Literary Villians are Cool and Stuff

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Agreed
So, I don't know how many of you read the Song of Ice and Fire Saga (aka Game of Thrones) but I finally got around to reading the fifth book (A Dance with Dragons) and I have some things to say about it. I read the previous four books pretty quickly, but I had a little trouble getting into this one and I've finally figured out why: the characters are too good.


I mean, I don't know what it is, but everyone is hiking up their moral socks in this book: Jon invites the Wildlings to come south even though it would solve like five different problems for the Night's Watch just to let them die, Dany marries what's-his-face because she can't abandon Meeren even though practicality dictates that she climb on her dragons and cross the Narrow Sea, not to mention that Arya can't even kill people in good conscious anymore.

Now, to most readers, I'm sure this seems like a good thing and, if this was real life, I would agree with you. But, fiction is not real life so I'm okay with the characters being self serving and ruthless. That was what initially drew me to the series; it was so gritty and bloody and chaotic and all the things you absolutely do not want in the real world but are there anyway. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for fictional characters having redeeming qualities; actually, I think it is essential to good writing, but I do love a good villain.
I think the Lannisters are my favorite characters in this series; they're all just so remorseless. When Jaime Lannister pushed Bran out of that window because he saw him hooking up with his sister, I was just like "well, now we have a story". What's more,
I realize that, for me, the villain makes the fiction.

For example, in Richard III I was just like, "well, King Richard, you just murdered your nephews and stole your brother's throne, kudos to you, I wouldn't have thought of that". In The Lion King I was all "well, I never liked Mufasa anyway and Scar has a better singing voice in any case". When reading Harry Potter, I sympathize with Snape, and sometimes, I secretly root for Draco Malfoy in Quidditch.  In Aladdin, Iago the parrot is my favorite character, in Othello, it's Iago the person. In the original Spiderman trilogy I always thought Mary Jane should get with Harry Osborn.

But that may have had more to due with the fact that James Franco played Harry and Toby Maguire is kind of short.

Just sayin'

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