Whose the most horrible character in any book you've read?

[FreddoBaggyMac]

I've just finished 'The Help' and am very sad about it too [sniff] I miss Aibileen... Anyway I feel the need to make my hatred of Miss Hilly public. I don't think I've ever detested anyone in a book quite so much...

I thought I would create a tribute thread in her honour, listing the most repugnant characters in fictional history. Please help by adding entries to the list!
I nominate MISS HILLY from The Help as the number one entry.

Baby Kochamma in 'The God of Small Things.'

Also agree with OP that Miss Hilly is totally vile.

David Copperfield's step father - what a detestable character. And his sister as well. Worse than that Steerforth one who went off with little Em'ly then dumped her.

I agree on Fagin.

Dorita Hess from Anybody Can Do Anything

My immediate thought on reading the OP's title was Heathcliff.

See it has already been nominated a (little!) bit. he WAS a prize cunt.

Rannaldini :)

Dolores Umbridge - the psycho teacher spy whp punishes Harry Potter by making him do lines with a magic quill that writes them into his flesh, in his own blood.

I am extravagantly well read, don't you know, but Dolores beats all adult villains from the past decade into a witch's hat.

JKR's revenge on her at the end of the book was a bit lame.

I'm just going to reiterate William Hamleigh.

Because I hate him so much.

I am currently reading Pillars aloud to my 31-weeks pregnant DP (my 3rd time reading, her 1st) and she is nearly crying when William comes into the scene - I've had to skip over a couple of scenes - the cat and one of the many rapes...

Totally agree with the Angel Clare nominations- sanctimonious git.
Can we have characters from plays? If so, I nominate Claudio from Much Ado about Nothing- not just for thinking his fiance's a slut on really flimsy evidence but the cruelty of the public repudiation at the wedding. Drives me nuts that she still seems pleased that she gets to marry him at the end of the play- not a good catch.

The mother (Corrine?) in Flowers in the Attic. Going back a few years...

ha ha totally agree with Rannaldini

not sure if its come up before but the pedlar (?Harry) and the vicar from Jamaica Inn always made my skin crawl as a teenager when i first read the book

Jamaica Inn is full of detestable characters.

I second whoever mentioned Mike Engleby in Engleby - in the reveal bit at the end when he reads his file particularly.

The Huntress in John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things terrified me.

Sherman McCoy in The Bonfire of the Vanities made me very angry. There are similarities between him and Patrick Bateman.

Sir Percival Glyde, thank you Miggsie - is he the one in Woman in White?

Also Judge Holden in Blood Meridian.

Winston from 1984 really creeped me out. I know he was meant to be an "anti-hero" but that ulcer on his leg was the main thing I remember. He was so grey and dull AND he had a weeping sore on his leg- what's not to love? Nice one Orwell

Agree completely, Sarjul. Claudio is a dick.

Certainly Angel Clare, Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil.

Has anyone suggested Robert Lovelace yet?

I love the outrageousness (is that a word?) of Mrs Norris and Mr Collins

I hated Holden Caulfield first time I read the book, I mellowed a little the second time. A little.

Tom Tulliver, St. John Rivers, Angel Clare, and Edward all made me want to murder somebody. Characters who are supposed to be all bad, like Dolores Umbridge, are brilliantly done and give me great satisfaction when they get their comeuppance, but they don't creep me out in the same way as the ones who are all high and mighty and righteous. Nasty creeps, all of them.

I suspect I hate Heathcliff as well, I haven't read the book in years (possibly for this reason.)

Another vote for Angel Clare, and also Uriah Heep (and his mother) from David Copperfield.

Completely agree regarding Mme Bovary, Miss Hilly and the boy in The Kite Runner.

Disagree with Michael Henchard - he redeemed himself in the book. My money is on Farfray as the real villain in The Mayor of Casterbridge.

Would like to add Anna Karenina. Detestable woman.

Remember the odious Flashman from Tom Browne's Schooldays, even if only from the TV series?

George MacDonald Fraser had a fantastic series of books, the first of which was called Flashman, which describes the character's adventures thoughout the Victorian era and ranging from the UK to Afghanistan to India to America to Africa. The stories are thrilling, shocking (or maybe I was young and naive when I read them) and hilarious at times. Flashman is a complete bastard in every way you could imagine, but I remember one point when someone was about to take revenge on him in the cruellest way I felt sorry for him. I was surprised at that at the time, but it shows that GMF had managed to make the reader empathise with the horrible man.

A great read if you're into historical fiction or boy's own adventure stuff.

RRocks

Can I mention a character in a short story?

Mr Durant by Dorothy Parker. What a nasty piece of work he was.

On reading the thread title, my first thought was Angel Clare, glad he's got lots of votes. Totally agree with Miss Hilly, glad too that she got to eat sh*t. What was the name of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts? Gilderoy Lockheart (thanks, DS1!) He was even worse than Dolores Umbrage IMO, at least she didn't pretend to be anything other than odious.

My first thought was also Heathcliff. And then Mrs Danvers.

Heathcliff

Dolores Umbridge - making kids write lines in their own blood is just gross, and the kittens! Ughh

Nils Bjurman - just a disusting waste of human skin

Angel Clare

The Aunt in Jane Eyre

Collins and Lockheart are hilarious - they aren't nasty, just ridiculous!!

Ooh mrs what's- her- name from the his dark materials trilogy, lyra's mother. Evil evil woman.

Agree with heathcliff too, what a git!

I personally have always hated Holden caulfield whenever I've read that book. Don't think he's evil or anything just a pretentious little sod.

I second Cathy from East of Eden.

The Snowman in Jo Nesbo's book is a creep.

Can't stand the narrator in Poppy Shakespeare.