My Literary Crushes

I was commenting over at The Dunhaven Place, Heidi Ashworth's blog, when I realized I could go on forever, so I decided to come over here and just do a whole post. The topic was the top ten Literary Crushes.

Here are mine, in no particular order:

1. Starting from my childhood, I'd have to write about Gilbert Blythe first. When I was Eleven, I spent the whole year hoping that I would meet my future husband that year, just as Anne did. He isn't really that fleshed in as a character a lot, but you know that he's smart and funny and passionate about life, and that Anne's crazy for not liking him sooner. I know I always liked him. I spent a long time wanting to marry a doctor because of Gilbert. I'm glad that he stuck to Anne, even though she never seemed to give him any hope - especially when he proposes to her at college, when she tries to stop him, and he ploughs on, even though he knows it's hopeless...how romantic.

2. Percival Blakeney. I first encounted Percy as played by Anthony Andrews, and I have always LOVED that movie. Sure, he's silly in public, but he's so intense in private, and when he convinces Marguerite to marry him, although they haven't known each other very long, and she's worried, I love it. In the movie Percy kisses her repeatedly, while telling her softly that she can tell him all about herself ever so slowly, so that it takes a very long time. And in the book, Percy kisses Marguerite's footsteps after she goes into the house in one scene - it makes me sigh in romantic hopelessness. Too bad they can't communicate to save their lives, but I'm sure Percy and I could have communicated. (And how!) Our car is named Percy, half after this Percy (and half after the Arthurian Percy). Our car is an almost black, metallic purple, that seems very foppish and appropriate.

3. This is a new one for me, but Elend of the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and I were meant for each other. He reads a lot of books, I read a lot of books with him in it....He meets Vin at a ball, I would love to meet Elend at a ball. See, we have a lot in common! And he's so humanly awkward - like a real man. I love the Ball scenes of the first book in this series - the romantic moments.

4. This one is obvious, but Mr. Darcy. Sure, I'll have to share him with the rest of the known femaledom, but I'm okay with that. Avram is a lot like Mr. Darcy. He's a little standoffish, but very clever and smart, and is a great guy, but isn't a socialite kind of person. Avram even gets (say it with the Mrs. Bennett accent) 15,000 a year! (Through his stipend. But it's even more than Mr. Darcy, so see how well I married? Avram says that we're not Yuppies, we're Yelppies - Young, Laterly Mobile Professionals that graduated from school, and just do more school for forever.)

5. Nathan, from the Work and the Glory. What's not to like about him? He's good, and clean and wholesome, and very faithful. I always thought of him as like Dennis, the guy I didn't marry. This may sound funny, but Avram read this and didn't think it was weird. He says it's more like something he would expect from me - comparing literary guys I liked to real guys I liked throughout my past.

6. Captain Wentworth, from Persuasion. The letter he writes to Anne, at the end, when he says, "You pierce me!" Every time I read it, that line pierces me. And he's a more mature hero, to go along with Anne being a much more mature heroine.

7.I didn't include it on my comment, but I find I'm having a hard time coming up with a whole ten, so Barney Snaith from My Blue Castle, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. He's mysterious, but not in a creepy way, and he talks like Gilbert, since it's the same author, but in a more edgy way. He's a good grown up crush.

8.Faramir. When he's with Eowyn in the Healing Rooms, and when she tells him that she no longer desires to be a queen....love that part. I will never forgive the movie for cutting out the end of that story arc. Sure, Aragorn is in love with Arwen, but it's all a little otherwordly, etc. But Faramir is a real man, and he's so good to go out and fight, when his father orders him to, although he knows it's hopeless. And he wouldn't have picked up the ring if it had been lying on the roadside (according to his own words). So strong, so handsome (I'm sure).

9. Berone, from Love's Labour's Lost. Although, I have to admit that this is mainly based on Kenneth Branaugh's performance in his movie of this play. He's so...words escape me. As they have with most of the men of this list. Often I just stop and sigh and smile while writing this post. But words never escape Berone. He's so eloquent, and when Kenneth Branaugh is speaking in Shakespeare, I swoon. "Love, it kills sheep!"

10. Wesley. And yes, I've read the book the Princess Bride. The first time I read the book, I honestly thought that it was abridged, and tried looking up S. Morgenstern in the Salt Lake Public Library system, and was infuriated that they only had the abridged, William Goldmen ones! Love, true love. Wesley as the farm boy, saying "As you wish." And Wesley, coming back for Buttercup, after five years. How much devotion.

(11.) This isn't literary, but Han Solo. Oh, how I loved him! I used to watch the Star Wars movies at night when I babysat for a family in my ward, and I loved to imagine that I was like Leia, and my current high school crush at the time was like Han. Harrison Ford is so charismatic, and when he says "I know." in response to Leia saying she loves him! It's great.

Who do you love, literarilly?