- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: iUniverse (January 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1440154392
- ISBN-13: 978-1440154393
- Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 22.9 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 721 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,600,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Some of the most influential and interesting people in the world are fictional. Sherlock Holmes, Huck Finn, Pinocchio, Anna Karenina, Genji, and Superman, to name a few, may not have walked the Earth (or flown, in Superman's case), but they certainly stride through our lives. They influence us personally: as childhood friends, catalysts to our dreams, or even fantasy lovers. Peruvian author and presidential candidate Mario Vargas Llosa, for one, confessed to a lifelong passion for Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Characters can change the world. Witness the impact of Solzhenitsyn's Ivan Denisovich, in exposing the conditions of the Soviet Gulag, or Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom, in arousing anti-slavery feeling in America. Words such as quixotic, oedipal, and herculean show how fictional characters permeate our language.
This list of the Fictional 100 ranks the most influential fictional persons in world literature and legend, from all time periods and from all over the world, ranging from Shakespeare's Hamlet [1] to Toni Morrison's Beloved [100]. By tracing characters' varied incarnations in literature, art, music, and film, we gain a sense of their shape-shifting potential in the culture at large. Although not of flesh and blood, fictional characters have a life and history of their own. Meet these diverse and fascinating people. From the brash Hercules to the troubled Holden Caulfield, from the menacing plots of Medea to the misguided schemes of Don Quixote, The Fictional 100 runs the gamut of heroes and villains, young and old, saints and sinners. Ponder them, fall in love with them, learn from their stories the varieties of human experience--let them live in you.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Summary of World Literary Characters, Feb 6 2010
By C. Dong - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Fictional 100: Ranking the Most Influential Characters in World Literature and Legend (Paperback)
I was really impressed with how this book went beyond the usual Western tradition of books to talk about important characters from all over the world, which really gives the reader a context for understanding their importance (and what books from other cultures they might want to get their hands on!)The reviews I've read so far concisely go over the plot, then go on to talk about how the character, book, and author influenced people in that time and in times since then. Short and to the point, yet well-written.
I was also particularly impressed, in the selections I've read, with how the author encourages the reader to think with her last sentence. Her last words about Scrooge said a little about how Scrooge's experience encourage us to consider the alternate realities we might inhabit --- something to that effect --- in just one sentence bringing something profound and fun to consider to the (short) chapter.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Reference (and a dangerous conversation starter), Oct 3 2010
By David Goldberg - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Fictional 100: Ranking the Most Influential Characters in World Literature and Legend (Paperback)
Let me first say that it would be a mistake to sit down with this book and try to read it in order. If you're anything like me, you're going to want to make your own list and then see how many of your choices made Pollard-Gott's list. And since her definition of fictional characters runs the gamut from religious to classic literature to comic books, you'll likely find most of your favorites. I was very pleased to find Valjean, Superman, and Arjuna, for example. Her choices are entirely defensible -- and she does a great job in doing so -- but everyone will have their own list of "should have been includeds, but weren't." For me, this included Harry Potter (which, granted, might be too recent to be considered influential), and The Count of Monte Cristo. In fact, I think none of Dumas's classic characters made the list. Pollard-Gott defends each of her choices with a brisk, but comprehensive description of who the characters are, and the role that they've played in culture. It is both a scholarly work, and a great deal of fun. I strongly recommend it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A strongly recommended read and fine addition to any literary studies collection, May 9 2010
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Fictional 100: Ranking the Most Influential Characters in World Literature and Legend (Paperback)
Legend has almost as much power as history. "The Fictional 100: Ranking the Most Influential Characters in World Literature and Legend" discusses one hundred of the most important fictional people throughout history and how they have reflected and impacted the societies that created them. From biblical figures like Adam and Eve, to cultural legends like Genji, to the comic book icon of Superman, many are discussed with much insight. "The Fictional 100" is a strongly recommended read and fine addition to any literary studies collection.
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