I am writing this due to reading the WOT board, and seeing a few posts by people mentioning that they used to like Rand / like reading about Rand, but don't anymore, due to how he has changed through the series.
I find this interesting, as it is quite different to how I tend to view characters.
Generally, I tend to form a like or a dislike of a character reasonably quickly, but once I have formed a like or dislike, this seldom changes regardless of what happens to the character or how that character changes.
Rand is an example of this, I liked him from early in the first book, so my like of him hasn't changed at all during the series, even though he has changed a lot in the same time. I don't necessarily like where he is as such now, but I still like him, and just hope he pulls through and 'lightens up' as such, but even if he doesn't, I don't see me stopping liking him.
I find this to be quite similar across all the characters I like, I tend to keep liking them regardless.
Cyric out of the Forgotten Realms novels perhaps being an extreme example of this. He is a somewhat morally ambiguous character to begin with, I developed a liking for him, and despite the fact that in the end he turned into a real nasty backstabbing, murdering, insane b******d, I never stopped liking him.
On the flip side, with characters I form a dislike early on for, I also tend to not shake this feeling, but I'm not as set in my attitude as with characters I like. If characters I dislike change, and seem to change 'for the better', I can end up disliking them less or even liking them, Nish and Irisis from Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes series are examples of this, I disliked them to begin with, but as they changed during the series, I started liking them.
I'm curious as to whether other people are the same as me in this regard, or whether I am alone
Do you tend to stick with a like or dislike of a character from your initial attitude, or are you more inclined to change your attitude as the characters change?
I find this interesting, as it is quite different to how I tend to view characters.
Generally, I tend to form a like or a dislike of a character reasonably quickly, but once I have formed a like or dislike, this seldom changes regardless of what happens to the character or how that character changes.
Rand is an example of this, I liked him from early in the first book, so my like of him hasn't changed at all during the series, even though he has changed a lot in the same time. I don't necessarily like where he is as such now, but I still like him, and just hope he pulls through and 'lightens up' as such, but even if he doesn't, I don't see me stopping liking him.
I find this to be quite similar across all the characters I like, I tend to keep liking them regardless.
Cyric out of the Forgotten Realms novels perhaps being an extreme example of this. He is a somewhat morally ambiguous character to begin with, I developed a liking for him, and despite the fact that in the end he turned into a real nasty backstabbing, murdering, insane b******d, I never stopped liking him.
On the flip side, with characters I form a dislike early on for, I also tend to not shake this feeling, but I'm not as set in my attitude as with characters I like. If characters I dislike change, and seem to change 'for the better', I can end up disliking them less or even liking them, Nish and Irisis from Ian Irvine's Well of Echoes series are examples of this, I disliked them to begin with, but as they changed during the series, I started liking them.
I'm curious as to whether other people are the same as me in this regard, or whether I am alone
Do you tend to stick with a like or dislike of a character from your initial attitude, or are you more inclined to change your attitude as the characters change?
Length of Liking / Disliking Characters
07/09/2009 10:12:24 AM
- 774 Views
I change as the character changes
07/09/2009 11:16:57 AM
- 564 Views
Re: Length of Liking / Disliking Characters
08/09/2009 08:08:29 AM
- 546 Views
I also change with the characters
08/09/2009 09:37:50 PM
- 538 Views
Re: I also change with the characters
09/09/2009 08:36:18 AM
- 570 Views
True but...
09/09/2009 02:48:17 PM
- 585 Views
Re: True but...
10/09/2009 08:37:21 AM
- 628 Views
I form a like or dislike early on....
10/09/2009 12:41:56 AM
- 576 Views
Re: I form a like or dislike early on....
10/09/2009 09:28:57 AM
- 579 Views
Yeah I agree it is both the reading the point of you and the being friend
11/09/2009 12:10:32 AM
- 519 Views