Gen-types

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I feel like maybe we've discussed this before but, well, we like talking about the same things again sometimes, right?

So recently I read a book which was OK, but I didn't love. When trying to figure out what exactly wasn't working for me, I realized one of the big issues I had--I felt like the author was trying to make one of the main characters into a Gen-type character, but was failing.

(To be completely honest, my first thought was, "This book would just be so much better if it was about Lord Peter instead." I think I'm due for a LPW re-read.)

So I started trying to figure out why I felt like the character failed to live up to the "Gen" type.

I started by trying to think of successful Gen-type characters. I know some are missing from this list, but these are the first I came up with--

Gen (obviously)
Lord Peter Wimsey
Sir Percy (the Scarlet Pimpernel)
Miles Vorkosigan
Chrestomanci
the Doctor

My list stopped there, even though I KNOW that I've read other books with this character type--help me out here, guys.


Then, I tried to decide what characteristics made this mold. The characters I listed above fit most or all of these characteristics:

clever and witty--quick thinking
intelligent--long term thinking
people skills--good at reading and understanding people
Aristocratic/privileged background, usually with a sense of style to go with it
Brave--sometimes in almost a daredevil way
Stick to a code/personal beliefs
Sometimes works in disguise or with another identity (not always literally)

That's all I have so far.

So what I'd be curious to discuss are these questions:

What other characters would you add to this list, and why do you think they fit? (Particularly if they're from books I haven't read ;-) Would you take away any I listed?
What characteristics would you add to this list--or take away from it?
Why do you think this character type appears repeatedly?

Comments

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

I guess for me its easy to compare Gen to Sir Percy, and then Sir Percy to Lord Peter...

Also, I have only ever run into ONE Lord Peter fan IRL. Thank goodness for the internet bringing like-minded people together. :-)

Kate and Cecilia books... as in Sorcery and Cecelia? I only ever read Sorcery and Cecilia, are there sequels?

[elouise82.livejournal.com]

Ooh yes. There's "The Grand Tour," taking place immediately after "Sorcery & Cecilia," and "The Mislaid Magician," which takes place ten years later. Caroline Stevermer also wrote an MG novel set in the same world, focusing on a young boy in service to Thomas, titled "Magic Below Stairs."

There's a girl in my apartment building who loves the Lord Peter books; I had all I could do not to fall on her neck and weep with joy when I discovered that.

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

OK, I will definitely have to take a look at those.

Haha, yes exactly! My friend who loves the LPW books I met through swing dancing, not books, so we had only talked about favorite books a little bit. She posted on Facebook about where she was really feeling like Harriet from a scene in Have His Carcase. My reply was something along the lines of, "I'm really sorry you feel that way but WAIT A MINUTE YOU LOVE LORD PETER. WHY HAVE WE NOT TALKED ABOUT THIS YET."