Medea would have to take the cake when it comes to unlikable characters, but still, we can understand where she’s coming from. Similarly, I despise Emma Bovary, but her story remains one of my all time favourites. I would argue that we don’t need to like an MC to be invested in their story.
I love that those characters have elicited such strong reactions from you! I feel like any book that gets me thinking/feeling, whatever that feeling is, is great!x
2 lead characters that came to mind while reading this post, Jess, are Patrick Bateman, the protagonist of AMERICAN PSYCHO & the lead character in the YOU series. AMERICAN PSYCHO as a novel is a particularly difficult read as it deals with, in EXCRUCIATING DETAIL, the extremely heinous ways in which Bateman kills his victims. I'm talking stomach churning. It's described as "pitch black comedy" as well as a "satire of the excesses of the 1980s" but it's very difficult to get past the shock horror (not to mention mysoginy) that fills the pages. The film alters the ending somewhat, to the point that you dont don't even know if he did any of the killings as he's revealed to not be "Patrick Bateman". ButI know people who love the film character, yet he's definitely not likeable. Same with the lead in YOU. Most people talk about the TV series, & women seem to "love" that character, which I find perplexing, considering that he's a stalker. I personally gave up on the show after the 3rd episode & I tried reading the book but couldn't get past the 2nd chapter. Life is too short for me to waste on such unlikable characters that inhabit such unbelievable stories. I mean, with YOU, we're meant to buy into a woman who doesn't have a password on her phone or computer??? Sorry, but no. I don't buy that or buy into that for a second. It really does come down to how well written & constructed it all is. It's not just a case of an unlikeable character making for an unlikeable story. Stephen King's MISERY has one of the most compelling & unlikeable leads in Annie Wilkes who holds author Paul Sheldon hostage just because she's his "number one fan" only to fly into a rage when she reads the manuscript he has that has him killing off the lead of his "Misery" series of books. Now, Annie Wilkes! THERE is an unlikeable character who just wouldn't be as memorable if she were made completely relatable. But the revelations that King peppers throughout his prose about what made Annie the woman that she is are filled with such insight as well as pathos, that it's basically a Masterclass in how to craft a First Rate Thriller!
Oh your examples are great!! I like the way you look at likeable not necessarily being compelling, like in Misery. A very compelling character but not necessarily likeable! Great references x
I love this post, Jess. It's definitely a fine line we tread. We have to find the nuance and set up a situation so that the reader can empathise with our character's poor choices.
Yes! Maybe that's why I like writing in the grey, because it's challenging. i've never looked at it that way before. As always, you are very perceptive!x
Medea would have to take the cake when it comes to unlikable characters, but still, we can understand where she’s coming from. Similarly, I despise Emma Bovary, but her story remains one of my all time favourites. I would argue that we don’t need to like an MC to be invested in their story.
I love that those characters have elicited such strong reactions from you! I feel like any book that gets me thinking/feeling, whatever that feeling is, is great!x
2 lead characters that came to mind while reading this post, Jess, are Patrick Bateman, the protagonist of AMERICAN PSYCHO & the lead character in the YOU series. AMERICAN PSYCHO as a novel is a particularly difficult read as it deals with, in EXCRUCIATING DETAIL, the extremely heinous ways in which Bateman kills his victims. I'm talking stomach churning. It's described as "pitch black comedy" as well as a "satire of the excesses of the 1980s" but it's very difficult to get past the shock horror (not to mention mysoginy) that fills the pages. The film alters the ending somewhat, to the point that you dont don't even know if he did any of the killings as he's revealed to not be "Patrick Bateman". ButI know people who love the film character, yet he's definitely not likeable. Same with the lead in YOU. Most people talk about the TV series, & women seem to "love" that character, which I find perplexing, considering that he's a stalker. I personally gave up on the show after the 3rd episode & I tried reading the book but couldn't get past the 2nd chapter. Life is too short for me to waste on such unlikable characters that inhabit such unbelievable stories. I mean, with YOU, we're meant to buy into a woman who doesn't have a password on her phone or computer??? Sorry, but no. I don't buy that or buy into that for a second. It really does come down to how well written & constructed it all is. It's not just a case of an unlikeable character making for an unlikeable story. Stephen King's MISERY has one of the most compelling & unlikeable leads in Annie Wilkes who holds author Paul Sheldon hostage just because she's his "number one fan" only to fly into a rage when she reads the manuscript he has that has him killing off the lead of his "Misery" series of books. Now, Annie Wilkes! THERE is an unlikeable character who just wouldn't be as memorable if she were made completely relatable. But the revelations that King peppers throughout his prose about what made Annie the woman that she is are filled with such insight as well as pathos, that it's basically a Masterclass in how to craft a First Rate Thriller!
Oh your examples are great!! I like the way you look at likeable not necessarily being compelling, like in Misery. A very compelling character but not necessarily likeable! Great references x
I love this post, Jess. It's definitely a fine line we tread. We have to find the nuance and set up a situation so that the reader can empathise with our character's poor choices.
^^ could not agree with this more. It does feel like treading a fine then, when you get it right it's an amazing feeling!x
I like unlikeable or less likeable characters, then it’s a challenge to the author to keep the reader engaged.
Yes! Maybe that's why I like writing in the grey, because it's challenging. i've never looked at it that way before. As always, you are very perceptive!x