I just had a conversation on Facebook about the novel Catcher in the Rye. It seems that some people really dislike Holden Caulfield (gasp!). In my defense of Catcher in the Rye, and Holden, I argued that, regardless of whether or not Holden is likable, he is most definitely memorable. Of course, when speaking of unlikable protagonists, I immediately jumped to Ignatius Reilly as the perfect example of a well-crafted unforgettable character who happens to be a complete jerk.
After my Facebook debate, I went looking for lists (oh, how I love a good list) of memorable fictional characters. I found a good one on NPR: check it out here
I’d like to know what you think of this list. Do you agree/disagree with the ratings? Are there any great characters missing from the list? NPR only includes characters from works published between 1900 and 2002, so if you have earlier or later additions, I’d love to hear them.
A few that I would include are Frances Piper from Fall on Your Knees, Hagar Shipley from The Stone Angel, Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, and YT from Snow Crash.
Katniss Everdeen…..The Hunger Games…..;)
By: twisty on August 9, 2011
at 4:00 pm
Oh, that’s a good one. Katniss is badass.
By: juliehgordon on August 9, 2011
at 7:43 pm
Holden Caulfield?! Memorable!? Puhlease. I couldn’t even remember his name till it was all over Facebook. Ignatius Reilley I can get behind, and YT Protagonist. And the girl from Lullabyes for Little Criminals, (was her name Baby?) though it is very hard to see first person characters as characters isn’t it? Through her eyes the father was the character. If you haven’t read that one, go ahead and break your heart. Holden D Caulfield isn’t even in the same class. (D stands for drip) He embodies the anti-character. Absence of character. In fact, only the Great Gatsby is more of a drip.
Enough with the out-of-touch literature. I’d like to make all those English teachers write essays on why they think high school kids should be reading such nonsense.
That was my Ignatius-style rant for the day. I hope it’s a least a year before anyone brings up Catcher in the Rye again…
By: Rebecca Doll on August 9, 2011
at 9:31 pm
I read Lullabies for Little Criminals and I agree, it’s heartbreaking. A year before anyone mentions Holden Caulfield again?? Not likley, he’s so memorable.
By: juliehgordon on August 10, 2011
at 6:04 am
can we agree to disagree on this matter? while freedom of speech invites the expression of everyone’s opinions, it also allows for diatribes that verge on censorship. i think if someone feels that something is memorable, it’s nearly impossible to argue against it. and vice versa.
like anybody, i remember feeling resistance toward reading some “out of touch” books in English. it was like being forced to drink spoonfuls of cod liver oil in the morning. “it’s good for you.” i do believe that many of these books, however, were influential. i’d reckon that a number of “in touch” writers today most definitely benefited from reading the “unmentionable” books. even it was through detesting them immensely.
By: twisty on August 10, 2011
at 6:57 am
Well, I was going to let this go, but my pal Twisty has made some valid points. Debates about literature can get very heated because everyone’s experience of a piece of writing is unique and influenced by their own life experience. The written word is considered a thinking person’s medium because the reader participates in shaping the story and characters; however, it is also a feeling medium — we engage with characters intimately, and that is why we get so passionate in these debates.
That being said, I don’t think any piece of literature is “out-of-touch.” I heard this argument over and over while doing my English degree: why do we still read Austen, Dickens, and hell, even Shakespeare? — they are irrelevant. I disagree. I think in order to understand where we are, and anticipate where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve been. The classics are not the only literature we should read, but we can’t dismiss them. I took a Canadian Literature course and our prof made us read Robertson Davis — the old man of Canadian literature and a writer who I felt was outdated. Well, we read Fifth Business and I adored it. I’ve read it three times and it is in my top 10 favorites. I would like to thank that prof for cramming that “out of touch” novel down my throat; it continues to nourish me to this day.
I don’t think Rebecca meant to suggest that we remove Catcher in the Rye from our shelves, and our curriculum. That would be a shame. I first read Catcher in the Rye when I was an angry, unhappy teenager, and Holden helped me expel some of that anger in a healthy manner. Teen angst is universal, and I would hate for a young person (or any person) to be denied the opportunity to read something that might help them, enlighten them, or simply entertain them.
By: juliehgordon on August 10, 2011
at 9:14 am
Mordecai Richler’s Duddy Kravitz
By: twisty on August 10, 2011
at 6:49 am
Yes! Duddy is a great character.
By: juliehgordon on August 10, 2011
at 7:29 am