I think it was a Marylon French character (female) who said, The best men are written by women. If I remember correctly, she was referring to all men, real and fictional, which gives the statement an extra bite.
I like the quote a lot. It’s been the source of some lively discussions. (Arguments?)
What men come immediately to mind when we talk about fictional heroes? Men that are so wonderfully constructed, we wish they were real. Heathcliff? Mr. Darcy? Rhett Butler?
One of my favorite all time male characters is Sylvester, from the Gerorgette Heyer novel of the same name, subtitled, The Wicked Uncle. Sylvester is a peer who has a nephew, whose welfare is bequeathed to him by his deceased twin brother. Sylvester becomes the talk of the town when a young girl anonymously publishes a “horrid” novel in which an evil uncle, Count Ugolino, kidnaps his nephew and rightful heir to his title. The story is purely conincidental, but the real Sylvester’s oddly shaped eyebrows inspired the character and everyone recognizes the count as Sylvester.
Sylvester is outraged, vows to ruin the poor authoress. We know where this will lead. Georgette Heyer is not only the mother of the regency, but also the master of characterization. He eventually falls in love with the maligned authoress, only to be spurned by her.
What’s the hero to do?
In a lovely twist, he seeks advice from his mother. The mother turns the trick in his favor.
I think this is a bold move. We don’t really think of our heros running to their mothers. It makes them appear weak, a mommy’s boy. But in Heyer’s expert hands, it makes him more sympathetic and in a way stronger than the arrogant man he was.
There are archetypes and there are those who break the mold. They run the gamut from cowboy to vampire, from corporate shark to small town pediatrictian.
I like a hero who is strong enough to ask his mother for advice.
What about you? Who’s your favorite hero? Do they have a softer side?
You know to name a favourite hero is so hard, because over the years there have been many. But the first ones that came to mind for me were the mercenaries of Lucy Monroe’s trilogy Ready, Willing and Able. They were such hard case heroes but had a softer side to them they wanted no one to know, and see. As I say there have been many over the years but those three heroes jumped into my mind first.
I love SEP’s heros they are always the alpha male, but with a softer side. I also love Lori Foster’s heros. Her Buckhorn Brothers are amazing and I love the relationship between them. The brothers are wonderful to each other and you feel it so they don’t have to go all mushy.
I’ll be honest, my favorite heroes are the ones that are flawed, and maybe even the ones I hate in the beginning. Sam Starrett (Brockmann) was a complete jerk, but over the course of several books, he grew to hero status.
Ranger (Evanovich) because he doesn’t want to be a hero, he just is one. And for caring about Stephanie like he does. He might not be the one that gets her in the end, but that doesn’t make him less of a hero.
Then there’s Roarke (JD RObb) who seems to do no wrong, but the more we get to know him, the more we see he really isn’t all that perfect, but he’s perfect for Eve.