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?

Game of Thrones:

Joffrey Baratheon
Cersei Lannister
Viserys Targereon
Theon Greyjoy
Lysa Arran
Renly Baratheon???

What about Jasper in The Holiday? I'm not quite certain I love that moment when Iris' blinkers come off and she sees him for who he really is.

Biscuitsareme, Thanks. Getting there, I see it as a test which I have to pass with flying colours because he sure as hell wont.

Jay Gatsby in the Great Gatsby. The book is also populated by a host of other unsavory characters but Gatsby is the master narcisscist believing himself to be entitled in his behaviour and quest for Daisy's love.

Lucca, could you start a thread and tell us your story?

There are a lot of us who have been blindsided by narcs... and it is a very hard concept to get, that these people who can behave so inhumanly, that is actually who they are. That acceptance (of the truth) is hard.

I have a narcissist dm that must be why I love don draper and can't think why!

mayor of casterbridge? thonas hardy...

Slightly OT but has anyone seen the current hollyoaks (yes I know but I'm still sort of youngish) storyline with Maxine and Patrick? Really good (if that's the right word) portrayal of how an abusive relationship starts showing how a confident outgoing woman can be changed. I think it will really educate some people who don't understand how abuse takes hold. Bits of gaslighting going on there too.

May start my own thread...

Back on topic - Emma in Emma?

Ethan Hawke's character in Sinister . Who else but a narcissist would move their family to that house for fame?

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

Hatsumomo from Memoirs of a Geisha

Yes, Hatsumomo San was totally messed up imo!

White Oleander

Dark Angel is the book about Constance.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.)

Oberon in midsummer night's dream.

Hamlet.

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.

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

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.