on March 20, 2002


addendum - bold prediction: William from An Underacheiver's Diary will be on this list 50 years from now. Mark my words.
posted by jonmc at 6:40 PM on March 20, 2002


hipstertrash: i can't tell you how much better your post made me feel. i came to this thread fuming after reading through the list, but you expressed many of my frustrations (which only mounted with all this lord of the rings and hitchhiker's guide boosterism).

also, you're the only person i've ever heard criticize confederacy of dunces. what is it about that idiotic book? i just picked it up (hardcover edition was a 'bargain book' at 'horrible evil independent-bookstore-killing chain') a couple of weeks ago (after hearing it praised to the rafters all over town (including here, on mefi)) and i've found it to be far more labored than even finnegan's wake.

ignatious riley one of literature's most memorable characters?! he is nothing more than a sitcom 'wacky neighbor'. i haven't smiled once since opening that damn book. even when i'm not reading it.

though i have been eating a lot of hot dogs; seems i can't help myself.
posted by mlang at 7:32 PM on March 20, 2002


No "fish" from the Cat In the Hat?!
posted by bingo at 2:18 AM on March 21, 2002


I thought it was well-established that his books are near unfinishable, especially Ulysses...

Joins RJReynolds
posted by goneill at 5:24 AM on March 21, 2002


and are Shakespearian characters excluded from the list because it's limited to fictional characters in novels? that's a shame too. Hamlet, Othello, Lady Macbeth...

No, mariko, they're excluded because it's a list of the 100 best characters since 1900.
posted by UnReality at 6:31 AM on March 21, 2002


billder, it's interesting that you should mention The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, since Michael Chabon was part of the Book Magazine panel that decided on the list. For more details on how the results were reached, look here. They address some of the questions that have been raised here, like "Was Big Brother really a character?"
posted by UnReality at 6:35 AM on March 21, 2002


I'm totally with you, mlang. I tried twice to read A Confederacy of Dunces and couldn't get past about page 50.

I would have put Hank Stamper from Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion on the list, near the top.
posted by Holden at 7:23 AM on March 21, 2002


What about Kilgore Trout?

Rather than Kilgore Trout, how about eccentric millionaire Eliot Rosewater? I always thought he was a much more interesting character.

Kilgore Trout was just KV's alter ego.
posted by witchycal at 7:56 AM on March 21, 2002


Add my name to the list of non-fans of Confederacy of Dunces. I kept waiting for it to get funny.
posted by turaho at 8:39 AM on March 21, 2002


I LOVED "Confederacy of Dunces". Hmmmm. Maybe it's just a New Orleans thing. Or maybe I just loved the part where he masturbated to the memories of his dead dog. Either way, diff'rent strokes...
posted by ColdChef at 9:51 AM on March 21, 2002


I can now never read Confederacy of Dunces. How to choose between the chef and mlang? What to do when I either love or hate COD... and lose all respect for one or the other. It's too much to handle.
posted by goneill at 9:54 AM on March 21, 2002


Oh and I'm glad to see my boy Gabriel Garcia Marquez got some recognition on this. His stories are absolutely wonderful.

I'm missing any of the del Valle women from Allende's La casa de los espĂ­ritus, but I guess you only get one LatAm magic realist per 100...
posted by CatherineB at 11:09 AM on March 21, 2002


Heh.
posted by ColdChef at 3:13 PM on March 21, 2002


goneill, my love, the choice is yours:

me (ref.) or coldchef (ref.)?

i don't blame you if you opt for neither of the above.
posted by mlang at 6:52 AM on March 22, 2002


oh for god's sakes
posted by goneill at 6:56 AM on March 22, 2002


It's funny, 'cause it's true! Heh. Heh.
posted by ColdChef at 7:07 AM on March 22, 2002


Man, Jesus totally stole my look.
posted by dong_resin at 8:40 AM on March 22, 2002


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