tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post7550754045246461992..comments2024-03-25T09:01:20.997-07:00Comments on Diary of an Autodidact: Are Women Human? by Dorothy SayersDiary of an Autodidacthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-80613111255710679482018-01-04T18:00:55.785-08:002018-01-04T18:00:55.785-08:00" I do so loathe Lucy Manon in A Tale of Two ..." I do so loathe Lucy Manon in A Tale of Two Cities; I loathe the book, too, but the character even more. "<br /><br />I don't blame you; really, Lucy Manon in A Tale of Two Cities is a plot device, not a character. Her only real importance to the story is her relation to the men in her life...Dark Phoenix (Nixa)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11557085553371905683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-52052186807995220512016-08-26T21:05:25.827-07:002016-08-26T21:05:25.827-07:00Well, there is the question as to whether "go...Well, there is the question as to whether "good" characters are interesting as a general rule or not. I find "good" characters a bit nauseating myself - male or female. Any truly "human" character will have a mix of good and evil, character and flaws. <br /><br />But, as far as "good" women from earlier novels who are interesting, I would nominate the following:<br /><br />Jeanie Deans from The Heart of Midlothian (Sir Walter Scott)I have long thought she was one of Scott's finest protagonists - and she is based on a real person. <br /><br />While there are any number of well-drawn female characters in the novels of Anthony Trollope (one of my favorite authors), I particularly like Caroline Waddington from The Bertrams, Lucy Robarts from Framley Parsonage, and Nora Rowley from He Knew He Was Right. And that's before you get into the delightful secondary characters and the ones that don't qualify as "good." <br /><br />You are right that Wilkie Collins wrote good ones. I am particularly fond of Magdalen from No Name - but she is so very far from "good" in the Victorian sense. <br /><br />Both Laetitia Dale and Clara Middleton from The Egoist (George Meredith) which is a truly underrated novel. It's a good one for females to read to learn to recognize the type of man who wants a woman to reflect his glory. Both women in the book are well developed and intriguing. <br /><br />So there are a few - but they are indeed too scarce. <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Diary of an Autodidacthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-77711545568263602682016-08-26T20:38:36.469-07:002016-08-26T20:38:36.469-07:00From all of your excellent points I am choosing to...From all of your excellent points I am choosing to focus on the statement that Dickens could not write believable female characters ( with the possible exception of Sairy Gamp). I do so loathe Lucy Manon in A Tale of Two Cities; I loathe the book, too, but the character even more. In fact, I often told my daughters that I know of only one "good" woman in early literature who is also interesting--Elizabeth Bennett; the rest are just rubber stamp characters (well, possibly except some in some Wilkie Collins books). Becky Sharp is a fascinating woman character, but as she said, she was no saint, and I long to slap Amelia Sedley. And returning to Dickins, his women characters are cardboard cutouts of whichever type he chose to present. As my daughter says, rant over.maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15314179779965253324noreply@blogger.com