Rating the Romantic Heroes
What makes the perfect romantic hero?
Maybe I’m biased … but, I quite like one of my own heroes, Jack Lindsey! So I thought I’d see how he shapes up next to my personal Top 5 Romantic heroes of all time (although I’m quite sure everyone’s Top 5 will look different).
I started out with a longer list including Mr Knightley (Emma, Jane Austen), Jasper, Lord Damerel (Venetia, Georgette Heyer), Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Helen Fielding) and Lord Byron (the only real character to make it onto this list!). I eventually narrowed it down to these 5:
Maybe I’m biased … but, I quite like one of my own heroes, Jack Lindsey! So I thought I’d see how he shapes up next to my personal Top 5 Romantic heroes of all time (although I’m quite sure everyone’s Top 5 will look different).
I started out with a longer list including Mr Knightley (Emma, Jane Austen), Jasper, Lord Damerel (Venetia, Georgette Heyer), Mark Darcy (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Helen Fielding) and Lord Byron (the only real character to make it onto this list!). I eventually narrowed it down to these 5:
First of all, what are the characteristics of the perfect romantic hero? My hero would be some, and preferably all, of the following:
· Charismatic (he should dominate the page)
· Dangerous, rebellious or edgy (and it helps if he has a dark secret)
· Attractive (not necessarily handsome, but he must be sexy!)
· Confident (even arrogant, he should be an Alpha Male)
· Intelligent (he doesn’t have to have a degree in Quantum Physics, but he should be smart)
Just for fun, I devised a scoring system. I’m not suggesting there is a perfect formula. For example, one of my favourite romantic heroes is Georgette Heyer’s Freddy Standen (and he would end up with a negative score!).
But, bear with me and let’s just see how Jack compares to the all-time greats! The maximum score for each category is 5.
· Charismatic (he should dominate the page)
· Dangerous, rebellious or edgy (and it helps if he has a dark secret)
· Attractive (not necessarily handsome, but he must be sexy!)
· Confident (even arrogant, he should be an Alpha Male)
· Intelligent (he doesn’t have to have a degree in Quantum Physics, but he should be smart)
Just for fun, I devised a scoring system. I’m not suggesting there is a perfect formula. For example, one of my favourite romantic heroes is Georgette Heyer’s Freddy Standen (and he would end up with a negative score!).
But, bear with me and let’s just see how Jack compares to the all-time greats! The maximum score for each category is 5.
How old is he?
It was hard to decide on the ideal age for a romantic hero (and there are lots of
examples of great younger and older heroes). But I decided that a hero aged 28
should score the maximum 5 points. Then I took points away for every 2 years
above or below that.
It was hard to decide on the ideal age for a romantic hero (and there are lots of
examples of great younger and older heroes). But I decided that a hero aged 28
should score the maximum 5 points. Then I took points away for every 2 years
above or below that.
Hmm, not bad! I can live with Jack in a tie with Rhett Butler (who I think has some of the best romantic lines ever)! Although poor Heathcliff gets a raw deal on this scoring system (since he never actually gets a chance to propose to Cathy!). But then (and do feel free to disagree with me) I see Heathcliff as something of an ‘anti-hero’!
I’d love to hear your comments! Are there any characteristics you would include that I’ve missed? What does your Top 5 look like?
I’d love to hear your comments! Are there any characteristics you would include that I’ve missed? What does your Top 5 look like?