Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?)
Yes, you guessed it - I'mgoing to hedge my bets and pick a few favourites. I've even turned them into an Identi-Kit picture, so you can spot my ideal heroine, should you see her misformed body wandering along the street.
So which three females made the grade? First and probably foremost - well, it has to be Elizabeth Bennet, doesn't it? I'd be astonished if she weren't the most popular choice this week. Wit, gumption, self-knowledge, affection for those around her, intelligence, beauty, morals, self-deprecation, eventual wisdom - what is there not to like in our Lizzie? She, in case you wondered, makes up the torso and arms of our Ideal Heroine. No particular reason why those bits.
Second (the legs downwards) is the indomitable Miss Hargreaves. For more on Connie, see more or less every post I've ever written, or this one in particular. Incorrigible, unflappable, musical, quite selfish but often very loving, and unintentionally hilarious Miss Hargreaves is everything a comic character should be, and my life would be a duller place without her in it. She's brought along Sarah, her dog, and a cockatoo called Dr. Pepusch, hope that's not cheating.
And the head - The Provincial Lady. Well, it's actually her author, E M Delafield, but needs must. Again, witty and self-deprecating, ironic, long-suffering and eternally provincial, she is the architypal everywoman, but also somehow unique.
So there we are. My three favourite female protagonists, and I can't imagine the landscape of literature without the three of them. How amusing it would be if the three of them were in the same room. I think they'd probably loathe each other, but I would be delighted.
No comments:
Post a Comment