And The Correct Answer Is…

~ Laura

I was shocked that so many readers chose Darcy over Rochester, as the best bodice ripper. So shocked that I spent yesterday rereading Pride and Prejudice to see if I was totally off the mark. 

Melissa sent me a link to an article in the Awl, which coincidentally weighed in on the same topic just last week. And the correct answer to my oh-so important question of the day is …. 

Published by Laura

28 thoughts on “And The Correct Answer Is…”

  1. I notice Adam Dalgleish is fairly high on the list, but Andy Dalziel and the boy wonder are nowhere to be seen. Bizarre.
    Personally, I think that the other thread tells you a lot about the discernment of your readers. (I say that as a Brit who is probably somewhere between Frankenstein’s monster and Doctor Watson).
    And what a relief that Harry Potter isn’t in the top 111.

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  2. And, since no man could do this, I challenge you to rank order the top 111 women in British literature. Either from a woman’s or a man’s perspective, you choose.

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  3. Tom Bombadil is #21. There seem to be rather a lot of second tier LOTR characters on the list.

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  5. A two contestant race does not produce results comparable the results of those two persons for a 111 person field. Everybody who wants to do Snape and Beorn could be a Darcy.

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  6. I also think it depends on which film version you think of. Colin Firth over Orson Welles, definitely. If you like the William Hurt or Michael Fassbender versions of Rochester, however, things change.

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  7. The same list includes Willy Wonka, Peter Pan, and Aslan. Even worse, it includes Bertie Wooster.

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  13. No no no no no!
    Aslan is above Legolas? Even with a Jesus fetish, is bestiality a better choice than elf-iality? Also, I bet Dorian Gray and King Arthur would be far better in the sack than Sherlock Holmes.

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  15. “Even worse, it includes Bertie Wooster.”
    And even worse than that — Gussie Fink-Nottle! Somewhere in the low hundreds.

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  17. I am unhealthily uninterested in women other than my spouse. But if I weren’t, and fictional characters appealed, I’m with Amy P, I can’t think of anyone better than Harriet Vane. Except, perhaps, Elizabeth, in fact. Ellie Pascoe maybe? Since Laura refuses to take up the challenge

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  18. Peter Pan (#68) is the one that has me puzzled. Really? He’s the boy that never grew up–he’s physically probably 11 years old.

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  19. Mentally, Peter Pan is also probably 11 years old, which puts him ahead of the game as far as that goes.

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  20. Alright, I take your challenge, harry b. Who’s the most bangable chick in English Lit.
    If you’re going to look at the Jane Austin books, the answer is clearly Marianne in Sense and Sensibility. There’s a girl who would really not be shy in the bedroom. I suppose Emma comes in second. She’s got a sense of humor about her. From the LOTR, clearly the correct answer is Eowyn. The fairy chicks are too chilly. From Harry Potter, Bellatrix is hot in an evil sort of way. If you’re into evil, there’s the White Witch in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Shakespeare does a good saucy wench like nobody’s business — too numerous to mention. Of course, Guinevere.

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  21. Mostly, the problem is that fairy chicks live forever, meaning you can’t buy an annuity for any money.

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  23. Oh, Merchant and Ivory movies are such inspiration. I really have to rent a bunch this weekend. A wonderful clip here. “If Miss Honeychurch ever takes to live as she plays, it will be very exciting both for us and for her.”

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  24. “If you’re going to look at the Jane Austin books, the answer is clearly Marianne in Sense and Sensibility.”
    I think her merits would be balanced by the fact that she’s one of those girls who cries and cries and cries when things aren’t going well. There’s a Dear Prudence letter over at Slate from yesterday dealing with the hot but crazy problem, which I suspect will come up a lot if we do the female version of the list.
    “Several years ago, I started a relationship with a beautiful, tempestuous woman in my academic field. She got pregnant, and we married. Things have been both rocky and great. We have a gorgeous 2-year-old. But my wife hates my mother for no good reason.”
    http://www.slate.com/id/2293047/
    The dividing line between “crazy” and “smoking hot” is unfortunately not as well signed as some guys need it to be.

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  25. The dividing line between “crazy” and “smoking hot” is unfortunately not as well signed as some guys need it to be.
    There is no reason to assume those correlate.

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  26. I wouldn’t say that they correlate, just that there is some adjoining territory in spots. It doesn’t help if a guy has an unnuanced view of female personality. The Dear Prudence guy just isn’t very good at reading or describing females or human relationships. His wife is “beautiful” and “tempestuous” (i.e. nuts), his mom is “sweet” and his 2-year-old daughter is “gorgeous.” This guy deserves to suffer.

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  27. “Smoking hot” is a lot of work. Quality time and energy is invested in upkeep. In short, it could drive you crazy.
    On the other hand, I don’t think the husband is an unbiased observer in the wife vs. mother debate. His wife could have a very good reason for hating his mother. He’s married, with a child, but visits his mother across the country “once or twice a year.” Hmm. With or without wife & child.
    It sounds to me as if he has to grow up, and cleave unto his wife. Maybe she’s tempestuous, or maybe she has a habit of saying things he (and his mother) would like to ignore, such as the expense and self indulgence involved in solo trips to the other side of the country.

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  28. Yes, Lucy! That quote in your comment is one of my favorites in A Room with a View. I had never read the book until January this year and I LOVED the book. The film was a HUGE favorite of my girlfriends and I in highschool. We’d have sleepovers to watch it and swoon…
    I missed the whole discussion because I was crazy busy this week (finals week & moving — unpacking books!!! yay!!!). In any case. I’ve read Jane Eyre MANY years ago (about 18 maybe), so I have to re-read again (just started this morning!). I have a feeling that Darcy isn’t more attractive than Rochester, oh, no. Is Heathcliff in that list? (Wuthering Heights is a crazy book, but one of my favorites). Let me go check.Yep, #12. Anyway… fun stuff. I wish I had time to go check the comments to the other post, but I really have to sleep now!
    P.S. I’m assuming you’re re-reading Jane Eyre because of the new film, right?

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