Question of the Week: Fantasizing About Book Characters
by Jenners • 03/23/2010 • Book Talk • 40 Comments
Last week I asked if you had any questions to ask me. (And you still can if you want.) I thought I would answer one question a week. And, if I run out of questions, I might ask myself some (as it just now occurs to me this might be a fun way to write posts). The first question is from my good friend Kelly at My Voice, My View. She asks:
Time to be naughty
Have you ever fantasized about a book character? Don’t worry. We won’t tell Mr. Jenners.
I’m going to tell you up-front that what I’m about to tell you will:
A. Probably cost me about 42% of my readers
B. Is incredibly embarrassing
C. Reveals clearly that I have the soul of a 14-year-old girl
D. All of the above.
The correct answer, of course, is D. And here is why. My answer is ….. Edward Cullen. Oh the shame! The shame!
My secret lover Edward CullenHe likes to play the piano
Yes, I am 42-year-old woman and I fantasize about Edward Cullen. (He’s the lead vamp in the Twilight books for those of you who don’t know who I’m talking about. I don’t know how you haven’t heard of these books though … they’ve only been dominating the bestseller lists for the past 10 years and you cannot go anywhere nowadays without seeing the promos for the new DVD of New Moon.)
Robert Pattison who plays Edward in the movies
When I was reading those books, I was in them for one thing: Edward. (For this reason, I didn’t really like New Moon because that was all about that poser Jacob.) Yes … I fantasized about him kissing me (and having to use all his strength and restraint from wanting to rip my throat open and drink my blood) and running with me through the woods and well … basically I just substituted “Jenners” for “Bella” and I had a grand old time while reading those books. And the thing is, the way Stephenie Meyer writes the books, for the most part Edward doesn’t do much except yearn and pine and glower. So I didn’t even have to feel too guilty for cheating on Mr. Jenners. (Well, until Book 3.)
What? Another Pattison photo? How did that get here?
And, at first, I didn’t like Robert Pattison in the movie role. But then I started to come around … to the point where I may or may not occasionally Google images of Robert Pattison. And I may or may not have stood slack-jawed in the middle of Wal-Mart and watched the clips from New Moon during a recent shopping trip. And I may or may not have already seen the clip for Eclipse that comes out in June.
Did you know Robert Pattison also played Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter movies?
Would it be less embarrassing if my answer was “Cedric Diggory?”
Now I’m confused about who I’m fantasizing about … Edward or Robert?
Go, Cedric, go!
Too bad you didn’t make it. Sniff.
So now I’ve confessed. Now it is your turn to spill the beans! Have you ever fantasized about a book character? And I bet you $100 that at least 10 of you say “Mr. Darcy.”
Lydia said it best: Gilbert Blyhe *swoon*
I also could go for Haplo from the Deathgate Cycle series.
it's awful to admit it…but i'm an edward fan myself. rob is so..so…deliciously english.
as for mr. darcy…yep, sign me up. oh, and i'll take him in bridget jones, too.
ps. jacob is so sub-par.
nat-BL&S
Sigh… Rhett Butler. Be still, my beating heart.
Oh dear. How am I supposed to continue reading your blog with this knowledge?
What a fun topic! I posted my response on my blog. Hope that's OK! I linked back to here.
My number one guy is Eric from the Southern Vampire Series
Tara SG — 25 Hour Books
LOL! Does Mr. Jenners know he's in competition with a character who sparkles?!
jenners- did you read this post?
Oh, for crying out loud.
I'd say Lucy from Forster's "Room With a View" but everybody would know I meant Helena Bonham-Carter playing Lucy in the film adaptation of "Room With a View." HEY!!! HELENA BONHAM-CARTER SHOWED UP IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES TOO!!! We have so much in common! Except I have, you know, age-appropriate fantasies. Perv.
Oh, Jenners! This is hysterical, and I love that you might have out-overshared me (a feat I thought impossible after all the period talk lately). Can't say I care for Edward or Twilight, but those photos are kind of tasty.
Oh Jenners! Gotta love your posts!
I don't know whether this is just a single woman thing or an all women thing, but any time I enter a room, or join a group or see a show in my head I automatically pick out which guy is the most attractive, even if that means picking the best of a bad bunch. So it just comes naturally to pick out which character in each book I find the most attractive.
Here are a few;
Jacob from "Twilight"
Angel from "Tess of the D'Ubervilles"
Quick from "Cloudstreet"
Hoke from "48"
Friedrich from "Little Women"
And of course, the ultimate;
Austin's Darcy, is there any better!?
Nicole Trist @ Books, Books Everywhere
http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/
Um, well, I can't really blame you for Edward (wait, I have to go barf), because I sorta want Harry Potter. But only Harry in the later books. I'm not that sick.
Also, I'm madly in love with both Angel and Spike (both from the shows Buffy/Angel and also the graphic novels). And I also am sorta in love with Rand from the Wheel of Time series (and really, kinda in love with Mat and Perrin from the same series).
Oh I think this was one heck of a post. I'll be posting my fantasy on thurs. I really had to be careful, lest it be Xrated. I haven't read the Twilight series, but I will when my boys aren't looking. they have this thing!, but then again hey had this thing about Harry Potter as well. I don't have to be so open do I? NOP
First, your response = headdesk for me. Edward is too whiny and controlling.
As for my fantasy characters, I tend to get all swoony over the dashing hero/love interest in whatever book I'm reading at the time. At the moment, I'm head-over-heels for Rhett Butler. The fact that he's described as dark-haired like my husband doesn't hurt any, either…
Ok, I was going to dig on you about Edward until I found out he was Cedric….Cedric oh I can handle…he's a dream, but oh Edward, blah!!!!
Now, a true hero, ahhh, the ONE…now that would be Aragorn from Lord of the Rings…whew he is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! and a hero none could beat!
Shallow a choice though it is, Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series can even get this old lady's sluggish blood racing! Sounds just too hunkalicious to me!
Another crack-me-up post from Jenners!
Ok, I don't know about fantasizing, but I had a very strange dream about Professor Snape once. I don't know what that says about me. LOL!
And on a non-literary note I think that Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge is pretty spectacular. It's funny though, right now I can't think of any literary characters. I used to have a thing for Jamie from The Outlander series, but got kind of creeped out by the sex scenes in the latest books, so think that's all done with.
hahaha!
I applaud your honesty – though, if I'm honest myself, neither Edward nor Robert do anything at all for me. So you needn't fear a challenge from this end.
who do i think about in a literary extra-curricular way? I'd say – Falco from Lindsey Davis Imperial Rome series, and Rupert from Loretta Chase's 'Mr. Impossible'. Both equally embarrassing to admit – though IIRC both are in their thirties and not teenagers anymore *g*
LOL I like Edward, too. And I have fantasized about Mr. Darcy… and Eugenides from the Megan Whalen Turner books. And Brian du Bois-Gilbert.
I have a rich fantasy life.
I prefer the vampires in J.R. Ward's world. They'd pretty much kick Edward's ass. And I'm sure I'd lose more readers than you if I actually posted that on my blog!
I think it's safe to say that fantasizing about book characters is a specialty of mine. Edward. Definitely. *insert romance novel hero here*. Yep. Sookie's Eric and Same. Uh-huh. Dream in Sandman from Gaiman. I know..it's weird right? But yeah. Darcy, Rochester, Heathcliff. Check. Check. And check. Aragorn, Hamlet, . Bring it on. I've even had a little book crush on totally age inappropriate characters; although I old them up a bit in my mind to make it seemly.
In other words, you are not alone.
When I was a teen, I fantasized about Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. And, oh, did Viggo Mortensen do him justice in the movies! *swoon*
I still won't read those books, and nor will I watch those movies, not even posting those photos will convince me! Nice try though!
The slack-jaw Walmart scene reminds me of a recent trip to my video, which has a life-size standy-thing of Jacob, Bella, and Edward together and all I kept saying was "That's hot" like some Paris Hilton clone! I still can't decide which camp I'm in – Jacob was scorchingly hot in New Moon, and the thought of being hugged by cold marble is just kinda weird.
I can just picture you slack jawed in Wal-Mart – thanks for the laugh!
My brother found this gem and posted it yesterday –
http://verydemotivational.com/2009/12/01/truth/
Edward Cullen: eueueueueueueu
I haven't read any of the Twilight series yet but feel quite sure I will have a crush on someone when I get around to it. Of course I have always had a crush on Mr. Darcy. I am just drawn to these surly types for some reason!
Rhett Butler, Mr. Darcy, more recently, Julia Child's husband – I want someone to say "You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life."
They were a sexy old pair, those Childs.
Maybe you have to be an old broad like me to appreciate that.
I'm the opposite of Ti in that if anything I prefer the character to the book but either way Edward Cullen doesn't do anything at all for me.
A great, fun post. Your secret is safe, I promise not to tell Mr Jenners.
For the record, I'm stealing some of your RPatt pics! You found some nice ones that I don't already have in my collection…haha! JK!
I haven't really gone in to my whole connection with Twilight on my blog – but I am convinced Stephenie Meyer is a genius because she was able to WRITE a man that SO many women could not stop thinking about…and like you said, he doesn't really do much in the first couple of books! But…if you go on her website and read that other book she started but then stopped because someone leaked it, it's Twilight but from Edward's perspective. I haven't read the whole thing, but what I wouldn't give to be more in the mind of Edward Cullen.
Or Cedric Diggory.
Or Robert Pattinson.
I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment, because my fantasy buddy is more often than not that naughty anti-hero Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights fame.
You can have Edward…I'll take Jacob.
Let see…I don't know if it's really fantasizing or just a weird obsession, but I have this booklet called 'Prisoners in the Tower' I got on a trip to the Tower of London once upon a time. There's a photo of a 17th century duke in it that fascinates me. So much so that I've researched him further and I think they have his photo mislabeled in the booklet. I need to plan another trip to London so I can visit the National Portrait Gallery and gaze upon his portrait to my heart's content. (Btw..I think he got a bum rap and didn't really belong in the Tower.)
You make my heart smile! That is hilarious, but I never would have guessed you for an Edward obsessive. I wasn't too crazy about either of the characters in the Twilight books, but boy do I love that little Lautner boy. I almost feel slimy saying that. It is just wrong when my 12 year old daughter and I like the same actor. I do admit, Mr. Darcy appeals to me. I'm thinking he is not so prissy behind closed doors…
I have had this "thing" for Jamie in the Outlander series. I know he probably smells bad, but I can't get his image out of my mind.
Gilbert Blythe… oh how I adore Gilbert Blythe. Both the character AND the actor who played him.
I was so jealous of Anne (and still am!)
Jenners you crack me up! This post made my day.
How about George Emerson from A Room With a View? Can you imagine some guy being so "overcome with your beauty" in Florence that he kisses you, falls madly in love with you and pursues you even though you're suppose to marry a stupid stiff who doesn't know you at all. Yowza.
Who's this Edward guy? I don't know him ,looks very drool worthy though LOL
Never fantasied about any book character but Valek from Poison Study comes close. Have a minor crush on him
don't tell anyone
I'm embarrassed to say that I too have fantasized about Edward and the only other character is Mr. Darcy too. I guess I'm one of your ten. For shame!
I'm a team Jacob girl myself—
Mr. Darcy is kind of prissy. It's Mr. ROCHESTER every time for me! Dangerous, passionate, strong, and mysterious, with some anger added in to keep me just a little off balance. The sex there would be fantastic….
I like the actor, but not the character of Edward. He's so pale and pastey in the film. LOL.
And don't worry, you won't lose me over this even though Jacob is a much hotter, TANNER hunk.