100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900

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100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900 according to Book magazine, whoever the hell they are.

This list is so screwed I don't even know where to start.

― Chris Barrus, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Looks a lot like the Modern Library list only with characters.

― Josh, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It has no Gollumn = they are monkeys.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Or a Gollum, even.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Where the fuck is Drizzt Do'Urden?

― adam, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No Klaus Kinski, either. :)

― Joe, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

V American. 2 people from To Kill a Mockingbird, 2 from Catcher in the Rye. That's a bit strange. I didn't read it carefully enough to see if all my favourites were there but yay for Sherlock Holmes being so near the top.

― isadora, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Actually 3 from To Kill a Mocking Bird! Is it one of the general (American) public vote things, which might explain that? And why Big Brother, who is scarcely a character rather than Winston, or whatever he's called? And...actually its just real stupid and I will waste no more time on it.

― isadora, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

can't complain about humbert humbert or bloom. but where's Tony Montana?

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Its a good list cause of Ripley, but i didn't see the daughter in Beloved.

― anthony, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ditto, Anthony -- Beloved is definitely a requisite. They are also missing Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener and Gaiman's Sandman. I LOVE that they chose Grendel, though.

Eeyore was an odd enough choice, I suppooose ...

― Dare, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, Janey (out of Blood & Guts in High School)? Fuck that.

― nathalie, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Keen on their American modernists, but not keen enough to put anyone from Pynchon in.

I think this need to create memorable "characters" is what puts me off fiction.

The most obvious omission is Superman.

― Tom, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the focus is rockist and all wrong

― gareth, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

is eloise top? if not this list suXoR?

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

http://www.eloisewebsite.com/images/spangley.jpg

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what's the f-ing point? Does anyone know the basis of this list is? Or did someone just write down the first 100 characters they could think of and then arrange them neatly?

― Alan T, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No Patrick Bateman? Even if you didn't like the book you've got to admit he's a pretty memorable guy.

― Justyn Dillingham, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bartleby was about 47 years too early, and I think Eeyore is a *great* choice! (Sorry Dare, I'm not picking on you, promise! :) )

Tom, would you care to expound on that a bit? I've heard lots of reasons for why people don't like fiction, but it's the first time for that one.

― xwerxes, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The focus being on creating great characters isn't always a bad thing. If they are a vehicle for great writing.

I find the list a bit dull, but it doesn't really matter.

No Bob Slocum, no Lanark, no George Bowling. Ah well...

― Ally C, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know who 'Eloise' is.

I thought this was someone's really fab and original idea for a thread, till I found out it was ripped off from somewhere else. I am not reading the source.

I hope it doesn't mention Esther Greenwood, so I can be the first to mention her (again).

Cookie is on the sterling re. Mr Bowling.

Pynchon doesn't create great characters. He is a botch who wrote one great novella and a load of lengthy slurping twaddle.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that is eloise up there pinefox, use yr mouse to scroll and yr peepers to gaze

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I can see the picture, but I don't know who she is.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's Courtney Love on Valium.

― nathalie, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

is the suffix "on Valium" needed?

― Dare, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm guessing pinefox is having a larf re pynchon.

― Alan Trewartha, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I fear not.

― RickyT, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

pf read GR to the first dirty bit then flung it down and declared it worse than james bond on PCP

sorry i am on a rubbish computer: that image comes from an official eloise site so sumwun can surely put the foxster out of his mis. What happened to the Dewy-eyed Googling Assistant plan btw?

― mark s, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Eloise is GRATE, Kay Thompson is GRATE, and Hilary Knight is GRATE. I must have that Eloise lipstick.

― rosemary, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

thirteen years pass...

THE HUNDRED BEST ENSEMBLE, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY CHARACTERS IN INTERNATIONAL POSTWAR ART-HOUSE CINEMA

50. “The coffee shop owner in Certified Copy who whispers a secret to Binoche and then says, ‘But mum's the word.’” —@bnowalk

49. Big Asian guy with the ball thingies in Belle de Jour (Iska Khan)

48. “Fabrice Luchini's young would-be politician daughter in The Tree, The Mayor, and the Mediatheque” —@elazic

47. Sam Fuller in Pierrot le fou

46. The cabbage-head doll in Stray Dogs

http://filmcomment.com/entry/bombast-the-list

― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Friday, 5 June 2015 15:38 (ten years ago)

23. “Teenaged lothario with a Renault Magnum in Fat Girl (Libero de Rienzo)” —Brad Peters

Dunno, that seemed like a pretty big character to me.

― Norse Jung (Eric H.), Friday, 5 June 2015 16:09 (ten years ago)

LOL @ Cabbage head doll > Sam Fuller.

otm

― xyzzzz__, Friday, 5 June 2015 16:50 (ten years ago)

96. Vidal, the waspish, preening, thin-skinned friend in My Night at Maud’s (Antoine Vitez)

Again, far from a secondary (let alone tertiary) character.

― Willibald Pirckheimers Briefwechsel (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2015 16:55 (ten years ago)

5. “The ‘I've got such muskles!’ guy in Beware of a Holy Whore”

That's more like it.

― Willibald Pirckheimers Briefwechsel (Tom D.), Friday, 5 June 2015 16:57 (ten years ago)

I thought this thread title said "since 1990" and was briefly excited, because I would like to read that list.

― jaymc, Friday, 5 June 2015 18:05 (ten years ago)

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