As you probably know, I am a bookworm. I read voraciously as a kid and still go through new books pretty quickly now even though I have less time to read them. My preferred genre is probably fantasy, but I love historical fiction, contemporary teenage fiction, and sci-fi as well, and generally I'm not too picky; if a book is good, I'm usually willing to read it. I don't read much romance, but most of my favorite books include at least a romantic subplot, and I confess that I care way more about said subplots than I strictly ought to much of the time.
I strongly suspect that part of the reason I haven't had a boyfriend yet is because my expectations have been raised too high by literature. Funnily enough, I still don't really know what my type is in real life, but I definitely have a literary type. Almost all of the love interests on my list are good-humored, funny, devoted to their families, clever, kind, and really dedicated to their ladies. A little distressingly, at least to me, they all happen to also be white, which is sadly probably reflective of the lack of protagonists of color in mainstream literature. I think the other issue is that I love these guys for how they love their love interests, so a lot of the traits I find attractive are really kind of specific to their relationships with women who aren't me. But hey, since they are fictional and I am not, it was never going to work anyway. Well, here goes. See if you can guess who I picked (let me know if you got any right).
SPOILER ALERT: Some ending details for Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, The Hunger Games trilogy, Madeleine L'Engle's Time and Austin series, The Princess Diaries series, the Anne of Green Gables series, Pride and Prejudice, and the Harry Potter series.
10. Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)
Favorite Film Portrayal: Ciaran Hinds, 1995
Chosen mainly because he writes the most romantic letter in all of literature to protagonist Anne Elliot. I won't spoil it for you, but it contains the line "You pierce my soul," and it since it throws his character into a completely different light, it makes for excellent reread value.Pluses: Very patient, honorable, quite the way with a pen
Minuses: Tendency to be distant, man in uniform (I know that's a plus for a lot of people, but not for me. No offense if you happen to be one, but I happen to be ethically opposed to the military as an institution - not to you personally, of course)
9. Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)
Favorite Film Portrayal: JJ Feild, 2007
Pluses: Hilarious, willing to stand up for what he thinks is right, kindMinuses: As an introvert, I sometimes find it difficult to keep up with very extroverted people, as I think Henry is. Since Catherine and I seem to have this in common, perhaps it wouldn't be a huge roadblock, but I imagine it would hamper things somewhat.
8. Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
Film Portrayal That I Have Not Yet Seen But Am Pretty Sure Will Enjoy: Josh Hutcherson, 2012
I am not the biggest Hunger Games fan in the world, but the one character I kept reading for was Peeta. I didn't even care about his romance with Katniss that much; he was just a really decent guy, and I was impressed by his desire to stay true to himself no matter what happened. Complicated slightly by Mockingjay (as everything in this series is), which is why he's 8th instead of, say, 4th on my list.Pluses: Strong sense of self, dry, self-deprecating wit, devotion to the people he loves
Minuses: I am a little bothered by how self-sacrificial he is. Possibly another one of my paradoxes; I am moved by all-encompassing love, but I get annoyed at characters that don't seem to have a life beyond their love interests. So, yeah. Also, Peeta's a bit manipulative in a way I don't entirely love.
7. Calvin O'Keefe (A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels)
Not Including a Film Portrayal Because the Only One There Is Neglected His Red Hair (But He's Played By Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century's Boyfriend Greg)
All-around nice guy and whip-smart, Calvin isn't the most standout character in the series, but I love him for his fundamental goodness and his willingness to be there for Meg and her family no matter what. He doesn't care that she's seen as a bit of an oddball at their school; he likes her for who she is, and tells her so. I appreciate that. Also, redhead. I have a bit of a weakness for red hair, in case you hadn't noticed.Pluses: The "dreamboat eyes" scene, doesn't care what other people think, kind, open, smart, supportive, wants to love and be loved
Minuses: His family would make for awful in-laws
6. Neville Longbottom (the Harry Potter series)
Film Portrayal I Pretty Much Liked: Matthew Lewis, 2001-2011
If you've read Deathly Hallows, this one's a no-brainer.Pluses: Brave, sweet, devoted to his friends and family, such a fabulously layered and developed character
Minuses: Forgetful, fictional (and therefore not able to be my boyfriend)
5. Michael Moscovitz (the Princess Diaries series)
Film Portrayal That Was Okay Enough: Robert Schwartzman, 2001
One of my first literary crushes, probably because I started reading The Princess Diaries series around age 12, and I loved it so much. Especially in the first four books, Michael is so very dreamy. He's nerdy, which appeals to me, and he's obviously and sweetly in love with Mia, which makes him appealing in general. I particularly love their Star Wars-infused first date, and the fact that he tells her he likes her with a self-made computer program.He got considerably less dreamy around the time that Mia herself gets really annoying (I don't think either of them acquitted themselves well in the Michael's-not-actually-a-virgin-(even-though-Meg-Cabot-had-said-he-was-on-her-website-and-then-changed-her-mind-because-she-wanted-to-~make-a-point~-or-something)-and-surprise-Mia-he-never-told-you situation. But come book 10, when Mia's with the supremely unlikable J.P. and Michael comes back from Japan, I was quite happy it was as his lovable old self. Mia was, too.
Pluses: wonderfully nerdy, nice, caring, considerate, patient, musical (I like guys who can sing and/or play instruments), hot (as Mia informs us about ten times a book, but those passages about his well-defined pecs made quite an impression on me as a preteen)
Minuses: a little too cavalier about sex (or at least about the Judith Gershner situation above)
4. Adam Eddington (the Vicky Austin series)
Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Good Lord That Movie Was Disappointing (But If You Were Curious, He Was Played By Ryan Merriman)
Easily my favorite of Vicky's love interests (I am NOT into troubled-but-cute types, a la Zachary Gray, who frankly is more trouble than he's worth). Their relationship is so interesting to read about, and not just in the romantic sense. Oh, and a tip, if you've only seen the Disney Channel movie version of A Ring of Endless Light: read the book. Seriously. Book!Adam and movie!Adam are about as different as it is possible to be. Pluses: smart, caring, friendly, good with kids, "I called you." "And I came."
Minuses: Trust issues
3. Gilbert Blythe (the Anne of Green Gables series)
Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Jonathan Crombie, 1985, 1987 (and that is it, do you hear me?)
I haven't met anyone who's read AoGG and doesn't love Gilbert. Of course, it helps that he's "loved [Anne] since that day [she] broke [her] slate over [his] head in school," and one of the most amusing parts of the first book is the barrage of hints at Gilbert's feelings and Anne's blissful unawareness. As they get older, Gilbert's great qualities become more apparent, and it's obvious he's meant for her, which makes it that much more infuriating when she initially turns him down. He's bright, honest, nice, handsome, and head over heels for Anne, and just all-around incredibly sweet. Long story short, I'm constantly flipping through the books just to get to the Gilbert bits, and that should speak for itself.Pluses: Everything
Minuses: Nothing
2. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Colin Firth, 1995
Obligatory addition to every nerdy girl's literary crush list, but there's a reason for it, of course. Great character development is a key component; being played by Colin Firth in the best adaptation helps. Book!Darcy is plenty wonderful on his own, though. He goes from being rather proud and stiff to someone who is willing to do everything for the woman he loves, even when she's already rejected him once (since he is naturally unaware that he is the male lead in an Austen novel and will inevitably end up with Elizabeth anyway, I think the word "selfless" is applicable here).Pluses: Devoted (both to Lizzy and to his little sister), a good friend, clever, kind
Minuses: Not great with strangers, proud (although he gets better)
1. Ron Weasley (the Harry Potter series)
Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Rupert Grint, As Lovely As I'm Sure He Is, Does Not At All Fit My Personal Picture of Ron Weasley. Instead, I Give You Two Pieces of Fanart By Women Named Venessa and Marta
Let's not kid ourselves here. For me, something from Harry Potter is always going to be number one. Ron is my favorite character in the series anyway (though this did not preclude him from making me very angry on occasion), and his romantic subplot was the one I was most invested in (I actually felt physically ill reading that Lavender Brown business from Half-Blood Prince for the first time), so it's really not surprising that he would top this list as well. As for why I like Ron so much in the first place, well, I think a lot of it comes with defending him on the Internet for nearly a decade now, but I genuinely love his character arc. This is also why chapter nineteen of Deathly Hallows, "The Silver Doe," is my favorite chapter of anything ever. I love seeing Ron finally overcome his self-confidence issues and be a hero in his own right. Also, he's very funny and he's a redhead, so how can I not like him? And as a love interest? I love how he loves Hermione, end of story.Pluses: Loyal, brave, hilarious, compassionate (especially midway through DH and onward), protective, caring, red hair
Minuses: Hotheaded, not particularly academically-motivated, has jealousy and confidence issues (that he has mostly resolved by the end of the series), can be rather mean sometimes.
