Comments on: The unsympathetic protagonist

By: A chip on her shoulder and an armoured heart | Deepam Wadds

A chip on her shoulder and an armoured heart | Deepam Wadds — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 23:43:37 +0000

[…] http://www.dystel.com/2010/07/the-unsympathetic-protagonist/ […]

By: Domingo

Domingo — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 02:33:37 +0000

I read a lot of interesting posts here. Probably you spend
a lot of time writing, i know how to save you a lot of work, there is an online
tool that creates unique, SEO friendly articles in minutes, just type in google – laranitas free content source

By: bad credit loans

bad credit loans — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:46:37 +0000

Hello I like your wewebsite. Would you like to invitee post upabout my own someday? If so please let me know by way of e-mail or simply reply to this kind of remark simply due to the fact I subscribed to notices and can realize should you choose.

By: Leisha Strauss

Leisha Strauss — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:42:26 +0000

Hi I like your wewebsite. Do you want to visitor submit on my own sometime? In that case you should tell me by way of e mail or just answer this particular comment because I signed up for announcements and can know should you choose.

By: forex cargo dallas

forex cargo dallas — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:52:53 +0000

Woh I love your content material, saved for you to my bookmarks!.

By: Rowenna

Rowenna — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:58:28 +0000

I can deal with unlikeable qualities, but there has to be something more there–some reason for me to care what happens to these people. I admit that McEwan's earlier work, Amsterdam, just had me feeling squicky about the two main characters. I read the book for McEwan's prose, but had a hard time getting over my extreme dislike of the central characters. At the same time, I find petty, conniving Scarlett O'Hara wonderfully engaging–perhaps it's the brief forays into her weaknesses, or perhaps it's just that she's so charming.

By: Lance Parkin

Lance Parkin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:10:50 +0000

"Mr Clark, who is now back with the party in power, has this week stated that prison is more than these poor, misunderstood unfortunates should have to tolerate"

Hmmmm.

I have three points to make:

1. I am British.

2. In his diaries, Alan Clark expresses opinions and describes behaviour that I'd find utterly appalling in any human being, but it's particularly awful when it's an elected representative saying and doing it. An anti-hero, by definition, is someone who is not heroic.

3. A pedantic one, this, and I apologise for nitpicking, I don't know why I'm even mentioning it:

Alan Clark died eleven years ago.

The person who made the speech last week was Kenneth Clarke.

You're not the first person to make the mistake. They were both ministerial colleagues in the Thatcher government, but from opposite wings of the party. As Clark notes in his diary: 'my podgy namesake, he's always been suspicious of me, and actually sued the manufacturers of Trivial Pursuits because they had muddled us up ... Clarke wasn't friendly at all. If he'd have said anything to me, I'd have answered "fuck you", so just as well ... wanker'.

By: bitter and twisted

bitter and twisted — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:38:25 +0000

Lance, you wouldn’t be so taken by Mr Clark if he were a politician in your country. Here in the UK murderers rapists and thieves are treated to better care than the elderly and disabled; a convicted murderer can serve less than 8 years. Mr Clark, who is now back with the party in power, has this week stated that prison is more than these poor, misunderstood unfortunates should have to tolerate and is pushing that they should receive a sentence of compulsory community gardening for their crimes.
I agree his diaries are amusing, but when you have to live in a country were people can actually improve their lives by killing another person, it does tend to take a little of the shine of his charm.

By: grumpynerd

grumpynerd — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:14:27 +0000

Hmmm. The Tony Soprano example is intriguing, because I think it's wrong to say he's "unsympathetic". He's every sympathetic. He's just not admirable.

Likewise Jean Brodie is so charismatic she excites our admiration and sympathy at first. Then when we get a good look at her, our attention is riveted by horror. When she is brought low, it is like when Dracula has a stake driven through his heart.

By: Paula B.

Paula B. — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:05:24 +0000

How about Humbert Humbert in Lolita? The book is written in the first person, and he's mesmerizing--even if he is a yucky person.

Another of my favorite "unsympathetic" protagonists is Tony Soprano. Of course that's drama rather than prose, but still a good example of a character we care about even if we don't necessarily like him, I think.