It's easy to fall in love with the likes of Clive Owen, Robert Downey, Jr., George Clooney, etc. etc., because we can see and hear them...but those of us who are book-lovers, who devour the literary hunks, know that it's just as easy to find a literary crush.
I mean...Bones. Need I say more?
Okay, how about Roarke? Hmm?
I thought so.
And then there's Mr. Darcy. *sigh* And Rhett.
Yes, yes, I've had my share of literary crushes (and some of them were even my creations--which I think helps when writing a book. You have to love the hero or your heroine won't!)...but it's not just a recent thing.
No, indeed. I've had literary crushes since I was back in middle school, maybe even grade school. I think my very first one, which I vaguely remember, was Rudy, the red-headed boy in Carolyn Haywood's Betsy & the Boys. Now, that's going wayyyy back to maybe second or third grade. And it was because he had red hair. (I have a thing for redheads.)
And then of course, I was enamored with Ned Nickerson, but he never even held Nancy Drew's hand (although he certainly seemed to rescue her an awful lot). Wimpy, I thought.
Interestingly enough, even though I read all the books, I never fell for Joe or Frank Hardy. (Except for the TV version of Frank.)
Nor did I think Almanzo Wilder was all that exciting, until I recently re-read These Happy Golden Years...that's when I realized what a total stud he is. (All those muscles pulling on the wild horses...driving through blizzards to drive Laura home...I mean, the guy's nickname was Manly, for pity's sake!)
*crickets*
Um, are you still with me?
But my first real, true, long-lasting literary crush was Trixie Belden's Jim Frayne. Yep. It's that redhead thing. (Which is why Ron Weasley is the one who makes my heart go pitter-patter, not Harry.)I admit, I read those books in grade school...and then I went back and read the good ones in middle school. And maybe even high school. And maybe I even have sought out some Jim/Trixie fan fiction...so what? In my mind, they're still teen-agers, and I'm ready for them to get on with things, thankyouverymuch!
So...what about you? Who was your first literary crush? 'Fess up!
36 comments:
Laurie in Little Women. And since I am the fourth girl in my family, I thought it was totally great that Amy married him.
Gilbert Blyth from Anne of Green Gables.
Ben from Five Little Peppers ans How They Grew.
I must confess, it was David Copperfield (not the magician). I was in elementary school when I read the book, and he was my first "imaginary boyfriend". :-)
These days, the literary guys I fall in love with are the guys I create myself - it's so much fun to craft the perfect guy, make him come to life on the page, and have him right there whenever you're ready to play with him some more! LOL
@Miranda, will you be mad at me if I tell you that I always thought Laurie was gay? *ducking*
Actually, that wasn't until I got older. I loved him in Little Women, but I was pretty ticked that he didn't marry Jo, though, so I stopped liking him. :-)
@Buffy! The Five Little Peppers!! Oh, I remember those! Loved those books too, as well as...did you read Enid Blyton's Adventure series? One of the boys there I liked too.
@Terri Yes, there is something about creating our "own" perfect guys...yet differently each time.
Okay, I have to confess that mine was Logan Bruno from the Baby-Sitters Club series. He showed up in #10 and after that ALL my books had to have romance.
Char from Ella Enchanted. Whenever I read that letter he wrote to Ella near the end I cry.
OMG, Joss. It never occurred to me but you may very well be right about Laurie. Never mind, I still adored him when I was eleven. And I didn't get it about Prof. Baer at all. He was *old*. Eew.
My very first crush was Trixie's Jim also! I had just about all the books too. When I was a teen it was Brandon Birmingham from the Flame and the Flower. I even wanted to name a son Brandon, but unfortunately that didn't happen. My husband wouldn't go for it. Sniff sniff.
I totally hated Laurie and loved, loved, LOVED Prof. Baer from Little Women. What can I say, I have a thing for guys with accents who like books.
I also had a huge crush on Curdie from George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin and Eustace, post-dragon, from the Narnia series.
My first literary crush was Gilbert Blythe, from the Anne of Green Gables books. I was seven or eight when I started reading them, and I had a HUGE crush on him. He's still the standard by which I measure men.
Then I read Lord of the Rings trilogy a couple of years later, and Legolas was my fictional boyfriend. I think I actually forgot about Mr. Blythe until I re-read the Anne books in high school.
My first fictional boyfriend, hands down, Michael Moorcock's Elric. After that I think I fell a little for Anne McCaffrey's F'lar, but Elric will always be my first love.
What a fun post!!!
I'm having a hard time thinking of EARLY crush characters...will have to spend some more time thinking about that... ;)
But I absolutely still sigh whenever I think of Father Ralph from The Thorn Birds (don't judge!!!), or Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre *sigh*
Hey Joss, my very first literary crush was Rochester. Yeh, I know. I fell for him, way before Jane did. Then there was Heathcliff...my heart panted for him. Though I am an adult now, they remain my top fave crushes. Now, I have the added Maximillian Pesaro and Quentin...you know how much I love them. Roarke is freakin' sexy, and I wish I could find me my very own. I also have a thing for Wyatt Blackstone, from Leslie Parrish's Black CATs series. I could go on and on about my crushes. Just thinking about it, makes me realize that I am a real lit hero 'ho'. I love me some heroes. The tragic ones are my faves, but I love all the of them, alpha, beta gamma...etc.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
My first literary crush probably comes from one of the first vampire books I read. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Aubrey. He wasn't really a good guy in the first book, but you saw a whole other side to him in Demon in my View, which was my all time favorite book to read back in 7th grade! Of course with this book it was soooo easy to imagine Aubrey being with me since the protagonist was named Jessica as well! ;)
First crush? I really have no idea. However I'd have to agree with a lot of what people have written here.
If I had to pick one from those early days? Probably Rodchester from Jane Eyre. Mostly because I remember him so vividly.
Marco from the Animorphs series by K.A.Applegate. Great sense of humor and was dedicated to his friends. Read every single Animorphs book. This was 5th grade thru high school (I think).
High school, crushes were Mr. Darcy, Sinclair (from Davidson's Undead series), and Julius Notte from "Vampire, Interrupted" by Lynsay Sands.
My harem has sense grown. :P
Ok ladies dont judge me but in 3rd grade I had the biggest crush on...*swallows*.....dont laugh....and this may not count but its the first books I read and could not stop reading about this guy.....OK....it was George Washington! lol I had to read everything and anything I could find out about the man. :) does that count? lol
Yeah yeah I am crazy for that one, i know, but crazy sure is a fun place to be. ;)
http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/
LOL, @Katie Dalton! I also had a crush on a president--Andrew Jackson (yes, ANOTHER redhead). I read Andrew Jackson: Boy Soldier by Stevenson probably ten times!
It's a wonder I didn't end up marrying a redhead, although my first serious boyfriend had gorgeous curly red hair.
I love hearing about some of these from our younger years, too. Especially the Animorphs series. :-)
I also had a big crush on Rochester when I first read Jane Eyre.
@Jessica I love books where you get the "other" side of the story, either in a later book or in the series.
That's one of the reasons I love the Vicky Bliss books...the first couple books, you think John Smythe is such a crook...but he's got a heart of gold. Sorta.
well when I started reading I only read Stephen King so not a lot of crush worthy material there . I guess Lestat from Interview With a Vampire. Or maybe Louis. Maybe both ;)
I love Jim. I inherited my Trixie Belden books from my mom (I'm only 19) and I always thought that Trixie was much more awesome than Nancy Drew (who always felt a little like a goody-goody to me)
As for my own literary crushes, I have so many now thanks to reading wonderful romances. But as a kid I think my first literary crush was George Cooper or Numair Salmalin from Tamora Pierce's books. They were just so AWESOME!
And I think you have to have at least a little crush on your hero. Otherwise, why would the heroine like him?
I have to cast my vote for Faramir in LoTR ... and going for some now 'hard to find in print' heroes, Adam, from Grace Ingram's Red Adam's Lady, and Count Jasper from Violet Needham's The Black Riders ... And then there's all those Georgette Heyer heroes: the Duke of Avon from These Old Shades and Robin (L'Inconnu) from The Masqueraders ...
@Ashleigh I totally heart Numair!!!! *sigh* I love both George and Jon...
Like Terri I'm a Copperfield girl but I adore Henry Tilney from NORTHANGER ABBEY--a hottie who can do laundry!
Prof. Baer was a jolly harmless asexual ... thing who would crush Jo beneath his weight but not in a good way. Poorly done, Miss Alcott.
My fav hero that I invented was Adam from my first book DEDICATION, but now he's too young for me (or too old, possibly).
Hmmm...first literary crush... Making me think here!
I think it was the same as TLC, Logan Bruno from BSC. Either first or second grade. I remember looking forward to buying those at the school book fair. I loved those things.
And now... *dreamy sigh* ... we have Bones. =)
My first was actually Sirius Black from Harry Potter, I am only 19 so young still and even younger maybe 13 or 14 when i met Sirius. Much to my displeasure *SPOILERS* Sirius dies. *sigh* I pictured a much more Sexy tall dark and handsome type than they had in the movies.
It took me a long time to find my first literary crush. There were boys I liked in books but none I was all that invested in.
Until I met Arutha froom Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga. Oh man, did I have a thing for him. Then there was Axis from Sara Douglass Axis Trilogy.
They spoiled me.
Amazing how these characters come to life, isn't it?
That's why, much as I love, eg, Bones and Roarke...I just don't know if anyone could ever play them on the big screen--to my content, anyway.
I prefer to imagine them in my mind JUST the way I want them. :-)
Now...excuse me while I go dig up Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds....
Hmmm, I remember liking Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables and I remember hints of romance in many of my books growing up, but the first one that really stands out to me in my memory, the one where I was waiting for the couple to get together was Wuthering Heights. BUT it was not Heathcliff that I crushed on, no, it was Hareton!!! He was just so adorable, trying so hard to be good enough for Catherine (the second one). In the big picture it's such a smaller part of the book, but, to be honest, to this day they are why I reread Wuthering Heights on a regular basis, and I am always perturbed when screen versions make their parts even smaller or leave them out almost entirely!
Thanks Joss, now I dont feel all that crazy. lol It was just this weird crush. :) Glad to know I am not alone
http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com
I think my very 1st book crush was on Maniac Magee from the Jerry Spinelli book :)
@Bella OMG!!!!! I TOTALLY know what you mean!!!! Maniac Magee was absolutely one of the coolest guys ever!!!
@nymfaux I like Jon a lot until the third Lioness quartet book. Although he's not such a bad sort once Thayet and some responsibility settle him down
I first literary crush was Trixie's Jim and I have used him as the standard for any man I have allowed to enter my life. My first boyfriend had red hair but he didn't measure up because he cheated on me.
Sorry I'm so behind the times! I've never been to this site before. I, too, fall into the Jim group. I did, in fact, grow up to marry a redhead! He is just about as I imagined Jim would be - very outdoorsy, supple, freckled hands, etc, etc, etc! We've been married 27 years now (sigh!).
Sorry I am so behind! I have never been to this site before. I, too, fall into the Jim Frayne group. In fact, I grew up and married a redhead! He is much as I imagined Jim would be - very outdoorsy, honorable, freckled hands, supple, etc, etc, etc! We have been married 27 years (sigh!). I don't believe I have ever told him that I was initially attracted to him because of a pre-teen literary crush, not sure how he would feel about that!
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