A Literary Meme...

Novembrance has tagged me for a Meme of Literary Crushes. The exact quote was actually…
Ten Literary Characters I Would Totally Make Out With If I Were Single and They Were Real But I’m Not, Single I Mean, I Am Real, But I’m Also Happily Married and Want to Stay That Way So Maybe We Should Forget This

I have to say that I never really contemplated making out with any literary characters, but there were some that I had crushes on, and that is close enough, right? I was actually afraid that I wouldn’t be able to come up with a list of ten because although I read a lot, many of the books I read feature young characters, and I just can’t see myself having a crush on these young teenage boys. This is where I also have to admit, much to my own shame that I have not read very many classics. I have always been a fantasy fiction reader, and have only read a few classics. As much as I love all versions of Pride and Prejudice in movie form, I have never actually read a Jane Austen book (ducking and running…its on my list of things to get to, really).
So, in no particular order, here is a list of ten literary characters I have had a crush on.

Theodore "Laurie" Laurence of Little Women. I recently read Little Women as a part of my goal to start reading more classics. To my surprise I found that it wasn’t just in the movie version that I wished Jo had chosen to stay with Laurie.

King Corlath from The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. The Blue Sword is one of my all time favorite books. King Corlath is handsome, mysterious, and has cool powers. Not only that, he is polite and a gentleman, even when he kidnaps the heroine of the story.

Gwydion of the Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander. My fourth grade teacher read The Book of Three out loud to our class, and my love of fantasy fiction was born. Before that I had been all about The Black Stallion books. Taran the Assistant Pig Keeper was a great central character, but he had all those flaws to work through to become a real hero, whereas Prince Gwydion was noble and pretty much flawless from the start. I always had a little bit of a crush on him as a child.

Nat from the Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. I loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a child, and picked up a copy for my library once I was a grown up. In fact, I love it so much that I have two copies…I can’t pass up a good deal, and our local Library had a copy in good condition for ten cents! Nat is the son of a ship’s Captain who befriends Kit and helps out Hannah Tupper who the local townspeople think is a witch because of her Quaker ways. I distinctly remember the description of Nat’s sun browned, strong hands. He was definitely crush worthy.

John Carter of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs. My Dad had the entire Martian Chronicles by Edgar Rice Burroughs (yes, the guy that created Tarzan). I read them all as a child, and as a grown up, when my Dad decided to sell them at a garage sale, I bought them all. John Carter is tall, dark and handsome, and apparently immortal. He doesn’t age, and he is a heroic fighting man through all his years. Finding himself transported to Mars he has many adventures and becomes a hero, finding love with a Martian Princess. Burroughs published the first book in the series in 1912.

Major Joe Mack from Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour. My Dad got me to read this book when I was a teenager. Although L’Amour is well known for writing westerns he has written some great adventure books. The Last of the Breed details the adventures of a Native American Air Force Pilot named Joe Mack who is shot down over Soviet Air space. He is pursued across frigid Siberia and must use the skills handed down by his people to survive and make his escape.

Perrin from The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I started reading the Wheel of Time series when the first two books were out thinking it was going to be a typical trilogy. Much to my horror, the series turned into a monster, with eleven books published so far, and the Author passed away last month before he could complete the final book. The Series also went downhill as far as morality goes, which is one reason that I stopped reading a majority of Fantasy fiction and turned to Children’s Fantasy instead. Of the three main characters, I always found Perrin appealing. He was not a womanizer, he could talk to Wolves, and he found one woman to commit to…which is always attractive in a man.

Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables series. Do I really need to explain that one?

Legolas from Lord of the Rings. I first attempted to read Lord of the Rings in the 4th grade. That is a big attempt for a ten year old. My crush on Legolas has nothing to do with Orlando Bloom but started way back in the 4th grade. I had a thing for Legolas from the very start.

Emilie Loring leading men. I don’t go for the descriptiveness of current Romance novels. They disgust me in fact. As a girl, I would read Emilie Loring Romances that were in my Mom’s collection. Most were written between 1914 and 1951, and typically followed a certain formula with the main characters either hating each other, being supicious of each other, and of course, eventually falling in love. The stories are almost all adventure stories with spies, political intrigue and etc. The characters dressed for dinner, went to formal parties and the last page was the crowning achievement…the kiss. Even though most of the books are a rehash of similar storylines, there is still something I enjoy about reading them. I couldn’t pick just one leading man, since in essence they are usually the same basic character redone.

Now, who to tag with this...I am not sure who reads and who doesn't...so feel free to take this meme if you want to, and let me know so I can read your answers.