Darcy 3, Heathcliff 0
Heathcliff: Dark, brooding, handsome, rich, obsessed, and apparently too scary for our contestants, who have expressed a preference for Darcy. (Photo: Before Deadwood and Kings, Ian McShane played Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.)
What, no macho Hemingway guys? Oh right, the equipment was destroyed in the war. Alyosha Karamazov? Too good. Prince Myshkin? Too good, plus you know. What about Mr. Rochester? Those Bronte sisters with their creepy men. Jude the Obscure and other Hardy hunks? Too depressing. Colette’s Cheri? Someone to date, not to keep. Julien Sorel? Too scheming. Nicholas Nickleby or Pip? Tintin? Captain Ahab? With the peg leg, are you nuts.
Male literary characters you would like to date (as of Tuesday):
Fitzwilliam Darcy – Most popular so far. Is it the surliness?
Stanley Kowalski – Contestant already has foul plan.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Technically just one guy.
Gollum – Unussssssual.
Holden Caulfield – He’s 16 ergo jailbait unless you’re 16.
John Marcher from The Beast In The Jungle
Count Dracula – Everybody loves a vampire.
Owen Meany – Don’t remember the book well, but wasn’t he tiny?
Peregrin “Pippin” Took – Speaking of tiny.
Julio Madiaga – Er. (So is Stanley.)
Among the women, no takers yet for Eustacia Vye, Tess Durbeyfield, Holly Golightly, Maria Clara (Oh, please), Isabel Archer, Natasha from War and Peace, the Japanese princess who wrote The Pillow Book, and that conniving little Lolita.
Keep posting your entries to this week’s LitWit challenge, Your Imaginary Date. Deadline Friday night.
Saturday, 0207. The LitWit Challenge: Your Imaginary Date is now closed. The winner will be announced later.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 30th, 2009 at 04:49
Owen Meany from John Irving’s Prayer for Owen Meany… and yeah, he’s tiny with a big (all caps) voice. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany)
September 30th, 2009 at 05:55
Just a side note: Sei Shonagon isn’t a princess, she’s a lady-in-waiting. And the Pillow book isn’t technically fiction.
Sorry, my geekiness is compulsive.
September 30th, 2009 at 10:09
Wow, this is fun.
Am not eligible for the challenge since I don’t live in the country (unless Jessica sends over the books?) ;), but just because it’s fun, my choices and not in order:
*Darcy–Well, he’s Darcy. I think people these days, including me, choose him because he’s actually a stand-in for either Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen, depending on which Darcy you prefer.
1. The men of LOTR–Aragorn, Eomer, and Faramir. Hello, people. What is wrong with you? Pippin and Gollum made the list and not these guys?? I’m limiting this to the humans coz the hobbits and dwarves are short, and height is always a deal-breaker with me. And the elves are too, well, fey, haha!
2. George Smiley from John Le Carre’s novels–Pwede ba characters from modern novels? He knows from trade craft so for sure, we’re not gonna be ambushed or followed, and he has the whole Circus behind him to do his dirty work. Besides, he may look meek and mild, but he’s a master interrogator, and he loves books. We can sit in a cafe and just chill.
3. The Count of Monte Cristo–He’s a count, ergo castles, loads of money. Not to mention, he’s good with a sword and is relentless.
4. Odysseus–He’s well-traveled, charming, can talk his way out of tight situations, obviously intelligent, and he’s faithful.
5. Rob Gordon–The guy in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. He’s a music geek and they’re usually less uptight than the sci-fi books geeks. We can go to some dive that plays blues.
6. Gordy Lachance–Stephen King’s The Body. Also, Chris Chambers from the same short story. Boys who are wiser beyond their years. Of course, they’re jailbait at their age in the book. But Gordy grows up to become a successful writer and Chris died before he could fulfill his potential. I’d like to think both boys would grow up to be sensitive, funny, straight men. :)
September 30th, 2009 at 12:29
To cynical_witch: your choices are fun….. but with the number of men you want to date, you’re a fictional slut. hehe. just kidding.
September 30th, 2009 at 13:04
Lola Edith’s Newland Archer
William’s Romeo? Corny ba? Gusto ko kasi yung love at first sight ek.
Ian’s Robbie Turner. How can Ian make him intelligent and tanga at the same time? ang galing ni Ian <– Uy! first name basis kami.
September 30th, 2009 at 13:23
Nothing could beat having a double date (with me as the only bottom… yes you heard that right) with the dark-haired bookish and very Sturdy Frank Hardy and the blonde haired athletic Joe Hardy. We would go to Bohol and explore the Island, going bungee jumping and hiking (they can carry me). It won’t hurt to discover a one-eyed tarsier dying from a case of Genital herpes which will lead us to another adventure altogether.
Another fellow I would love to go boogie with is Desire of the Endless from Gaiman’s Sandman. He/She/It can be anything you want (what more can I say). For our date, we’d go to one of those popular bars – Emba (is it still alive?), Manor, etc. And have a night of wild hot fun with a few other people. >:)
October 1st, 2009 at 11:53
To saintbarry: Haha, “fictional slut.” I like that–at least, better than being an actual one! ;)
But I’d like to think of myself as a fictional serial dater–which can mean, I’m a serial dater of fictional men or my being a serial dater is fictional, both sad scenarios actually.
BTW, just to add to my list are these two: Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard and Melrose Plant, Earl of Caverness. They’re the protagonists of Martha Grimes’ excellent “pub” mysteries. Check them out, people!
To Qsdn: Briefly thought of adding one of The Endless to my list, but dating one of those siblings is fraught with danger. Major family issues! ;)
October 1st, 2009 at 18:29
the holidays are coming,pretentious people will again rule the universe, i need to date JD Salinger’s Holden Caulfield.i will then take him to enchanted kingdom and let him watch me as i ride the carousel. then we’d go for an ice cream and talk until sunrise.
October 1st, 2009 at 20:27
Sherlock Holmes!
October 1st, 2009 at 22:18
Ang gusto kong maka-date ay ang Munting Prinsipe (Little Prince). No, I’m not a pedophile! Mayroong kakanyahan ang isip ng mga bata. Ito’y payak, bukas, tapat at inosente. Kaya nais kong makausap ang Munting Prinsipe, makinig sa kanyang mga pananaw sa mga bagay-bagay at makipagpalitan ng mga ideya’t kurukuro.
Dadalhin ko siya sa Rizal Park at doon kami maghuhuntahan tungkol sa aming mga karanasan at paniniwala. Walang riddle-riddles, walang drawing-drawings, at lalong walang debatehan. Mahinahong usapan lamang. Palitan ng mga kuwentong halos walang katuturan kung hindi hihimayin. Kung nalulungkot at nag-aalala pa rin siya sa kanyang mahal na rosas, pupunta kami sa Dangwa o kaya’y sa Manila Seedling sa Quezon City. Baka sakaling malibang siya sa ganda ng mga orkidyas at hydrangeas at sa bango ng mga sampagita at ilang-ilang.
Babalik kami sa Rizal Park at maglalakad papuntang baywalk sa Roxas Boulevard habang patuloy na naghuhuntahan. Dito namin hihintayin at pagmamasdan ang paglubog ng araw na siyang paboritong libangan ng Munting Prinsipe. Hindi ko kalilimutang pasubalian ang paniniwala niyang ang mga matatanda (grown-ups) ay kakatuwa’t kakaiba dahil sarado ang kanilang mga isipan para sa kanilang sariling kabutihan.
At pagkatapos ng lahat, sa tuwing takipsilim ay maaalala ko ng may kirot sa puso ang isang munting prinsipe na pinagmamasdan araw-araw ang apatnapu’t apat na beses na paglubog ng araw sa kanyang munting mundo.
Maraming mapupulot sa pakikipag-usap sa Munting Prinsipe. Nguni’t ang mangitian at mabati, ang may makausap at may makahuntahan ng kahit na mga kwentong kababawan, sapat na yan para maibsan nang bahagya man lang ang kahungkagang nararamdaman ng isang sexagenariang tulad ko na kung baga sa mga biyahero’y nasa pre-departure area na.
October 1st, 2009 at 23:54
I’d go for Holly Golightly or Lolita.
October 2nd, 2009 at 22:25
Gary Lambert from “The Corrections.” Wonderful game (I do not know about easy)—unhappy married man and for a while in the book, his train was denied entry into the “tunnel” it was supposed to pass through unfairly — he is a handsome man. Anyways, I will take him to a Pinoy rinky-dink beer house and show him “Filipino hospitality” (a pre-lit crit class vomitus deep breath) “in the (blinking X-mas) light(s) of the surviving world order in these ‘globalized’ times.” *Hic* I am my college sophomore self (only in Japanese schoolgirl skirt) and boozy-woozy from the flight of the (equally cute) author’s ambition. (Spacetime CONTINUUM…)
P.S. Obviously, I really want to win a copy of the book. Hope this makes sense.