Oh. I have been tagged. Several days ago, actually. The fantastic Chrissy at Tales from the Carpool Lane tagged me for the meme with the really long name (Ten Literary Characters I Would Totally Make Out With If I Were Single and They Were Real But I’m Not, Single I Mean, I Am Real, But I’m Also Happily Married and Want to Stay That Way So Maybe We Should Forget This)
I have watched this meme bopping around the blogosphere with great interest and dread. I have loved reading all the responses, and I have dreaded being tagged. I'm not entirely sure where all the dread comes from.
Despite recent evidence to the contrary (cough! cough! Viggo! cough!) I am not the kind of person who gets crushes on Hollywood stars. And I don't think I've ever really thought about having a crush, or desiring to kiss, a character from a book. So when I got tagged for this meme I found myself standing in front of my bookshelves cursing the fact that I tend to get most of my books from the library and the few that I don't I tend to give away after I've read them. So I started wracking my brain over the books I have read and find that I don't tend to read books with much romance in them, or really, many characters that would make me think in a romantic sort of way. I mean, I read Little Children this year. Would you want to kiss anyone in that book? I should hope not. But I do have a preponderance of plays on my bookshelves. So I began sifting through those. But so much of that is colored by productions I've done or been in, and the actors I have seen or played opposite. Sigh.
So, you see, this meme is stressing me out. But I shall give it a whirl.
Henry from the Time Travellers Wife
Henry is the ONLY character that came to mind when I first read this meme title over at Veronica's. I don't really want ME to kiss him, but I'd love to be Claire... that moment when they first kiss. Or at least, when she as a young woman first kisses him. Knowing that he will someday be her husband. And him, being familiar with the older Claire and yet kissing this younger Claire for the first time. All the tension, all the mystery, all the knowledge and the wisdom and the inexperience all in one little kiss. whew.
(you see, as an actress, I don't really think at all about ME kissing these characters, but as being the character kissing these characters. Which is really safer, anyhow, seeing as how I'm married and all. And... as an actress, I do occasionally get to kiss some rather fun characters. And that is a whole other post. Hmm....)
the young Sirius Black
the always brilliant BubandPie said that she would want to snog the younger Sirius Black, and I think I would have to agree... If I were a young Hogwarts student I think I would be leaning against a tree staring dreamily at him. But, as was true for me all through high school, he would have been out of my league.
Dave the Laugh from the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series
Poor Georgia. 7 books and she still hasn't figured out that Dave the Laugh is the man for her. He makes her laugh. He likes her for who she is. And he adds a little lip nibbling to the snogging. When I am the character of Georgia I luuuuuurve Dave the Laugh Vair Vair much as he gives me the horn and fills me with red bottomosity (read these books for a quick diversion and lots of laughs)
Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing
Of all the Shakesperean fellows out there, I think his quick wit and loyalty put him at the top of the kissable list
Uncle Vanya
The part I really want to play in this Chekhov play is Sonya, and NO I don't want to be Sonya kissing Vanya (that would be her uncle and .... ewww....) Sonya is in love with Astrov, who frankly, is not a character I personally would like to kiss. He's a bit of a pompous a**. And Vanya is not sexy, no. But he is sad and lonely. A kiss with him could be quite sweet, I think.
Eddie from Sam Shepherd's play Fool For Love
Eddie is rough and coarse and high intensity. I imagine a kiss with him to come after a bunch of yelling, and he would grab me (ahem, I mean the character) around the waist and plant a long, hot kiss on my lips that would build from there. It is the sort of kiss I have never had in my life, and ultimately am just fine with that because I wouldn't want all the drama that surrounds it, but the actual kiss part, when all your emotions are right there boiling on the surface and suddenly they switch into a different sort of passion... that sounds like fun.
Henry Higgins from Shaw's Pygmalion
He is so stuffy and stubborn and blind and sad. Eliza is a dream role of mine. The play ends with her leaving to marry Freddy (is that how the musical ends? I can't remember? Must watch again... I have been humming the songs all week since I began thinking of this) I think it would be fun to be Eliza, coming back and kissing him. Imagine how that would just make his neat and tidy world come crumbling down. Imagine the power that Eliza would feel in that kiss, that she could do that to him. he he he
OK, so that is only 7. Would now be the time to confess I have not read any Jane Austin? Zip, zero, zilch. Surely if I had my list would runneth over. And yes, I've been meaning to read some for quite some time. And OK, you've bullied me into it. I will reserve some of her books at the library. sigh.
The person I would really like to tag is Stacy Michelle. Are you up for it Stacy? ;)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
23 comments:
Ooooh great list, and I loved your 'whys.'
I stand by my adoration of Justin de Quincy (of Sharon Kay Penman's Queen's Man fame), the delicious and divine Julian Kestrel (of Kate Ross fame) (what a tragedy, I still mourn), and Mike Muldoon (of women's fiction action adventure Suzanne Brockmann fame) (a slight weakness for hot men in uniform) (which is lucky, considering where I live, in Top Gun territory) (not that I'm saying anything) (but you could hum the theme song to Mrs. Robinson here).
Julie
Using My Words
Dear Fellow Library Patron,
Henry is a mutant! A mutant! And not the cool kind of mutant with super powers and a space age uniform! Just a run of the mill genetic oddball.
But I so get you on Benedick! He is so loyal, siding with Hero's family when Claudio turns on her.
I'd be curious to see what you think of Austen's heroes. My theory is that women love them if you 'find' them in your teens, but that adult women recognize that they are cads from the get-go.
Yes to Benedick. Yay!
Henry, well, hmmmm. Not my cup of tea. ;-)
Now get thee some Jane Austin.
Great list. I would have undoubtedly found myself in much a similar dilemma, having not really ever dreamed of snagging a character from a book, or spending much time nurturing crushes...you did good! It has been a fun meme to read as it surfs around the 'sphere, though.
Oh! Stress! Now I feel bad! You did great, though. I too love the library, but I have the same problem when remembering things I have read. More than once I have returned home with a book, only to discover I have already read it.
One disagreement: Henry Higgins. He is a jerk. In the closing scene, Eliza comes back to him and fetches his slippers like a dog. It is a shameful moment for womankind. (We did the play in high school, I was Cockney #3) I would rather punch him in the mouth than kiss him.
'Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait!'
No Jane Austen?! I am swooning.
Anything that gets you reading Jane Austen is a good thing, IMO.
And I can't believe Alpha Dogma is so prejudiced against mutants.
When I think about making out with literary characters I am both me and not me. I'm definitely not one of the existing characters, but if I'm making out with young Sirius Black I'm myself, only fifteen (and not necessarily the self I WAS at fifteen, though kind of). And I don't really exist in that world - the making out is something that occurs for its own sake, with no uncomfortable aftermath or need to decide whether this means we're boyfriend and girlfriend.
This is a tough meme. I tend to build characters out of animals! I don't know why, but when I see a person, I study them, and I immediately start placing them as specific animals. Not just a dog -- a kind of dog. Weird. Of course, I don't share this with the person.
Just want to say you're fabbity-fab for bringing up the Georgia books. I'm totally with you on Dave the Laugh.
Why the stress? You did a great job. I don't know the Georgia books but I think I need to find them.
Wow, a really different list! Some stuff I have to go and read. Thanks.
Re Henry. I know Eliza gets off on him, but I can't see anyone but Rex Harrington when I think of him. So, no. But the idea of waking up a man set in his ways has merit. Um, hum.
Of the Austen books, I like Persuasion best.
Time Travelers Wife is one of my all-time favorite books. Such an awesome love story! I always had a little crush on him, too.
This is the first time I have seen the kiss list. But I have to say, I loved Much to Do About Nothing. Benedict was great! Interesting read for sure;)
That's funny, as I started reading your post, I immediately thought of Henry. There's something about him - a cross between Indiana Jones and Quantum Leap - that just really calls to me.
I see your point in Benedick, but I have to say it's always been Petruchio for me. I know he's an a**, but sadly, I find that kind of sexy.
I've never had a crush on a Hollywood person either!!! I've never really understand that whole thing and always thought I was alone. Glad to hear I'm not! :)
i like you so much.
but my crush in the TTW would have been Claire, not Henry. She was the real powerhouse behind the operation.
I love your list. I might kiss Higgins, but only for the revenge-tainted reasons you mention.
Yes, yes, yes to Eddie in Fool for Love.
Yes.
You know. For me it would have to be Snape.
He just gets. Under my skin.
Oh, I so agree about Benedick, Sirius and Henry!
We do not share any of the same characters, which is why I enjoyed reading your list so much! I jotted down a few of your picks for my tbr list. Thanks!
I couldn't have done this meme. It's not that I don't read, but I don't read enough to have a good list of characters to kiss. I'd probably end up with Marvin the Paranoid Android from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe or something like that.
OMG I totally love Dave the Laugh. I would snog him for sure.
Post a Comment