A Villain for Every Story - Mr. Wickham

I've spoken about some of the heroes, now let's discuss what I love about some of the Austin villains and how they have inspired my writing. Mr. Wickham is a pretty clear cut villain, but realistic as well.

Why Mr. Wickham is on my list of great villains?

He is a reasonable, attractive, and charming man who knows he must marry to better himself. Still, the methods he is willing to use make him a perfect villain. He breaks the heart of one young girl because he won't get her money. He tries to impress the women around him, but when he isn't able to quickly draw in a woman with money, he moves to seducing a young and innocent girl with a flirtatious nature. It's a despicable thing to do. Even more despicable is, he refuses to marry her (which will ruin the entire family) unless he receives money. Now that is a villain.

My villains are a little like Mr. Wickham. They are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends--even when that is beyond the realm of decency. One of my villains in particular is progressively more villainous as the story goes along. This is how I imagine Wickham would have been, had they not paid him to marry Lydia. He would have continued to do worse and worse things until he degenerated into a criminal. That is what greed can do.

Who is your favorite villain and why?

Heores - Mr Darcy

And so, we've come to Mr. Darcy. He is arguably the penultimate Jane Austen hero.

Why love Mr Darcy?

At first it seems he's arrogant and proud, but when we see more of his actions, we see that he is only trying to do what he feels is best for those he cares about, no matter how misguided his judgement, and when Elizabeth points out his faulty logic, he's man enough to accept her judgement and try to rectify his mistakes.

My heroes have a bit of Mr. Darcy in them. My heroes often have deeper thoughts than they speak aloud. They also can be guarded with their feelings and emotions, until the right heroine comes along to drive them into admitting their feelings and looking at themselves honestly.

Do you love Darcy? Why?

A Hero for Every Heroine - Mr. Bingley

Jane Austen had a wonderful grasp on men--what made them great and what made them terrible. We've already discussed Mr Knightley, my personal favorite. Let us continue our discussion of the Jane Austen heroes by discussing Mr. Bingley.

What makes Mr. Bingley a great hero?

Mr Bingley is not only handsome and rich,  he's open and honest with his feelings. He's amiable and kind, with little of the darkness or mystery that some men have. I for one love that about him. I love that he dotes on Jane, and though he is easily persuaded, in the end, he comes to claim her.

My heroes have a little of Mr. Bingley in them. I write heroes who may not be as open as he is with their feelings, but they certainly work to charm their heroines. (Particularly once they realize how much she means to them.)

Writers: Feel free to share how your heroes are like or unlike Mr. Bingley.
Readers: I'd love to hear why you love or don't love Mr. Bingley.

A Hero For Every Woman - Mr Knightley

I know most women love Mr. Darcy, and he is great, but I admit I am partial to Mr. Knightley, and not just because he's been played by such handsome actors as Jeremy Northam and Jonny Lee Miller.


Why Mr.. Knightley is awesome. 
 
He is not only the perfect opposite to Emma's flawed and somewhat childish personality, but he's also a wonderful man.
Kindness, compassion, and maturity are amongst his greatest qualities, but his best quality for me is his fearlessness. He's never cowed into silence. Even with the woman he loves, he's not afraid to call it like he sees it. He is not timid or reserved when he tells Emma she was not living up to her own kind nature.
All my heroes are in some way inspired by him. Every book I have ever written includes a hero who is fearless in some way. Even though my heroes can have huge fears (like a fear of guns or the fear of being alone), they are never afraid to do what they must when it really matters--whether that be facing down their demons or facing down their heroines.

So share;
Readers: which hero do you love most and why?
Writers: is there a hero who inspires your writing? Who and why?