Veronica Mitchell tagged me for this one. Some of these questions were pretty tough and some were downright painful. The painful questions were the ones that asked you to consider fictional characters as if they were real. Who would you invite to a party, who would you want for a sibling, etc. Those questions made me aware of something I had never before articulated, though I’ve felt it all my life: the bittersweetness of fiction. Like the bittersweetness of parenting, it’s there all the time, underlying even the most intense pleasure. And the better the book, the more poignant it is, because it’s not real and you will never get to meet your best friends.

1. If you could host a party with 7 literary characters, who would they be and why?

Ick. I hate hosting anything, and the task of coming up with seven who would all enjoy each other’s company is more than this poor INTJ can handle. Especially when you consider different time periods and even different species. I’m just not inviting Aslan or Dragonbait to my house for a dinner party, much as I would like to meet them both.

I considered revising the question to ask which 7 literary characters would I most like to meet, but that’s too hard, too. It’s too hard to narrow it down. I want to meet the entire cast of the Patrick O’Brian canon. Yes, even Awkward Davies. Even Ledward & Wray. Ditto, the novels of Robertson Davies. Oh, to be in the presence of Maria Theotoky and Simon Darcourt, Uncle “Frank Innocence and Mirth” Yerko and Mamusia, Ozy Froats and heaven help us Parlabane — and those are just from one novel. The list goes on and on and on and on…

I want to meet them all.

So, I guess I’m just gonna drop the ball on this one. Otherwise this thing will never get posted.

2. Who is your literary role model?

Marmee

3. Which literary house would you like most to live in?

The Parnassus on Wheels

4. Which literary couple would you like most for parents?

Hmm. I already have two perfectly nice parents… Well, how about Meg Murry’s parents from A Wrinkle in Time et al.? I always loved how totally non-judgmental and supportive they were.

5. Pick 3 literary characters you would like to have as siblings.

Another tough one. I wouldn’t trade my real-life sissy for anything! That said…

Claudia from From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, because I always wanted to run away from home but never had the courage. If she’d been my big sister maybe she would’ve taken me with her.

Lucinda from Roller Skates, because she was smart and interesting and had so much fun.

And maybe I should choose a brother too, since I don’t have one in real life. How about the big brother in the Swallows & Amazons books? I forget his name, but jeez, those kids had a ball. They had their own little sailboat, and they went all up and down the lake, and they went camping, and they had the best games and adventures. I’d love to join that family!

6. Who is your favorite literary villain?

The Robber Hotzenplotz.

7. Name a character that most people dislike, but that you do not. Why do you like them?

That “most people” dislike? How should I know who “most people” dislike? I’m going to revise this question. How about: name a character that the author dislikes, but that you do not. Hmm, now that’s a little more interesting, isn’t it?

Mrs. Jellyby from Bleak House. She’s the mother who works tirelessly to improve the lives of children in Africa while neglecting her own. Dickens came down hard on her, but frankly I have a lot of sympathy for a woman who would rather be designing websites than reading The Grouchy Ladybug out loud for the fifty seven millionth time. That is, I meant to say, sympathy for a woman who would rather be doing social work in Africa than attending to the daily needs of a houseful of kids. Good ole Mrs. Jellyby.

8. Which minor character deserves a book all to themselves, in your opinion?

Diana Villiers. I don’t know if she counts as a minor character — “supporting” character would probably be more accurate — but she’s so fascinating and complex that it really is a shame we never get to see the world through her eyes.

Related question: who should write that book? Off the top of my head, and with a few reservations, I’d nominate Andrea Barrett.

9. Which character do you identify most with in literature?

Jo March. Please don’t think I’m just copying Veronica’s answer. This was a no-brainer.

10. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?

Clan of the Cave Bear, because I want to live in visit a bucolic world where there’s no pollution and there’s an herbal remedy for every ill. And because I want to see a real live aurochs.

11. Name 3 — 7 books that you rarely see on people’s favorite book lists, that are high on your own.

The Counterfeiters

Cry, the Beloved Country

The Robber Hotzenplotz

12. Which is your least favorite book of those that are considered “classics”?

Pride and Prejudice. One of the joys of blogging has been the discovery that I’m not alone in my dislike of Jane Austen. I used to feel so lonely and ashamed.

Tag, you’re it: Anyone is welcome, of course, but I would be particularly interested to see what answers Ella, Kate, and Sandy might come up with.