I just felt compelled to write a little note about the awesomest men in literary history.... and maybe some film history as well... whoops. My point is, the type of male characters women like these days are.... well not very honorable. Edward from Twilight, Noah from the Notebook, Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey... I mean, really? What has the world come to? Why do girls fall in love with guys who bite their necks, encourage them to cheat on their fiance, or whatever... it is that christian grey does (I know what he does, I just don't want to take the time to discuss how disgusting and humilating it really is)? Don't even get me started on Mad Men... I mean seriously... that show is just about a bunch of slimeballs who treat women like dirt. Ok, no more ranting.... I think you all are just missing out on some awesome male characters... one's that can show you how nice and well, chivalrous even a guy can be. Instead of having such low standards, try to find a guy more like these.... I hope they give you a little bit more respect for yourself when you are picking a guy. Or maybe, at least get you to read some of the books or watch the movies/tv shows.
1. Gilbert Blythe (pictures below)
This literary male character is from Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. He is a bit like Peeta from the Hunger Games in the sense that he falls for our main heroine and never gives up on loving her. Despite the fact that Anne holds a grudge against Gilbert for years, Gilbert continues to ask her for forgiveness and try to be her friend. Then, when they are friends, he treats her like his equal, literally. Anne is a fiery red head, she has a major temper and she is full of herself, so when she is sometimes a little bit cocky, over the top, or stubborn, Gilbert tells her. Anne doesn't necessarily take this well, but he makes her a better person by doing so. Gilbert also, doesn't fall a part when Anne refuses him, he goes off and becomes a brilliant doctor, working hard. And, I have just realized how incredibly difficult it is to sum up how amazing Gilbert Blythe is in one paragraph. He is honest, respectful, diligent, trustworthy, protective, heroic, kind hearted, loving, patient... he is a truly wonderful hero in a book. If you haven't read Anne of Green Gables or watched the mini series with Megan Follows, I suggest you do. Gilbert certainly isn't the only great and touching part of the story and you will be wishing you are Anne Shirley by the end of the books or movies.
2. Alf Arless
Alf Arless is a character from the tv show Larkrise to Candleford, which is also a book trilogy by Flora Thompson. I have not read the book, but the tv show has one male character that just trumps all male characters ever created in history. Alf is the most kind-hearted, noble, hard working character ever. He has grown up with an absent father , a mother who has an alcohol addiction, while also living in a poor town. This doesn't prevent Alf from being a loving brother to his other 3 or 4 siblings and working hard to pay for their rent. He works in the fields every day to get money for their rent and usually his mom steals that money to buy alcohol. Despite this, he still loves her and treats her kindly, maybe too kindly in fact. While all of this is happening, he is also in love with his best friend, Laura, who has no feelings for him in that way and even though she rejects him in quite a sucky way, he still is her friend and is always there for her. The entire community admires him, he grows so much through out the series, and he is just overall a wonderful character. A blogger says, "He is goodness itself. He is human, he does make mistakes, but when he messes up he takes responsibility for his actions and does all he can to make amends. I would say at the beginning of the TV series he is 18 to 19, and almost immediately he has the responsibility of taking care of and providing for his brother and sisters, because his father is away at sea, and his mother is taken away to debtor's prison. He shoulders what life throws at him willingly, and goes above and beyond what anyone expects of him. I also can't get enough of his singing and melodeon playing. Amazing, amazing role model." (http://examineallthings.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html) So, if you just want a guy to drool over or dream of, watch this quirky, charming little show. Oh, did I mention he plays the accordion and sings <3.
3. Theodore "Laurie" Laurence
Allright, I of course realize Laurie is not perfect, but hey, that is even better, because no one is! Theodore Laurence is from Lousia May Alcott's Little Women. He is more affectionatly known as Laurie by all the March girls. Jo March is a wild girl... in the sense that she loves to run around, do stuff that a "proper" girl would never do. Her and her sisters have all sorts of fun things they do, like putting on plays and writing their own newspaper. They are all so close knit, but Laurie is awesome enough to enter their little women world. He becomes best of friends with Jo. In fact, in the movie... I cannot remember if it is in the book or not, but in one scene they dance around together dramatically and both of them are giggling. Laurie is always there to comfort Jo and be her dear friend. He is extremley loyal and just loads of fun. Unfortunatley Laurie falls in love with Jo, which just shows how amazing he is, since Jo is definitely an incredible girl, but Jo rejects him. Laurie is such a sentimental guy that he takes this very hard and ends up going off and becoming a bit of a fallanderer. In the end he marries one of Jo's sisters and Jo and him are reunited as friends. It is hard to explain why Laurie is such a great male character, I think it is just his great devotion to Jo, his loving friendship to all the March women, and his fun persona. He is just such a joyous character and makes the book all the more delightful to read and the movie to watch. Most people I know who have read the book wished that Jo had loved Laurie back, because all of us wanted to marry Laurie.
4. Captain Wentworth and Henry Tilney
I know exactly what you are thinking..... WHERE THE HECK IS MR. DARCY?! Well, ladies and gentleman, as much as I love P and P and i adore Colin Firth coming out of the water and asking Elizabeth how her family is five times in a row...... (and yes I know that was not in the book), I do not consider Darcy to be my favorite Jane Austen hero. GASP, I know, please get over it quickly. I still love Darcy, he is honorable and all sorts of romantic, but as far as I can tell, he does originally treat Elizabeth with an arrogant and douche baggy attitude, so, he doesn't make this list.
So... Captain Wentworth. Ladies, if you do not know this character... if you have never read Jane Austen's Persuasion, you are missing out on the greatest love story ever written. I mean it, better than Pride and Prejudice, much more realistic, much more heartbreaking, much more beautiful. Anne Elliot is an older woman... not that old, past her prime in Victorian age terms, who had missed her chance at love long ago. That's right... Frederick Wentworth was her beau, he had asked her to marry him, she wanted to say yes, but some stupid friend of the family advised her not to because he was too poor, and Anne has regretted it ever since. Even if you hated Wentworth, the fact that he loves Anne a lone will make you love him. Anne is so plain, but so very sweet, she is one of those quiet woman who listens to everyone else's heartbreak and problems.... she is just so courageous, I try everyday to be more like her. Anyways.... guess who comes back into her life after 8 years!!!!! Frederick... Captain Wentworth. We, as readers, go through agonizing scenes where Anne is clearly still in love with him, but Wentworth acts as though he has completely moved on and is trying to spite her almost (who could blame him, I mean he was heart broken), but then such a sweet and moving scene comes, when his sister and brother in law come in a carriage and ask if any of the ladies walking with them need a ride Wentworth chooses Anne. He had noticed her! After that, there are other small moments, sweet moments, that help us reader's hold on to the hope that they will be together. If you do not read this book for all of the wonderful things I just said, then read it for the most romantic love letter ever written in history. Wentworth writes Anne a letter about his love for her..... I have read it over and over again and my heart jumps every time I hear it! He expresses himself so well and he is so sweet and respectful to her. That is the kind of man Wentworth is, constant, true, honorable, and a quiet lover, just like Anne. He is so noble, and even after 8 years loves the same woman who had rejected him.
"Wentworth is a gentleman wrapped up in a sailor’s uniform. He is distinguished and his person demands respect. Not surprisingly, he is the target of many a young woman, but in the end it is the steady character of Anne that once again wins his heart. I love Wentworth because he represents the constancy of love and the beauty of second chances. Wentworth’s letter to Anne at the end of the novel always brings a tear to my eye. It’s a love letter that effuses such passion for, and devotion to, Anne that you can’t help but wish the letter was written for you." (http://feedyourreadinghabit.blogspot.com/2011/11/reading-habits-top-10-fictional-male.html)
Now, Henry Tilney.... My all time favorite JANE AUSTEN HERO! So, I hated Northanger Abbey the book.... the movie was so cute, but despite hating the book, I still found Tilney to be the most admirable male character Austen had ever written. Tilney is very rich and older than Catherine... our Austen heroine, who is quite naive, but Tilney is respectful to her. He doesn't push her, he flatters her, but only because he immediately cares about her. One of my favorite things about Tilney is his ability to think before speaking. Catherine asks him how he feels about a certain man (one who is in love with Catherine and going after her) and he replies "I may not be the right person to ask about that". He always has the perfect response to everything, he is wise and mature and knows how to speak kindly to someone. He is charming and so considerate. Catherine accuses his father of murder and even so he loves her and proposes to her. Tilney gives up his family and money to be with Catherine. Ah, love him. BTW, please watch the movie... the one with JJ Fields as Tilney and never read the book!
5. Sydney Carton
As much as I want to praise this character and this book and its author over and over again, I think this person says why I added this man to my list the best. "Literature rarely brings me to tears, but I can remember, as an 11 year-old, weeping copiously over the end of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. Sydney Carton, the prodigal young attorney who showed his love for Lucie Manette by taking her husband's place at the guillotine, is one of Dickens's most tragic and dynamic characters: a brilliant but dissolute and self-pitying alcoholic for whom, at the beginning, it's hard to feel a slither of empathy. "I am a disappointed drudge, sir," he says. "I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me."
After he professed his love for Lucie and set about about redeeming his ill-spent life, however, I really started to feel for him. Indeed, the book's denouement is one of the most poignant and poetic things I’ve read. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known,” he mutters sublimely, as he prepares to sacrifice himself so that his beloved Lucie, her father and her husband might live."
If you just read that and thought, wow that sounds like a touching, amazing story.... trust me, that is just typical Dickens. Read his novels!
6. Jem Wilson
This is one of the most underrated novels in British literary history and it's author is very underrated as well. If you ever watch the mini series Cranford or Wives and Daughters or even North and South, you are watching the work of Elizabeth Gaskell. Seriously, this authoress is a mix between Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. She knows how to show the grittiness of the times and put depth into her novels unlike Austen and very much like Dickens while also making a convincing love story just like Austen. Jem Wilson is a character from her novel Mary Barton... sorry folks... no movie for this one, in fact there is little to be found on it online, but it is a gem. It is a slow read, but after you have finished, you will be amazed by it, especially by Jem Wilson. Perhaps loving Jem Wilson as a male character has more to do with the powerful and sacrificial love story between him and our heroine Mary Barton. Jem Wilson grows up with Mary, loving her from the beginning, always watching out for her and staying by her side. Unfortunately, as usual, Mary cannot see how great Jem is and she ends up falling in love with a snobby, slimy, rich man. Her father is even mad at her for not loving Jem who is so true and honest in his affection towards her. In the end Mary loses Jem.... and it is only after she loses Jem that she realizes how much she loves him, and how much she dislikes the rich man (Mr. Carson). Jem ends up being convicted of murdering Mr. Carson to which Mary fights for his freedom faithfully. The beauty of this love story is that for years and years Jem is faithful and loving towards his Mary and then at the end of the book Mary repays him by being faithful and loving to him in a great trial. I haven't read the book in a while, so I do not remember all the details of why I loved Jem, but he left a great impression on my heart.
7. Mr. Bates (John Bates)
And you thought I wouldn't put him on the list.... psh, of course! Mr. Bates is not your typical heart throb. He is stubborn and proud and well doesn't give a damn what others think of him half the time, but he is so kind hearted. Without him even speaking a word, there is something noble and admirable about him. The way he deals with bad situations, ones that have involved someone setting him up to get him fired, and putting him in prison for murder, Mr. Bates always acts kindly and beautifully. He deserves every happiness he can get and the love story between him and Anna is so sweet and pure. "Not only does he treat upstairs and downstairs characters with equal fairness, Mr Bates understands women. The scene where he brought breakfast on a tray for head housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) had British womanhood sighing with suppressed desire.
After last Sunday's episode a married friend texted me. "All warm and fuzzy inside but then my mother always said I had a worrying attraction to lame ducks! He is so dignified but there's a river of passion just bubbling beneath the surface ... ooh, matron!!"" (http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/the-unlikely-cult-of-mr-bates-6531833.html)
8.Peeta Mellark
I'm sorry, do I even need to explain this decision? Here are some other fans of him describing my/our reasoning:
Peeta is a selfless lover. There is no one more brave than one who can lie his life down to save another. Peeta means “rock” and Peeta is the rock of the entire series; For Katniss, for the rebellion. But what I love about Peeta the most us he never gives up, never let’s go: Katniss in Mockingjay “Let me go!” Peeta “I can’t”. –@jeamiemarie
Peeta is the only light in a horribly dark situation; the only thing that could keep anyone (in this case, Katniss) fighting for as long as she did. Whether by his actions in the past (such as the incident with the bread) or the present, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Peeta’s intense love for Katniss keeps her world bright enough to keep going. Even in Mockingjay, when Peeta is not mentally able to support Katniss, her anger at what the Capitol has done to him keeps her fighting against insurmountable odds. Overall, I don’t believe that Katniss would have been able to achieve half of what she does throughout the series without Peeta’s involvement… – @evanrosenelson
Ah Peeta…why do I love him? He’s just so good natured, compared to Gale, Katniss, Snow, the tributes ect. and the way he’s devoted to Katniss is so sweet. Even though she doesn’t deserve him at times, he’s always there. He’s charming, funny at no one’s expense (except maybe he’s own at times) and willing to help out those in need. Just like he’s able to win over a crowd with his words, the boy with the bread has won over me <3 — @skydusk1
and this is my favorite one:
I love Peeta because he is a rarity not only in the world of literature, but in real life as well. You can’t help but connect with him and root for him, because his heart is so pure and full of nothing but love. His selflessness and willingness to lay down his own life in defiance of an oppressive government makes him a hero. He is a true hero at heart, and despite all the evil that threatens to corrupt his pure heart, he remains a hero through and through. He will always be the boy with the bread who would rather take a beating than see someone he loves suffer. — @jennajabberjaw
And that last one, pretty much describes all my male character choices, their hearts are pure and full of nothing but love.
Yup, if anyone reads this haha, you just got a glimpse into my head.
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