Literary Procrastination.
Sep. 24th, 2008 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sechan19A meme from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
foxxydancr, who gave me the letter D.
Five fictional characters I like whose name start with a D:
* Delores Claiborne. Stephen King doesn't often succeed at writing female characters; especially mothers. They're usually shrewish and brittle, and they make me wonder what kind of mother he himself had. Delores Claiborne, however, is the character for whom all could be forgiven. I love the purity of her purpose and the singlemindedness with which she approaches it. She is a true mother, powerful and protective. Upon discovering that her husband is sexually abusing their daughter, she plots and carries out his execution. I would expect no less from any mother.
* Duncan Idaho. This black-haired, devil-may-care, master swordsman of House Atreides is the glue that holds Frank Herbert's Dune universe together. Throughout the tales he is a figure of mythical proportions, the best of humanity's damnable willfulness wrapped into one singular character. He frequently frustrates the plans of those around him, preferring his own counsel instead, and his various antics almost make up for the fact that Herbert, like King, could barely write a worthwhile female character to save his life. [sigh] Almost.
* Diana Barry. Diana of the Lake of Shining Waters is the bosom friend of Anne Shirley's dreams in L.M. Montgomery's classic tale of the lovable orphan with the great scope of imagination. Diana is not as gifted--either mentally or, it is subtly hinted, physically--as Anne is, but in her capacity to love, to respect, and to support she nearly surpasses the irrepressible red-head, and she comprises one half of perhaps the most beautiful friendship in English literature with grace and aplomb.
* Fitzwilliam Darcy. The proud and prejudiced Darcy is for me, and probably for many, a high-water mark when it comes to the measure of a man. Jane Austen's hero is stubborn and somewhat self-important when we first meet him, but that is undergirded by a forthright and deeply principled character. Darcy enthralls through his ability to change, to admit guilt, to seek forgiveness, and ultimately to better himself and those around him through his effort and example. We could all learn from him.
* Lady Death. In Peter S. Beagle's short story, "Come, Lady Death," the titular figure is no black-shrouded revenant bent on a horror-spree, but rather a young and fresh girl--delighted in her invitation to London's most prestigious ball and secretly longing to end her term as soul-collector. She is fearful and tragic, and when she ultimately manages to escape her prison term the result is one of the loveliest and most heartbreaking finales I've ever read.
Comment if you'd like to receive a letter and join in this week's round of meme madness.
foxxydancr, who gave me the letter D.Five fictional characters I like whose name start with a D:
* Delores Claiborne. Stephen King doesn't often succeed at writing female characters; especially mothers. They're usually shrewish and brittle, and they make me wonder what kind of mother he himself had. Delores Claiborne, however, is the character for whom all could be forgiven. I love the purity of her purpose and the singlemindedness with which she approaches it. She is a true mother, powerful and protective. Upon discovering that her husband is sexually abusing their daughter, she plots and carries out his execution. I would expect no less from any mother.
* Duncan Idaho. This black-haired, devil-may-care, master swordsman of House Atreides is the glue that holds Frank Herbert's Dune universe together. Throughout the tales he is a figure of mythical proportions, the best of humanity's damnable willfulness wrapped into one singular character. He frequently frustrates the plans of those around him, preferring his own counsel instead, and his various antics almost make up for the fact that Herbert, like King, could barely write a worthwhile female character to save his life. [sigh] Almost.
* Diana Barry. Diana of the Lake of Shining Waters is the bosom friend of Anne Shirley's dreams in L.M. Montgomery's classic tale of the lovable orphan with the great scope of imagination. Diana is not as gifted--either mentally or, it is subtly hinted, physically--as Anne is, but in her capacity to love, to respect, and to support she nearly surpasses the irrepressible red-head, and she comprises one half of perhaps the most beautiful friendship in English literature with grace and aplomb.
* Fitzwilliam Darcy. The proud and prejudiced Darcy is for me, and probably for many, a high-water mark when it comes to the measure of a man. Jane Austen's hero is stubborn and somewhat self-important when we first meet him, but that is undergirded by a forthright and deeply principled character. Darcy enthralls through his ability to change, to admit guilt, to seek forgiveness, and ultimately to better himself and those around him through his effort and example. We could all learn from him.
* Lady Death. In Peter S. Beagle's short story, "Come, Lady Death," the titular figure is no black-shrouded revenant bent on a horror-spree, but rather a young and fresh girl--delighted in her invitation to London's most prestigious ball and secretly longing to end her term as soul-collector. She is fearful and tragic, and when she ultimately manages to escape her prison term the result is one of the loveliest and most heartbreaking finales I've ever read.
Comment if you'd like to receive a letter and join in this week's round of meme madness.
