I have written before on my favorite
writers but not really on the my favorite book characters. On the
about me page I've listed a few of my favorite writers; Sir Walter
Scott and Jane Austen and like I said it is quite a contrast but I
like a wide range of authors and types of writing.
So firstly, my favorite Sir Walter
Scott character is Ivanhoe, the famous chivalrous Anglo Saxon
knight and in the 1952 film, Robert Taylor portrays him beautifully.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. The story takes place
in South Yorkshire which I concluded from the places that are
mentioned in the beginning; the River Don, Sheffield, and Doncaster.
The hero of the book has just returned from the Crusades in disguise
and he faces many challenges when he returns. His father has
disinherited him for supporting the Norman King Richard and he is in
love with Lady Rowena his father's ward who he has promised to Lord
Athelstane in hopes he can revive Anglo Saxon Power. What I liked
about him the most is that he is a brave and chivalrous knight
upholding the Code of Chivalry. The Code of Chivalry was started in
the 12th Century and was a code of conduct established to
give knights something to measure themselves against and to know how
to behave especially with a Lady. According to
http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/
The Song of Roland lists the Code of Chivalry as follows:
To fear God and maintain His
Church
To serve the liege lord
in valour and faith
To protect the weak and
defenceless
To give succour to widows
and orphans
To refrain from the
wanton giving of offence
To live by honour and for
glory
To despise pecuniary
reward
To fight for the welfare
of all
To obey those placed in
authority
To guard the honour of
fellow knights
To eschew unfairness,
meanness and deceit
To keep faith
At all times to speak the
truth
To persevere to the end
in any enterprise begun
To respect the honour of
women
Never to refuse a
challenge from an equal
Never to turn the back
upon a foe
I won't detail all of the individual
codes but point out my two favorite examples. At the tournament of
Ashby de la Zouche Ivanhoe presents Lady Rowena with the crown of
love and beauty, a public declaration of his heart of love for her.
He shows her great honor by presenting her with a crown since she is
an Anglo Saxon Lady and thus setting her above all the other ladies
present. Later in the novel, his chivalrous conduct is exemplified
when he defends the honor of the lovely Rebecca, the daughter of a
wealthy Jew. She is unjustly tried and convicted of witchcraft and
Ivanhoe saves her life by fighting in a joust to the death by
defeating his greatest opponent, the Norman knight Brian de Bois
Guilbert. Again he shows great respect by defending her since she is
of the Hebrew Faith and he is a Christian knight.
My favorite Jane Austen character is a
difficult choice. I love all her characters. I think that for the
time they are set in and written in they portray strong characters.
There is outspoken Lizzie Bennet and determined matchmaker Emma
Woodhouse, and of course the charming Dashwood sisters and Fanny
Price. However, I think I would have to especially mention Anne
Elliot, the heroine of Persuasion who is slightly older and
considered almost past her chances of marrying and in danger of
becoming a spinster. I think she was the most mature of Austen's work
which is portrayed in the way she handles the return of a man she had jilted ten
years earlier. She had been in love with Frederick Wentworth but was
persuaded by Lady Russell to break the engagement as it was
considered an unsuitable match for an Elliot.
Ten years have past and Wentworth is
now a wealthy naval captain. In fact their social situations have
almost reversed and Wentworth is now very Wealthy and Anne's family
have come into financial difficulty and must move from the family
home. And what's worse is that Wentworth's sister and husband
acquire the Elliot estate and Anne is forced to visit her own home
with the man she jilted staying there. She must face him again and
she soon discovers that her feelings haven't changed and there is the
possibility that he will marry one of the Musgrove sisters, Louisa or
Henrietta. She is very brave as she deals with the awkwardness,
hiding her innermost feelings for there is no one she can share it
with. She bares it as a saint watching him flirt and mingle with the
two lovely young girls knowing that one of them might become his wife
and her feelings for him haven't changed and she is forced into
social situations where she must face him. I think it is one of
Austen's most realistic characters. It's a little more melancholy
than her other stories and draws more on the emotions.
I have many literary characters that
inspire me and could spend hours studying them and these are just a
few. I'll save the rest for another time.
