Article on unlikable characters

[mark_asphodel]

Kind of interesting article here on the value of unlikable characters as protagonists.  Chock-full of spoilers for the author's own works and a number of Notable Works besides, so if you're planning to see We Need to Talk About Kevin and don't want the details, don't read this article.

Potentially more useful for those of us working on original 'fic, I suppose, given the constraints of canon characterization.

Comments

[amielleon]

I approve entirely.

And honestly, there's something to be taken away from this for canon characters too. After all, we choose how we flesh them out.

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

*reads*

What the author is describing here is the idea of a flawed character. I don't really find fault with that, since, if the reader is human, the characters should be, too, especially the mains or POVs, but I don't think it's flaws (or, by the extension, the apparent lack thereof) that make a character unlikable, because a character can have plentiful flaws and still be relatable (or, at least, tolerable or understandable). There's a word for the kind of unlikability that makes a person want to stop reading, and I can't quite put my finger on it.