Irene's Five Favorite Book Characters

                                                     

It's redundant to say 'Irene's Five Favorite Male Book Characters', because all of my favorite characters are always men *grins sheepishly*. Like, women usually aren't that interesting in books? I can literally fit them into a boring formula, and even if they fail to fill the formula perfectly, I still don't like them *grins sheepishly again*. As I saw Megan say in the comment section on one of her blog posts, it's not like I have a crush on the male characters (at least, not all of them), but they're exceedingly more lovable, likable, and interesting than their female counterparts in fiction. I do have a couple female characters I'm genuinely fond of in books, but I'll keep them for another time and another blogathon. This one is focused on men so it makes my job easy! But also hard, because I have to choose between so many amazing characters. I wanted to do my top ten favorite book characters, but I felt I didn't have an absolute undying love for that many characters. I might, but I'm doing this rather last minute, so these are just the characters that immediately come to mind when I think of who I love. It's raw and authentic folks!
Without further ado, let's get into this!

Edmund Pevensie (mah boi)
Aghhghghghghgh!!!!!! Edmund has always been my favorite Chronicles of Narnia character, closely pursued by Puddleglum. This is quite a statement to make, as the Chronicles of Narnia has more lovable characters than even the Lord of the Rings, in my opinion. Like, I feel closer and more friendly with them than I could ever be with the epicness of Aragorn or the majestic majesty of Legolas. Edmund's story arc (which you've no doubt heard of) is actually interesting in a very unique way. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe he represents humanity. The traitor who must be saved, not by his own blood, but by the blood of a perfect savior, i.e. Aslan, i.e. Christ. He's a symbol in that sense, but he is also a real character who just happens to fit the role of humanity perfectly. He begins bitter, spoiled and just generally nasty. To see how he changes, you must read the books, but his is a perfect arc. He doesn't end up perfect, but from his position of knowing the darker side of humanity, he carries himself extremely humbly but also with great perception of human nature. He's noble and just, and he also seems like such a good sibling that you can't help but warm to him. Older siblings can have a tendency to be slightly condescending, if not in their attitude, in what they think about their younger siblings, but Edmund actively prevents himself from ever thinking he knows more than Lucy simply because he's older. One of my favorite moments with him takes place in Prince Caspian. Lucy says she's seen Aslan but no one else has. Lucy claims Aslan indicated that they should go a certain way to leave the forest behind them, but it seems counterintuitive to common sense. Peter puts it up to a vote. Susan wishes to go a different way that looks more comfortable, as do Peter and the dwarf Trumpkin, but despite the uneven opposition, Edmund remains firm to his convictions.

                                                      

"Edmund?" said Peter.
"Well, there's just this," said Edmund, speaking quickly and turning a little red. "When we first discovered Narnia a year ago - or a thousand years ago, whichever it was - it was Lucy who discovered it first and none of us would believe her. I was the worst of the lot, I know. Yet she was right after all. Wouldn't it be fair to believe her this time? I vote for going up."
"Oh, Ed!!" said Lucy and seized his hand.

What a flippin' sweetheart! Humble as he is, Edmund is also a formidable warrior, famed throughout Narnia and beyond for his swordsman ship and sense of justice during his time as king. Edmund the Just is his name, and he's Just Wonderful... Sorry for that.

Edmund, Rosa's Cousin
Isn't it epic that my second favorite character on this list is also called Edmund? I now love that name, simply because I love everybody with the name. If you have not read The Golden Princess and the Moon by Anna Maria Mendell, you'd best get to it, right quick! plz ^-^
Seriously, the book is amazing. There are many Catholic writers producing work currently, and I have enjoyed sooo many new Catholic books, but none struck me as so deep, well thought out, enjoyable, and simply beautiful as the Golden Princess and the Moon, and I fell in love with a character named Edmund in it. So basically, the book is an in depth retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It explains why everything went down the way that it did, expounds on and creates an entire kingdom and backstory around the infamous events of the fairy tale, and is absolutely beautiful while it's at it. I really need to do a review of the book next time I read it.
Edmund, the cousin of the main character Rosa, is bitter and sardonic in the beginning of the tale. This all stems mostly from insecurity. I'm hesitant to explain too much, as I want you to be as surprised by everything in the book as I was. Anyway, like Edmund Pevensie, he has a beautiful character arc, but its nature is much more tragic and fraught with intense grief. He had me going 'Whyyyyyyy??????' so many times, I can't even. He kind of caused the whole "You will prick your finger on the spindle of spinning wheel" thing. But I love him anyway. One reason is that I am a typical teenager and like angsty, troubled youths that have sad backstories, but another reason is that his utter redemption from the abyss is so complete and so noble, it makes me cry. His place as a strange opposite of the main hero, Erik, is fascinating in their differences of strength and weakness. I'm really trying not to give anything away here, but it's very hard. Let's just say, tragic as Edmund's story his, he shows that no matter how late the hour, it's never too late to right the wrongs of the past and show your true mettle, your true integrity, your true nobility!

                                                        

"Did you love him, Edmund, I mean?"
She spoke after a pause. "Yes... but not in the way you mean. Edmund needed me to rescue him. He had not the strength to rescue himself."

UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE GUYZ 😭😭😭

Sef
Hold onto your hearts girls, 'cause this guy's amazing. One of my favorite books is called The Borrowed House, by Hilda van Stockum. Anna already did a review of the book, and it explained a bit why Sef is amazing, but let me just reiterate some of those points.The Borrowed House is a magical dream of a book, what I would literally think of as the perfect story as I lay in my bed at night. It takes place in World War 2, occupied Holland. A young German girl name Janna lives in a large, mostly uninhabited house with her two busy, actor parents. One day, while playing hiding seek with a spoiled neighbor boy, she falls into a false panel at the back of her closet and finds a hidden room wherein lies forging equipment, falsified papers, and Sef. Sef (short for Josef) is a young man (seventeen, I believe) and is helping the Dutch resistance in secret. He is Jewish himself. Janna grows extremely attached to him after he threatens to kill her if she reveals the secret of his existence. Sef is passionate about what is right, and never hesitates to criticize Janna's foolish and naive tendencies, and this sometimes causes Janna to be, um, upset with him. But he's also quick to forgive and he eventually grows a serious attachment to Janna, foolish little German that she is. I encourage you to read the book (duh). It's like a fairy tale, it's so perfect.

                                                   

"No, I was wrong," said Janna. "Can you forgive me? I really like you just as much... it's only...only..."
"You've lost your Siegfried," said Sef, smiling.
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Janna wonderingly. "That's exactly it."
"So I'm just Sef now. That's good. That's what I want to be."

Mac
I've already written a post detailing the reasons why I love Mac, which you can read HERE, but his amazingness never dwindles. Mac (Mackenzie) Campbell is one of the main characters in Louisa May Alcott's Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom. Spectacled and scholarly, Mac is a young man of integrity and inner strength that hides his gold underneath a crust of dusty curmudgeonly book-wormishness. He made me laugh out loud and squeal with delight many times when I first frequented Rose in Bloom, and then later Eight Cousins. After angsty, dark young men with sad backstories, I have a thing for guys with glasses in books, so go figure.

                                                  

"Mac, do you ever write poetry?"
"Never."
"What do you call the song Phebe sang with her bird chorus?"
"That was nothing till she put the music to it. But she promised not to tell."
"She didn't. I suspected and now I know," laughed Rose, delighted to have caught him.
Much discomfited, Mac gave poor Keats a fling, and leaning on both elbows, tried to hide his face, for it had reddened like that of a modest girl when teased about her lover.

Or one of my personal favorite moments:

"Mac, are you in love?"
"Do I look like it?" and he sat up with such an injured and indignant face that she apologized at once.

Puddleglum
And after much consideration, fifth place will indeed fall to Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle, of Narnia fame. What can I say about Puddleglum's utter pessimism, optimism and humility that hasn't been said already? In the Silver Chair, Eustace and Jill Pole are tasked with discovering the lost Prince Rillian, son of the aged King Caspian. Tasked with being their guide and helper is Puddleglum, a member of the race 'Marsh-wiggle,' who, though a confirmed pessimist and wet blanket, is considered too flighty by his Marsh-wiggle neighbors. That'll tell you something about their outlook on life. I literally laugh out loud when I read the dialogue in the Silver Chair. Puddleglum is bloody hilarious! Though he constantly says the most negative things possible and, owing to his race, is a rather unimpressive, wrinkly looking creature, Puddleglum turns out to be the bravest and wisest of all the characters in the Silver Chair, I don't hesitate to declare. That is excluding Aslan, of course. He's rather like Mac in the sense of gold hidden underneath a rough exterior, only his exterior is rougher than most. Mama calls him the greatest Philosopher and the way he handles the illusions and lies of the Green Witch is beautiful and insightful and utterly inspiring. He's an absolute crusher of relativism. We should all be like Puddleglum, though a little less depressing maybe.

"Good morning, Guests," it said. "Though when I say good I don't mean it won't probably turn to rain or it might be snow, or fog, or thunder. You didn't get any sleep, I dare say."

"Yes we did, though," said Jill. "We had a lovely night."
"Ah," said the Marsh-wiggle, shaking his head. "I see your making the best of a bad job. That's right. You've been well brought up, you have. You've learned to put a good face on things."
"Please, we don't know your name," said Scrubb.
"Puddleglum's my name. But it doesn't matter if you forget it. I can always tell you again."

What a beautiful character introduction! Gosh, Puddleglum's lines could go on for an age of a wizard. Let me share one more interaction that literally makes me wheeze, and then a really beautiful one.

He quite expected the Marsh-wiggle to give him an angry reply, but it only said, "That's the spirit, Scrubb. That's the way to talk. Put a good face on it. But we all need to be very careful about our tempers, seeing all the hard times we shall have to go through together. Won't do to quarrel, you know. At any rate, don't begin it too soon. I know these expeditions usually end that way: knifing one another, I shouldn't wonder, before all's done. But the longer we can keep off it -"

Lollllll Here's one so deep I melted when I read it 'cause I reached the core of the Earth. You may have heard it before. Take that relativists!

And there are my top five favorite book characters! Some runner-ups include Sydney Carton, Fish (Benedict) fron the Regina Doman fairytale retellings, Peter Pevensie, Francois Joubert, Faramir, Pippin, Legolas, Samwise Gamgee, Reepicheep, and many others. This list will undoubtedly change soon, but this is how I stand at the moment. All five of these characters are men, good men, but they're all completely different! What can we gain from that? Being 'good' and being 'a real Man' isn't one set narrow definition. Goodness isn't boring. Holiness isn't lame. Virtue isn't dry.

Goodness
Is
Epic.

This has been Irene at Horseback to Byzantium's first entry into the Thank Goodness for Good Men Blogathon. Please do join!

Thissss ↑