Books or films with narcissistic characters?

[Biscuitsareme]

I've only recently 'discovered' narcissistic behaviour and it's been a real eye-opener to me. Now there are some characters in books and films that really hit me as narcissistic.

I'll go first:

Muriel's Wedding: Muriel's awful awful father

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell: the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair
(although Strange and Norrell have traits I suppose)

Any more?

[NadiaWadia]

Well some of these are probably correct but I think we have to be careful of labelling every not-so-nice person as a narcissist.

[bruffin]

House in some ways

[SpecialAgentCuntSnake]

Bill from Big Love, absolutely.

I see-saw on Nicki though.

[Lottapianos]

Janice and Livia Soprano for sure

I'm not sure about Don Draper. He cares very deeply for Peggy and for Joan. He does dreadful self-destructive things and hurts people very badly but I do think he feels shame for it deep down. He has moments when he is kind to his children. He's certainly very impulsive and seems hellbent on sabotaging his own happiness and security. He's a fantastic character and I identify with his deep-down, well-hidden sense of aching sadness and loneliness. I'm not sure he's a narcissist but happy to be proved wrong

[bruffin]

Seventh Veil may not necessarily be a narc but a very psychologically creepy film.

[colleysmill]

Gaslight is a marvellous film - very very creepy!

What about the character Svengali in George du Mauriers novel Trilby? I always thought he might be a narc.

[CCTVmum]

91/2 weeks

Copycat

Gaslighting ( I have not seen this old film but this is where it comes from)

The joker in Batman

these are more psychopathic with nassicism characteristics (goes hand in hand)

[FeijoaVodkaLovesHokeyPokey]

Regina and Mr Gold in Once Upon A Time (plus Regina's Mum, Hook and others)

[Bumpotato]

J R Ewing

[dreamingoflavender]

Blanche Dubois is in Streetcar named Desire and I would say she's more obsessive/compulsive from what I remember of her.

If anyone has read The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Amanda Wing (the mother) is possibly a good example.

[justwondering72]

Blanche Dubois, Cat on a hot tin Roof. Tennessee Williams.

[dreamingoflavender]

I'm not sure Cathy or Heathcliff fit the definition of narcissistic characters.

Heathcliff came from the streets of Liverpool in the late 1700s, at time when the 'triangular trade' meant slavery was rife in cities such as Liverpool. I have always felt that the character of Heathcliff was black, or at least, mixed race, hence the numerous references to him being 'dark' 'foreign' 'gypsy.'

Cathy loved Heathcliff but it would have "degraded" her to marry him because of his looks, and because of his background; narcissistic people cannot love. Heathcliff certainly loved Cathy, but he fixated on revenge on those around him rather than the love he had for Cathy.

I agree they both probably had some sort of personality disorder (histrionic for Cathy probably - Heathcliff I am not so sure, anti-social perhaps?) but they were not narcissistic.

[Loopytiles]

Oberon in midsummer night's dream.

Hamlet.

[bumbleymummy]

There are bound to be several in Jilly Cooper! :)

Maud O'Hara is springing to mind...

Possibly Helen Campbell-Black? (re-reading Riders at the moment and she's driving me mad with the whole Jake thing.)

[Crumbelina]

Definitely Ferris Bueller. Not a thought for poor Cameron when he took the Ferrari. Everyone enabled him (and even Jeanie succumbed at the end).

[FabricQueen]

And Catch Me If You Can, that's a good one. (film)

[FabricQueen]

Yy to Zenia in The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood, and the character of Madame Bovary (what a fantastic book that is).
Also the film Imagine Me and You, in my opinion.

[spanky2]

Obviously lowering the tone ...Squidward Tentacles in Sponge Bob.

[EugenesAxe]

Quentin Villiers in Dead Babies by Martin Amis. He's part psychopath too IMO but I'm no psychiatrist so I may be wrong.

Personally wouldn't consider Emma Woodhouse a narcissist. What about Larry Durrell in 'My Family and...'? I can't decide - 2nd opinions needed.

My DSis jokingly calls me Bella

[skyeskyeskye]

Dark Angel is the book about Constance.

[Meringue33]

White Oleander

[lottieandmia]

Yes, Hatsumomo San was totally messed up imo!

[GetStuffezd]

Hatsumomo from Memoirs of a Geisha

[Iwaswatchingthat]

shrekkingallover
Was just coming on to post Jay Gatsby! Just read that book and you are right - it is chokka with narcissists.