Memorable book characters
Jul. 6th, 2014 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveWith my interest in The Saint, I started thinking about something and I realized: it seems like these days, you just don't hear much about book characters being memorable like it used to be a hundred or so years ago. There were so many emerging characters that really became part of the standard culture: Sherlock Holmes, The Saint, Hopalong Cassidy, Perry Mason, The Virginian, etc. etc.
These days, I think the only book characters who have achieved anywhere that level of popularity are characters in books written for kids (even though they're enjoyed by all ages). Harry Potter and Katniss from The Hunger Games come to mind.
Why is this, I wonder? Changing mediums, people not reading books as much as they used to? But if we turn to movies and TV, it seems like the same thing applies. I can't really think of many characters that have totally engrained themselves into the people's hearts the way characters from decades-old books have. That doesn't mean there aren't good characters in new things. But it means that something has definitely changed from what it was.
Hollywood keeps redoing the old stuff. And old comic book characters are still the mainstays. No new ones have become anything like the old ones.
Have we really run dry on how to make really memorable characters? Or are we so filled with nostalgia and love for the old ones that we're just not interested in creating or paying attention to new ones?
Not that the latter is necessarily a bad thing; I live so much in the past because those characters are delightful. But still, it seems a little sad that it seems like characters so amazing that they are immortalized in the public eye don't crop up too much anymore.
... You know, aside from Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I think the main characters that are immortalized the way old book characters are, are video game characters like Mario and Sonic and the Final Fantasy crew. And comic book/cartoon characters like the Ninja Turtles. But in fifty years, who knows if they'll all still be around?
I bet Sherlock Holmes and The Saint will be.
These days, I think the only book characters who have achieved anywhere that level of popularity are characters in books written for kids (even though they're enjoyed by all ages). Harry Potter and Katniss from The Hunger Games come to mind.
Why is this, I wonder? Changing mediums, people not reading books as much as they used to? But if we turn to movies and TV, it seems like the same thing applies. I can't really think of many characters that have totally engrained themselves into the people's hearts the way characters from decades-old books have. That doesn't mean there aren't good characters in new things. But it means that something has definitely changed from what it was.
Hollywood keeps redoing the old stuff. And old comic book characters are still the mainstays. No new ones have become anything like the old ones.
Have we really run dry on how to make really memorable characters? Or are we so filled with nostalgia and love for the old ones that we're just not interested in creating or paying attention to new ones?
Not that the latter is necessarily a bad thing; I live so much in the past because those characters are delightful. But still, it seems a little sad that it seems like characters so amazing that they are immortalized in the public eye don't crop up too much anymore.
... You know, aside from Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I think the main characters that are immortalized the way old book characters are, are video game characters like Mario and Sonic and the Final Fantasy crew. And comic book/cartoon characters like the Ninja Turtles. But in fifty years, who knows if they'll all still be around?
I bet Sherlock Holmes and The Saint will be.
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Date: 2014-07-07 02:14 am (UTC)Also I think Sherlock Holmes is probably in a class to himself when it comes to being iconic.
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Date: 2014-07-07 02:18 am (UTC)Good point! Something that would probably please him immensely.
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Date: 2014-07-08 04:56 pm (UTC)I expect nostalgia might have something to do with it.
I think the main characters that are immortalized the way old book characters are, are video game characters like Mario and Sonic and the Final Fantasy crew.
Funny you should mention that; I was marveling at the number of Mario games the other day, with 30 years having passed since Mario Bros. They're still coming up with new ideas, and I really do think that Mario, at least, will be the Doctor Who of video games, and still be around in another 30 years. To that end, I predict Doctor Who will still be around, too. Fifty years for one TV show (albeit with a nasty hiatus in the 90s) is quite a feat, and that's not counting the comics/audio dramas/novels...
Sherlock definitely will still be around. Countless numbers of different adaptations? Yeah, that won't stop anytime soon.
(Incidentally, Pat was in a couple eps of The Saint ("The Romantic Matron" and "Interlude in Venice"); have you come across him yet? I'm curious as to how his eps are, and if his characters make it... They're both police inspectors, so I'm going to assume he's playing good guys...)
no subject
Date: 2014-07-08 10:56 pm (UTC)I imagine nostalgia is probably a very large part of it.
Oooh, intriguing thoughts. It would be awesome to think that Mario will continue to endure so long into the future! Doctor Who as well.
Indeed, I think people will never stop loving Sherlock.
(... Hahaha, that's hilarious! The set I bought has only six episodes, and the Venice one is one of them. I'll let you know how it is when I see it. My guess is he's probably fine and spends the episode clashing with Simon Templar.)