I really dislike Mrs Weasley.

[cockneysalad]

She is an awful character, she seems to prefer Harry to Ron and is mean to Fleur. She is also a bit of a stereotype, the apron, the knitting, the homemaker etc. Which literary characters annoy you and why?

This thread has resurfaced a childhood dislike - Colin from the Secret Garden.

He's a right little prick isnt he. I'm mean yes so there's good reasons when he first appears, his dad doesn't seem to like him, everyone thinks he is going to die and so isolate him and make his stay in bed. His cousin Mary's not had a great childhood either, similar enough - unloved also. Things improve for Colin, more you could argue than they do for Mary, Yet, Mary changes her attitude massively but Colin remains a bossy superior know it all.

You just know he's going to end up a nob officers who is enraged at his subordinatesnot unquestionably obey him. Probably happy to shot a shell shocked Dickon at dawn.

In case it's unclear, I didn't like Colin.

Vivi Walker from The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood/Little Altars Everywhere. She's an immature, self-pitying, alcoholic, abuser who can't bear not being the centre of attention; yet the author clearly wants us to find her witty and charming.

She and her friends never grow out of their teenage 'girl gang', the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which is just weird and sad. The group is portrayed as an wonderful example of lifelong friendship. In reality they're absolutely toxic, and do nothing but enable Vivi's terrible behaviour.

I hate her and the Yes-Men Ya-Ya's

Everyone in the Slap is awful.
Shakespeare's Romeo is fickle and too full on.
Like Mrs Weasley but she should get paid work!

Oh yes everybody in the slap are terrible terrible people. It is being advertised atm on STV player it reminds me how much I hate them all!

I can't say I am too bothered about Molly Weasly not working. She had her first child at about, what, 20 or 21 and then had six more. She then homeschooled them. By the time Ginny goes off to school, she's not been in the workforce for a long time. She also needs to be able to be at home during the holidays.

A problem often faced by women who have not worked isn't it?

Also, I've got something in my head about Molly doing something with the local Muggle community - think in the Goblet of Fire book, but it's been so long since I read them I'm not relying on that!!

My issue with Molly is that she doesn't seem to treat Ron as nicely as the others. He always seems to come out on the bottom or get the short straw. THe dress-robe thing really stands out as an example - think all the others get a decent one (Ginny get a nice dress I think). So it was the case that all had to be second-hand - so little choice - but why not get rid of the smell from Ron's or at least make them less hideous!! As I said it's been so long since I read the books I can't recall too well, but I do recall thinking Ron was treated unfairly all the time.

Yes, it's telling that the TWINS buy him new dress robes when they get the money from Harry to set up their joke shop.

Maybe Molly suffered from terrible gender disappointment when he was born and never got over it. She does do a lot for the Order of the Phoenix though, she seems to be quite a driving force in the meetings. And she tries to stop Sirius from being quite so 'Harry is JUSt LIKE James' when he gets carried away.

I reckon she's got her head screwed on, but has issues.

The twins bought the dress robes because Harry asked them to when he gave them his Tri-Wizard Tournament winnings.

ANYWAY. I have to stand up for Frodo now. SPOILERS FOLLOW.

I don't know if the films did this side of the books justice (I didn't watch them) but the whole problem with finding someone to destroy the Ring is that it consumes anyone who wears it long term. Frodo offers the Ring to Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel all of whom refuse to take it because they don't think they would be able to withstand it. Frodo is chosen to carry the ring because Bilbo and Gollum, both hobbits or at least in Gollum's case a bit like a hobbit, were able to carry it for many years and retain at least some free will. The closer the ring gets to Mordor the more powerful it becomes and so by the time Frodo reaches Mordor he is basically unable to do anything but carry the Ring and try not to be taken over by it. It's obvious in the book that everyone who sets out with him from Rivendell understands this, including Sam, which is why they were sent out with him, to maximise protection and support for him. Frodo never recovers from the injuries that he suffered or the exhaustion of carrying the Ring for so long and ultimately is unable to stay in Middle Earth despite having saved it for everyone else. I agree that Sam's forelock tugging and servility get a bit wearing but there isn't any real sign that Frodo expects those behaviours of him.

I know too much about LOTR and my feelings about it are disproportionately strong...

I never liked Fred and George much, actually. Obviously I cheered when they stuck it to Umbridge, but I would have been scared of them if I were at school with them.

In other genres, I think Mr and Mrs Bennet in P&P are both pretty awful but at least Mrs Bennet is trying to ensure that she and her children have some sort of financial security after he dies, whilst he sits in his study whingeing at Elizabeth about how awful they are

I don’t understand why “holidays” even exist in the Harry Potter world. Considering the non-Muggle world contains numerous methods of more or less instantaneous teleportation, surely the Weasleys could have easily popped over to Egypt for lunch if they wanted to see Bill? You can’t apparate long distance but surely Bill could arrange a Portkey or to use the Floo Network.

silvermantella Odysseus's awful behavior is addressed in Circe by Miller. Great book, and he is shown as the flawed, full of hubris man he is. And then his son is shown as a much better man than him.

All the Hunger Games characters. I enjoyed the series but didn't really root for anyone as found them all dreadful!

Actually, having said that, I did like Fin O'dair but he's fairly minor in the scheme of things.

Oh, and all of Anne and Gilbert's children in Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside. EVEN WALTER. They're all so indulged and up themselves. Come on, Anne, we all know you had a miserable childhood before Green Gables but Marilla did NOT raise you that way

Omg Odysseus is a massive selfish, hypocritical, aggressive, cheating up-himself bossy twat! But I never really felt I had to like him as such - it was more just wanting to find about about the amazing adventure, and the price you have to pay is seeing it through the eyes of the self-important adventurer.

@BentBastard I've literally just re read The Hunger Games and I can't stand Katniss! Especially by Mockingjay. I do really like Finnick though, and Peeta (who just kind of cracks on with things, doing what he can whilst knowing he isn't that great)

I dunno, Peeta bugs me because Katniss constantly uses him and he just simpers over her regardless. I preferred brainwashed Peeta who actually said fuck this shit.

I know some will say Peeta also used Katniss but I think he genuinely loved her and the benefits to their HG campaign was just a useful side effect.

It pains me to say this, but Emily of New Moon is pretty awful, read as an adult.

I love L M Montgomery and will read almost anything of hers for the lovely writing, but whyyyyy make Emily a poet (or a 'poetess')? Anne writing stories is quite believable, and yes they sound ridiculous when she's a child and more than a bit twee when she's an adult, but she also sounds as if she's perfectly well aware she isn't the next Great Canadian Novelist. But Emily's poems are just awful. Quite obviously L M herself couldn't write, so why not do away with the quotes?

Same with Walter, though at least she quotes less of his stuff.

@Sarahandquack try The Blythes Are Quoted - or don't try it - it's a sort of compendium of poems written by various Blythes and read to each other in the evenings with their comments. The poems are dire.

What about the bloody Cazalets?! I absolutely loved reading the books, even though I could barely stand any of the characters (a v strange reading experience).

Of the family itself, Hugh and Sybill were ok, and I liked Christopher as well (although he was really only on the fringes).

The best character in the whole saga was Miss Milliment, the impoverished governess. But as for the rest of that self centred, cosseted, thoughtless bunch - give me strength!! It especially irritated me that whenever any of them had to make their own food they were completely hopeless at it, presumably as a result of Mrs Cripps running around after them all their lives

I could go on forever about their various annoying traits and actions though so I'll stop there!

@SarahAndQuack I don’t mind Emily in New Moon or Climbs, but when she grows up she is just too much, especially the way every man she meets falls madly in love with her on the barest acquaintance (Mark Delage Greaves, I’m looking at you ) The men in those books are generally the worst though - Dean is interesting but disturbingly predatory and gaslights Emily into burning her book, while the sainted Teddy’s entire personality consists of being handsome, smug and good at drawing (be still my beating heart!)

@fairyfingers I love Anne Elliot, too.

Agree with all the Holden Caulfield loathers.

I was relieved when Amy died in Little Women.

I'm quite keen on Clary Cazalet, @PrivateSpidey

@Amortentia Sacrilege. My only very tiny reservation about Hardy is that Bathsheba wears clogs. That was a bit of a disappointment. Otherwise, he is a complete and utter genius.

@TheFaerieQueene That does make sense. Still, he must have been really, properly desperate to marry that vacuous baggage.

DH Lawrence doesn't exactly count as a literary character, but he pisses me off immensely all the same.

Pam and Barbara in the Secret Seven are both unspeakably dreary. Peter is a nasty bully, who gets off on "scolding" his sister (who is a lot nicer and cleverer than he is) and lords it over all the other boys, particularly Jack.

@SarahAndQuack, but it’s not just her poems, it’s the fact that she’s an unpleasant, purple-eyed snob who’s pretty snide to practically everyone She considers beneath her — I mean, the whole ‘New Moon people are the elect’ thing was amusing when she was a child (and had only been adopted by her New Moon aunts because they drew the short straw), but she genuinely appears to believe it in adulthood.

Mind you, Dean Priest is worse, perving over a twelve year old’s ankles and saying he’ll ‘wait for her’. Ugh.

Agree about dull as ditchwater Teddy and Dean ‘Perv’ Priest, @NoWebbedFeet. In fact there are some fairly odd male characters in the Emily books in general — Emily”s father concealing the fact that he’s dying from his child until it’s broken to her by the servant when he’s at his last gasp, but we’re supposed to think that’s a good decision?

@BentBastard totally agree that hijacked Peeta was better than normal Peeta.

When Gale says Katniss will choose who she needs to survive and she suddenly realises she is a user....um yes!

Nicholas Urfe in The Magus. Hated him from the first word to the last. Just a gross, horny, self-obsessed dbag who sees women as accessories.
Also detested Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson. A million pages about a narcissist rapist.