The 100 Greatest Literary Characters

James Plath; Gail Sinclair and Kirk Curnutt

From Captain Ahab to Yuri Zhivago, discover the most remarkable characters in fiction.

Huckleberry Finn, Anna Karenina, Harry Potter, Hester Prynne . . . these are just a handful of remarkable characters found in literature, but of course the list is virtually endless! But why ponder which of these creations are the greatest? More than just a topic to debate with friends, the greatest characters from fiction help readers comprehend history, culture, politics, and even their own place in today’s world. Despite our reliance on television, film, and technology, it is literature’s great characters that create and reinforce popular culture, informing us again and again about society and ourselves.

In The 100 Greatest Literary Characters, James Plath, Gail Sinclair, and Kirk Curnutt identify the most significant figures in fiction published over the past several centuries. The characters profiled here represent a wide array of storytelling, and the authors explore the significance of the figures at the time they were created as well as their relevance today. Included in this volume are characters from literature produced around the world, such as Aladdin, James Bond, Holden Caulfield, Jay Gatsby, Hercule Poirot, Don Quixote, Lisbeth Salander, Ebenezer Scrooge, Jean Valjean, and John Yossarian.

Readerswill find their beloved literary figures, learn about forgotten gems, or discover deserving choices pulled from history’s dustbin. Providing insights into how literature shapes and molds culture via these fabricated figures, The 100 Greatest Literary Characters will appeal to literature lovers around the globe.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 288 • Trim: 7¼ x 10¼

978-1-5381-0375-3 • Hardback • July 2019 • $56.00 • (£43.00)

978-1-5381-0376-0 • eBook • July 2019 • $53.00 • (£41.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Reference, Reference / General, Literary Criticism / Books & Reading

The 100 Greatest Literary Characters

Hardback

eBook

Summary

From Captain Ahab to Yuri Zhivago, discover the most remarkable characters in fiction.

Huckleberry Finn, Anna Karenina, Harry Potter, Hester Prynne . . . these are just a handful of remarkable characters found in literature, but of course the list is virtually endless! But why ponder which of these creations are the greatest? More than just a topic to debate with friends, the greatest characters from fiction help readers comprehend history, culture, politics, and even their own place in today’s world. Despite our reliance on television, film, and technology, it is literature’s great characters that create and reinforce popular culture, informing us again and again about society and ourselves.

In The 100 Greatest Literary Characters, James Plath, Gail Sinclair, and Kirk Curnutt identify the most significant figures in fiction published over the past several centuries. The characters profiled here represent a wide array of storytelling, and the authors explore the significance of the figures at the time they were created as well as their relevance today. Included in this volume are characters from literature produced around the world, such as Aladdin, James Bond, Holden Caulfield, Jay Gatsby, Hercule Poirot, Don Quixote, Lisbeth Salander, Ebenezer Scrooge, Jean Valjean, and John Yossarian.

Readerswill find their beloved literary figures, learn about forgotten gems, or discover deserving choices pulled from history’s dustbin. Providing insights into how literature shapes and molds culture via these fabricated figures, The 100 Greatest Literary Characters will appeal to literature lovers around the globe.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 288 • Trim: 7¼ x 10¼

978-1-5381-0375-3 • Hardback • July 2019 • $56.00 • (£43.00)

978-1-5381-0376-0 • eBook • July 2019 • $53.00 • (£41.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Reference, Reference / General, Literary Criticism / Books & Reading

Author

James Plath is R. Forrest Colwell Chair of English at Illinois Wesleyan University, and the author of six books, most recently John Updike’s Pennsylvania Interviews (2017).

Gail Sinclair is scholar-in-residence and executive director of the Winter Park Institute at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She is the coauthor of Key West Hemingway: A Reassessment (2009).

Kirk Curnutt is the chair and professor of English at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He is the author or coauthor of 17 books, among them Understanding Gay Talese (2019) and William Faulkner (2017).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Captain Ahab
Aladdin
Alex
Alice in Wonderland
Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom
Brett Ashley
George F. Babbitt
Frodo Baggins
Lily Bart
Big Brother
Mary Katherine Blackwood
Molly Bloom
James Bond
Philbert Bono
Emma Bovary
Jean Brodie
Aureliano Buendía
Nathaniel “Natty” Bumppo
Cacciato
Holden Caulfield
Celie
Charlotte
Benjy Compson
Don Vito Corleone
Janie Crawford
Clarissa Dalloway
Mr. Darcy
Pilate Dead
Rebecca de Winter
Dracula
Tess Durbeyfield
Tyler Durden
Katniss Everdeen
Jane Eyre
Atticus Finch
Huckleberry Finn
Henry Fleming
Frankenstein’s Creature
Dorothy Gale
T. S. Garp
Jay Gatsby
Holly Golightly
Miss Havisham
Eugene Henderson
Sherlock Holmes
Humbert Humbert
Invisible Man
Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde
Ma Joad
Anna Karenina
Mick Kelly
Kurtz
Josephine “Jo” March
Philip Marlowe
Jane Marple
Oskar Matzerath
Merlin
Meursault
The Misfit
Guy Montag
Dean Moriarty
Offred
Katherine Scarlett O’Hara
Orlando
Papa (The Man)
Peter Pan
Piggy
Billy Pilgrim
Fleur Pillager
Hercule Poirot
Edna Pontellier
Alexander Portnoy
Harry Potter
Hester Prynne
Quasimodo
Don Quixote
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Ignatius J. Reilly
Reno
Lisbeth Salander
Santiago
Ebenezer Scrooge
Sethe
Tristram Shandy
Shane
Ántonia Shimerda
Long John Silver
Lennie Small
Sonny
Julien Sorel
Willie Stark
Daenerys Targaryen
Tarzan
Oliver Twist
Jean Valjean
Oscar Wao
Carrie White
Winnie-the-Pooh
John Yossarian
Yuri Zhivago
Appendix: Top Ten Character List
Index
About the Authors

Reviews

Greatest-list books inevitably spark discussion, and this fascinating work is no exception. Literary scholarsPlath, Sinclair, and Cunatt define their hundred greatest novel- and short story-characters as time-honored favorites that have influenced culture or have become significant literary models. They consulted previous lists and then polled 100 writers, professors, librarians, teachers, and book lovers to make an inclusive list that covers classics, children's books, contemporary literature, and genre fiction. Organized alphabetically by character name, each two-page entry lists the title and author of the character's first appearance, date published, and a memorable quote. These very readable essays analyze what is important about the character and why readers are fascinated by them. They also discuss the character's portrayal in movies—Sherlock Holmes, for example—and the character's lasting impact on culture, such as the way Scrooge is shorthand for a miser. The editors expect debate over the contents: why was Philip Marlowe chosen over Sam Spade, Mr. Darcy instead of Elizabeth Bennett, or Winnie-the-Pooh and not Mr. Toad? Students, librarians, and readers will enjoy the lively debate this book generate.
— Booklist

The 100 Greatest Literary Characters includes well-known characters both lovable and less agreeable (among the latter, Alex from A Clockwork Orange). To create the list, the authors polled 100 writers, professors, librarians, teachers, and book lovers. Characters are arranged alphabetically, and the entries run two to three pages and conclude with a brief works cited. Familiar characters like Alice in Wonderland, Don Quixote, and Jane Eyre are included, but more contemporary characters are well represented—e.g., Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, and Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. All of the characters included made a lasting impression far beyond the pages of fiction, hence becoming unforgettable and immortal. An appendix lists each of the three authors' top ten characters. This volume, and the works cited in particular, will prove useful as a starting point for research.
— Choice Reviews