Mission

Bibliophiliac is the space where one passionate, voracious reader reflects on books and the reading life. You will find reviews, analysis, links, and reflections on poetry and prose both in and out of the mainstream.

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. Franz Kafka

Monday, October 18, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday:  Top Ten Fictional Crushes

1.  John Keats.  Okay, so he was a real person.  But in my fevered imagination, he is a Romantic Poet, perhaps the Romantic Poet.  The persona Keats created in his poems is my crush.
2.  Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion -- the most grown-up of Austen's heroes and the most grown-up of her novels.
3. Phineas Finn of Anthony Trollope's Phineas Finn and Phineas Redux. Phineas can be rash, and he acts like a fool around women, but in the end he redeems himself.
4.  Will Ladislaw of George Eliot's Middlemarch.
5. Dr. Lydgate of Middlemarch.  Fool that he is, Lydgate marries unwisely, and pays dearly for it--but I respect his professional passion.
6. Caleb Garth of Middlemarch.  Caleb Garth is sort of a father figure, and the wisest man in the book.
7. Leonard Bast of Howard's End by E.M.Forster--this tragic clerk, crushed to death by a bookcase, has a poignant desire to learn.
8.  Tea Cake of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.  Somehow I manage to get this novel in every Top Ten list. 
9. July Montgomery of Rock Island Line and Driftless by David Rhodes.  My two favorite books of the year so far.
10. Nicholas Nickleby, from the eponymous novel by Charles Dickens.  Could there be a truer heart in all of fiction?

Thanks to the folks at The Broke and the Bookish for this wonderful meme.  I can hardly wait to see what everyone else says!  What about you?  Who are your fictional crushes?

17 comments:

BookQuoter said...

Love Captain Wentworth. One day, I will come back knowing more of these men.

I bought Rock Island, but haven't had the time. I should find some time.

bibliophiliac said...

@BookQuoter--Please, please read Rock Island Line! I have a missionary zeal for this book, as you can see!

Lucia said...

Oh I adore Captain Wentworth!

B said...

Great list! I didn't even think of Tea Cake... he's certainly a charmer.

Loni said...

Oh, Captain Wentworth...I should have put him on my list.

I should also re-read Their Eyes Were Watching God. I haven't read it in 8 or 9 years.

Irene Palfy said...

great list!

Straylights said...

Sorry to say but I have not heard of any one from your list :( I need to start reading more genres!


My Top Ten

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

This reinforces my resolve to read Middlemarch.
-Anne
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com

Katrina said...

I would add Max de Winter from Rebecca to the list. I agree with Captain Wentworth and poor Leonard Bast. I'll have to check out Rock Island Line.

Jamie said...

Keats! <3

I have most of these books on my TBR list! Thanks for participating!

-Jamie at The Broke and the Bookish & The Perpetual Page-Turner

Rummanah Aasi said...

What do Darcy?! Or is that a given? And I hear you on Keats, by far the only person I could stand from the Romantics. Bryon and Shelly were both royal jerks.

Krystal said...

I don't know anyone on your list! Terrible, I know...
But it does seem like a good list.

Here's my Top 10 List

Carol said...

I have an award for u!
enjoy ur weekend

carol

Stephanie said...

Terrific list! And you have me wanting to read Nicholas Nickleby.

http://laughingstars.net

Anonymous said...

Glad to see young Nickleby made one of these lists. I've always thought he & the novel were under appreciated.
-Jay

Aisle B said...

Nice crushes there girl.

From the past reads of classics...
definitely Darcy (for all the obvious reasons) and Atticus Finch. Finch for his zeal for justice and his kindness to his daughter Scout.


Mine is more related to JD Robb's Death series... Right now inclined towards Roarke. AND from the Fever Stories... Barrons...
From the historical romance...sorry my guilty pleasures in life... ultimately Clayton! Ahhhh ok I'm good now.. will stop salivating on your blog page ;)

Bybee said...

Yes to Capt. Wentworth & Yes, yes yes to all those Middlemarch guys.