From Sheila.
Name up to three characters . . . And I broke the rules, I see.
1. You wish were real so you could meet them:
Jean Valjean from Les Miserables — I fell in love with him when I was 14. Seriously. The first time I thought I was in love with a man in a book. And still, I LOVE him. I cannot even really talk about him coherently.
Mr. Rochester, from Jane Eyre — I love him, too, but … it’s complicated.
Sydney Carton, from Tale of Two Cities
Aslan from The Chronic – (WHAT?!) – cles of Narnia. I have wanted that for so very long. It’s almost a cliche, I suppose, but I don’t care.
Oh, that stupid mom from Deep End of the Ocean, a book I hated with a white-hot hate. What is her name?? I want her to be real so I can call her lots of names and kick her square in the arse. (Your missing kid is living DOWN THE STREET for, like, 10 years, and you don’t even know or notice and then he shows up on your doorstep all, hey, wanna buy some candy bars? — or whatever the heck that happenstance was??? I am not over it. I will never be over it.)
Sugar from The Crimson Petal and the White. The book-loving, novel-writing prostitute with brains and a terrible skin condition. Sounds enchanting, no? In my mind, I am always trying to cast this role for the movie. If there ever is one. So that if there IS one, I can feel righteously indignant and annoyed at how miscast the role of Sugar was. I like to plan my indignation in advance.
2. You would like to be:
Lucy from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. No, wait. Lucy from Prince Caspian. ‘Member how she is the only one who sees Aslan leading them through the hills and such? How no one believes her when she tells them it’s him? And ‘member how she’s rewarded for her faith, for seeing with eyes of faith, when Aslan appears at night on that circle of moonlit grass and she runs to him and embraces him and cannot get enough of what it feels like just to be with him?
Sighhh …
I want to know that, that feeling. Why the heck do you think I’m a Christian??? It’d better be just like that! And look at me, all growed up, threatening God.
Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice.
Jo from Little Women. Duh.
Claudia in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
3. Who scare you:
Okay. Honestly? When I was a kid, The Cat from The Cat in the Hat scared me. He still kinda creeps me out.
Those Ravers from The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. A fantasy series I read yearrrs ago. Those guys gave me nightmares. Why I’ve never read fantasy since.
Arty from Geek Love — Shiver. I couldn’t breathe right when he was around.
Javert from Les Miserables. He chilled me. Mostly because you want to think you’re Jean Valjean. But you’re not; you’re really Javert.
Tracey –
Long-time lurker, first-time commenter… 🙂 I LOVE From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler! I thought I was the only person that had ever read it. And yes, I totally want to be Claudia! I love the idea that she wants to gone just long enough to teach her family a lesson in “Claudia appreciation.” Just last year, I realized that I had no idea where my copy was (probably in a box in my parents’ basement), and so I went out and bought another copy, and stayed up halfway through the night reading the whole thing straight through. (Do you also, secretly, when you’re an old woman, want to be an old woman like Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler??)
Hi, Katie! Always great to hear from a de-lurker! Thank you; that’s so nice.
You know, I don’t think I actually HAVE a copy of that book, now that you mention it. I think my brother may have ended up with that or something, but I need to go GET me one. I remember that I was completely swept up in the whole sleeping in the antique bed thing.
And yes — Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Well, my files are certainly mixed-up enough. I am hopeless.
Tracey –
Short-time lurker, first time commenter! I agree about Aslan, and Lucy from Prince Caspian (although I know I fall short of that kind of faith all the time). And I think now I have to read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Thanks generally for your blog. I found you when the Anchoress linked about your cross-word puzzle thief (in ink!!?), and have enjoyed your writing since then. I wandered into your old blog, and cried with laughter over the name story (Teal?? No, Taupe!!). Too funny! Thanks for sharing your life with us.