1. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter Series - Rowling): "The most powerful dark wizard to ever live!" Voldemort put his soul in seven horcruxes to attain immortality and gain ultimate power. That will make my list any day.
2. Richard III (Richard III - Shakespeare): Richard is who I believe to be the ugliest of all Shakespearean men - both in appearance and character. Richard's only motivation is power and he is prepared to take down anyone who stands in his path.
3. Humbert Humbert (Lolita - Nabokov): Arguably the most cunning characters of all-time, Humbert Humbert is the lowest of the low.
4. Rabbit (Rabbit, Run - Updike): Not a villain or criminal, but certainly a degenerate. Rabbit's inability to find satisfaction in life brings a lot of pain to many people in his life.
5. Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Names Desire - Williams): One of the ultimate bad boys of literature, Stanley's uncontrollably rage and violence sends his wife's sister into a mental institution after raping her. Sesh.
6. Patrick Bateman (American Psyco - Easton Ellis): The scariest kind of criminal; a serial killer with a mask of sanity.
7. Long John Silver (Treasure Island - Louis Stevenson): A one-legged pirate determined to take the treasure for himself, this is a degenerate I love to hate.
8. Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye - Salinger): A degenerate I absolutely hate, Holden is the ultimate hypocrite and, to be honest, seems quite contrived. He's the real "phony"!
9. Miss Trunchbull (Matilda - Dahl): I was seriously afraid of Miss Trunchbull as a kid. Ugly, mean and abusive, Miss Trunchbull still gives me the creeps.
10. Napoleon (Animal Farm - Orwell): In my mind, the character who represents everything that is wrong with dictatorships.
I will walk away and collect my thoughts before returning to blas you about Holden Caulfield. FOR SHAME!
ReplyDeleteThe Trunchbull is a great villain! I wish I'd remembered her. She scared me when I was little.
ReplyDeleteRichard III is another great one. He does not care who he takes down to make it to the crown. He's a lot of fun to watch though, like an early Iago.
Roof Beam, Oh uh. I didn't think that would upset too many people. But seriously, I can't stand Holden! Salinger is lucky he wrote Franny and Zooey or I would have brushed him off years ago.
ReplyDeleteRed, I know! I think she scared every kid who read Matilda. Also, I never read Othello so I don't know a thing about Iago!
I freakin' loooooooooooove Stanley, from Streetcar. What an amazingly desperate character. Great list, I'll do mine tomorrow as usual.
ReplyDeleteBen, Me too. Which is why he made my top ten literary crushes list :)
ReplyDeleteRichard III, Miss Trunchbull, great choices. Your Rabbit comments make me hesitant to read those books. I have a hard time enjoying books that have really selfish main characters.
ReplyDeleteAvid Reader, I didn't know much about the books before I started but Rabbit sure is selfish. I've still only read the first book in the series, but I don't have any expectations that he will turn around.
ReplyDeleteOh how I hated Napoleon in Animal Farm! I just loathed him.
ReplyDeleteI read the Rabbit books a few years ago. While I did enjoy the books to some extent, Rabbit's incredibly self-centered behavior was grating and annoying. If you have trouble reading books with unsympathetic protagonists, I wouldn't recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI think that how much we like a degenerate character often depends on whether he/she is the lead or the antagonist. I have a hard time latching onto a story when the central character is whiny and selfish.
dayna, Same here!
ReplyDeletebookishbella, You're right. I am more apt to "love to hate" a degenerate character when they aren't the lead.
Holden Caufield?! I don't even know what to say about that one. How can anyone lump him in with Humbert Humbert? One of literature's greatest heroes (at least in some circles) mixed with a pedofile?
ReplyDeleteFor Shame, Brenna!
Totally agree about the Trunchbull. Matilda was one of my favorite children's books, and Trunchbull terrified me every time I read it.
ReplyDeleteI can't decide if I should list the villains I love to hate, or just hate most. Hmmmm. . . . your list is great, though! I love the addition of Napoleon. Animal Farm is one of the first classics I read for enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteVoldemort and Humbert seem to be the two most popular. I included Patrick Bateman too, even though I've never actually read American Psycho. Pat's reputation precedes him.
ReplyDeleteI love Holden :( I think he is either a character you relate to or don't. Those things you mention are true, which is why he is so tragically flawed and is telling the story from a mental institution. I need to re-read though, I don't know what my older self will think of him lol. He is great for teen angst though.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll have to write an "Ind defense of Holden Caulfield" piece, soon - and share it on my blog. It's not even so much about relating to him as it is just understanding him and his motivations. Is he irritating and a bit wacko? Yes - but for good reason. Gah. I won't get started here.
ReplyDeleteWe can definitely agree on Miss Trunchbull, though. She was awful, awful - and there wasn't a redeeming quality about her. Nothing learned, nothing gained. Just a nasty person to the end.
Eclectic, I'm not going to apologize for my hatred of Holden!
ReplyDeleteMJ, Me too!
Karen, So far I've liked the lists that have villains you love to hate rather than the purely evil ones.
EL, I haven't either and I'm not sure I will after having read Glamorama.
Danielle, I understand the appeal he's just one of those characters that really annoy me. I probably need a reread myself.
Roof Beam, I actually think that's a really good idea. It would make for a fun post and I may just be swayed. Probably not though.
Voldemort is definitely the most villainous of them all. I can't wait to watch the first part of Deathly Hallows. I actually like Updike's Rabbit...it seems strange but he is so unlikeable that he becomes likeable. Does that make any sense? Oh, I was scared of Ms.Trunchbull too, she haunted my dreams for a very long time!
ReplyDeleteOh definitely Count Fosco from The Woman in White! An unforgettable villain.
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I had no idea the range of wickedness that was represented in the world of books.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten Baddies List.
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Humbert Humbert is a good one! I actually think Bellatrix is a worse villain than Voldemort, because she's unselfish in her evil. She just wants to be evil, no matter the cost to herself, whereas V is always trying to save himself.
ReplyDeleteCount Fosco from The Woman in White and Cathy from East of Eden are on my top list!
Ugh, Holden Caulfield, UGH.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Patrick Bateman. That book just about killed me! I had to skip over the killing scenes because they were so gruesome-- and I consider myself pretty moderate in yuck toleration. It always makes me wonder what kinda of man Ellis is...