[Leading up to Earth Day, I'm going to be taking one of the three R's and recycle some posts that I wrote either elsewhere or on now defunct blogs. Then, during Earth Week, I've got some more wonderful East Coast Guest Posts lined up. In the meantime, here's something fun I put together for CBC Words at Large while I was blogging for the site.]
For those of you who love lists, there’s a new book out called The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived. I think the fun thing about lists like this is that they’re great conversation pieces. No book such as this could ever please everyone and many people will contend that there are far more influential fictional characters out there than, say, #44 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, Joe and I have come up with our own lists of top ten people who never lived yet have influenced our lives. Feel free to comment or leave your own list. Here’s mine:
1. Robert Ross (The Wars, by Timothy Findley): The book itself is a searing indictment of humankind’s ability to turn the elements of life against us. In it, Robert Ross commits an “act of madness”—one that attempts to preserve life in the midst of death. Even though the novel takes place during WWI, his character and situation transcend time and place. It could be any war and Robert Ross could be any one of us caught by circumstance.
2. Snowball (Animal Farm, by George Orwell): Old Major had a beautiful dream of peace and harmony. How did it go so terribly wrong? Maybe he shouldn’t have invested his trust in two pigs. Snowball never had a chance in hell. Not when he was up against an army of dogs, the illiterate masses, and an opponent named Napoleon. But a pig’s gotta try and live the dream, right?
3. Charlotte (Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White): Speaking of swine, here was a pig’s best friend. Charlotte showed me that some people will believe anything if it’s in writing. She went about weaving words like “Terrific” and “Some Pig” in her web and the farmers bought into it. Charlotte was the PR professional for Wilbur the pig and ultimately saved his bacon.
4. The Narrator (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami): Trying to explain what this book is about would be like trying to explain how water tastes: I could never do it justice. But once you try it I’m sure you’ll be thirsty for more. The Narrator leads a duel existence: one in the rat race of the future, and the other in a fantasy town where unicorns roam. His narrative shows society’s pervasive control of the individual and how it makes us choose between our inner and outer lives—where reconciling the two seems impossible.
'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice...
5. Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll): Didn’t anybody teach this girl to not eat foods offered by strangers? She grew, she shrank, she had some trippy experiences in between. But the nonsense of all her adventures reminds me to look on the bright side of things. After all, it’s not like anyone’s saying, “Off with her head!”…at least not yet.
6. Ophelia (The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare): She was the loyal and dutiful daughter who fell in love with the wrong man and ultimately became the scapegoat to his misogynistic anger. A cautionary tale to not involve yourself with the bad boy type, even if he is the Prince of Denmark.
7. Mark Renton(Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh): Just say no to drugs. Seriously, this guy is the poster child for not dabbling in illicit narcotics. And for choosing your friends wisely. For starters—and I don’t want to stereotype or anything—but people named Sick Boy are probably not shining beacons of moral virtue.
8. Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte): Poor orphan girl with a joyless life finds love, is thwarted by legalities, but comes across good fortune in the end. Her story is a tribute to the plain Jane in which intelligence and modesty win the day.
9. Cassandra (Greek mythology): Hell hath no fury like a *woman* scorned? Yeah, right. Just try messing with a Greek god. Apollo tried to woo Cassandra by giving her the gift of prophecy. When she spurned his advances he placed a curse on her so nobody would believe her predictions. Too bad she couldn’t predict a restraining order in time.
10. Hello Kitty (Sanrio): What can I say about the anthropomorphized white cat? She turns my frown upside down without fail. You’ve gotta give the Kitty props for that, and for her staying power.
Your turn. Who are your most influential people who never lived?
Kimberly Walsh is a social media and online community manager. You can follow her on Twitter @AliasGrace.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! I love a good blompt. And I’m 100% with you on Charlotte and Hello Kitty. I never knew I could feel so much for a (shudder) spider, but Charlotte made me change my arachnid-squishing ways before I was even out of elementary school!
The narrator of The Favourite Game, who said beautiful things like: “Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh.” He is an almost malevolent character, especially in the way he treats those who care for him, but you can’t help but like the way he imagines the world around him.
With you on Hand-Boiled Wonderland… I also love the characters in the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Racquel: Thanks! I remember having a lot of fun writing this post and am glad I got a chance to bring it up again to see what other people think.
Lauren: I’ve never read The Favourite Game so I’ll have to check it out. Murakami is great. I love the appearance of talking cats in so many of his books. Have you read Kafka on the Shore?
Racquel’s blompt. That has to be the word of the year.
How about Henry Pulling’s Aunt Augusta in Graham Greene’s Travels with My Aunt for her refusal to remain enclosed by the social constructs of her day and her ability to enjoy life for the sheer joy of it.
Gifted: Another book I haven’t read. I’ve been hooked on audio books lately though so I may catch up on some classics that I missed out on that way this summer. Book recommendations are always welcome anyway..!