Annotation:Mr. Darcy - I know that Mr. Darcy is not the most original choice for No. 1 on this list, but I just couldn't resist. He's handsome, socially awkward, and rich (not that money is important, but if you're going to create the perfect fictional man, you might as well give him money). Admittedly, he's a jerk; however, deep down inside, he actually is a good guy, even if he has trouble showing it sometimes. Finally, one of the great things about Darcy is that he falls for Elizabeth: not because she's the prettiest girl in the world (although I believe she is the second prettiest), but because she's smart and funny. I love Regency/Victorian fiction, and I love having a cute couple to cheer on; however, I do know that 18-19th English marriages were not a happy place to be for a lot of women. I like Darcy because I picture him and Elizabeth being equals once they're married. By the end of the book, both characters have been knocked down a peg or two and treat each other with respect. I like thinking that there were actually couples like this back then.

Annotation:Hamlet - I have to include Hamlet because he's awesome. I honestly believe that he is the best character ever written (at least in the English language), and I've always had a fondness for him because he's so complex. I've heard people say that he's too wishy-washy - that he should have killed his uncle in the first five minutes of the play and have been done with it. I had a professor ask the reason for this delay once, and everyone gave different answers, mostly amounting to "Shakespeare needed to fill five acts." But the reason that kept jumping to my mind was: "Because he's not a killer." He's a student, a scholar, and a poet. And I know that this word comes with all sorts of terrifying connotations, but he's sensitive. When some say "wishy-washy," I say "mentally stable." Call me crazy, but I think I prefer a man who thinks things over rather than marching straight out and killing his uncle because a ghost told him to. Shakespeare perfectly demonstrates the anguish, doubt, and uncertainty that irrevocably links with vengeance, as well as the conflict that should come with the prospect of taking another's life - that depth is what makes Hamlet a masterpiece, and what's better then a masterpiece?

Annotation:Sirius Black - Sirius Black is my favorite Harry Potter character, which is saying something. He's brave, loyal, and kind. There are some points in the book when he comes off a little arrogant (particularly during the memory sequences), but once you know the guy, there's no doubt as to where his loyalties lie. I know that a lot of people don't like him because Snape has a (to me) inexplicably large following, and obviously, they're not exactly friends. But I never liked Snape. Sirius is a good man because he gives up everything to fight on the side of good; Snape was only fighting against Voldemort because he loved Lily. That's nice and all, but I always got the feeling that if Voldemort hadn't of gone after Lily, Snape would still be having fun killing Muggles at random, which is NOT COOL. So I've always seen Snape as a rather selfish character because of that. I don't get the same feeling about Sirius. Yes, he was angry about what happened to the Potters, but he was on the right side long before that. With the family he came from and the upbringing he had, he could have easily turned out to be a Death Eater, but he didn't. He has a strong moral character, and he's a good man. I realize that I spent a large portion of this annotation on Snape-bashing, but that's what he gets for trying to send an innocent man to Azkaban.

Annotation:Mr. Rochester - I added Mr. Rochester to this list because he's pretty much the epitome of the Byronic hero. You could probably say the same thing about Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, but Heathcliff was a jerk in a way that Rochester was not. Anyway, I thought that I would be remiss not to include at least one truly Gothic hero on this list. He is another dark, brood-y type of person, but he opens up significantly as the novel progresses. He also keeps his crazy wife in the attic. I know that this sounds very harsh, but at the time, it was a very decent thing to do. He could have easily sent her to an insane asylum and have done with her, but he didn't because he knew how awful asylums were (horrible and unsanitary conditions as well as doctors who liked to experiment). He also kept her at his main house because it was more comfortable there. Considering the amount of times that she tried to kill him, I think that that was all very nice of him. Also, he eventually falls in love with Jane and, more importantly, is willing to marry her. Considering her position in life, that's another check in the "pro" column. Finally, it's not all sulking and stoicism for this character: although none of the film versions that I have seen have had the courage to do this scene accurately, he does dress up like a gypsy woman and tell everyone's fortunes. It's a little weird, but it shows a lighter side to his personality.

Annotation:Edwin Drood - It's been a while since I read this novel, but I remember loving the character of Edwin Drood. He, like Eugene Wrayburn above, is a classic, snarky Dickens character. This is another character that is great to read about because he's just so witty and funny, but whom one might want to smack if one met him in real life. He has the easy kind of confidence that I'm told comes with youth, which, as far as I can remember, never really tips into arrogance. I also always thought that his relationship with Rosa was very sweet, even if it doesn't work out (at least that's the implication - Dickens died before he could finish this novel). I like to think that Edwin lived, and everyone lived happily ever after.