Writer's Block: On Character Preferences
Jul. 17th, 2008 08:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillbet[Error: unknown template qotd] I don't have to go into who bugs me, do I? I think most folks on my flist know that one backward and forward. *lol*
As for favorite, I quite like Jo March of "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. I've noticed a recurring theme in my life lately, and those of some of my friends, is finding our talents and being satisfied within ourselves and our relationships- both familial and otherwise. Jo is stubborn, headstrong, devoted to friends and family, but she's also afraid of failure- she appears strong because she's not afraid of speaking her mind, but in truth she's not able to fully express herself as a writer because she's afraid to do so. When she finally learns to trust her instincts and be herself she finds success as a writer and, finally, love. The simplicity of the character, who was based on Alcott herself, is appealing. This is in no small part because Jo's hopes, fears and dreams are no less identifiable today as they were when the book was written in 1868- this is a very real character, and today as much as when I read the book at the age of 12 and 13, I find myself identifying with her and enjoying her adventures.
ETA: And unlike a certain brunette character I won't mention, Jo was fully formed in my mind as I read and I didn't need a movie to make her more real for me.
As for favorite, I quite like Jo March of "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. I've noticed a recurring theme in my life lately, and those of some of my friends, is finding our talents and being satisfied within ourselves and our relationships- both familial and otherwise. Jo is stubborn, headstrong, devoted to friends and family, but she's also afraid of failure- she appears strong because she's not afraid of speaking her mind, but in truth she's not able to fully express herself as a writer because she's afraid to do so. When she finally learns to trust her instincts and be herself she finds success as a writer and, finally, love. The simplicity of the character, who was based on Alcott herself, is appealing. This is in no small part because Jo's hopes, fears and dreams are no less identifiable today as they were when the book was written in 1868- this is a very real character, and today as much as when I read the book at the age of 12 and 13, I find myself identifying with her and enjoying her adventures.
ETA: And unlike a certain brunette character I won't mention, Jo was fully formed in my mind as I read and I didn't need a movie to make her more real for me.
