Tamara Larson's Blog - Posts Tagged "romantic-hero"
Mr. Grey vs. Jamie Fraser
Many aspects of the romance genre appeal to me. In some ways I will always be that little girl in footy pjs with the well-read giant book of fairy tales on her nightstand. The only difference now is that the cover of that book on my nightstand usually features a well-muscled dude rather than a innocent girl traipsing through the woods while being pursued by the big, bad wolf or evil queen/stepmother/witch. And the content usually describes numerous risqué happy endings rather than just one.
What keeps me reading and writing in this genre, however, is the men. Partly because I find men of valour and integrity so hard to come by in real life, but also because I am such a sucker for a great hero. I'm endlessly trying to figure out what makes a memorable and sigh-worthy male lead in my own writing. There's a magical quality to certain fictional characters that inspires me to write better, more vivid and genuine citizens of my imaginary universe. I don't really know if I've created that titular hero yet, but I think I've come really close.
What I do recognize, however, is when I come across a fictional hero who makes me bitter and jealous of the writer who created him. Right now that is the young Scottish romantic lead in the Outlander series, Jamie Fraser. Oh my, can that man wield a sword!!
I know what you're thinking. Why now? I'm 26 years too late to be discovering the Outlander series and the irresistible Jamie. I wish I could say I was ignorant of the series and somehow missed it when it came out, but the truth is that I started the first book long ago and quickly lost interest. That's right. I didn't give it much of a chance and it seemed pretty dry to me at the time. Also, the description of Jamie seemed pretty low-key and not all that attractive at the time. (He didn't smell that great and red hair has never done it for me. )He was kind of a peripheral character in the few chapters I read. So I put it aside and started reading something with Fabio on the cover instead. No, I'm not proud of this.
Then the Outlander series popped up on Netflix and I decided to give it a half-hearted try, not expecting too much but willing to spend some time in that world at least until some new episodes of Stranger Things or Gotham arrived. Needless to say, I was blown away. Yes, I admit part of this was Sam Heughan's playful portrayal of Jamie. (What a smoking hot ginger, by the way!) But it was more than that. When I started reading the book back in the early 90's the writing style seemed rather stiff and the romance build-up was slow, almost non-existent. I never reached the wedding scene which came to life so vividly on screen. If I had, I'm pretty sure I would have read the whole series back then if only to try and re-capture the emotional chemistry between Jamie and Claire.
So, now, the decision must be made... who is the best fictional romantic hero? There can only be one in my eyes. For years, I loved Rhett Butler. Various other stud-muffins took the title over the years but the current leader of the pack is, of course, Mr. Christian Grey. I realize that the 50 Shades books have their problems, but he was compelling in so many ways. Broken but rich, capable but vulnerable, hot but scarred. Yes, it could be argued that he's abusive or a psychopathic but in the romance genre the hero is always capable of redemption. And E.L. James certainly created a man that woman love to imagine fixing, myself included.
Jamie, however, is a different story entirely. No fixing required. He has endured so much, even before he meets Claire. And yet he remains untouched by the darkness that surrounds him. He is a true man of valour, self-deprecating and even innocent, with a playfulness that reduces Mr. Grey to look like a self-absorbed, brooding child. I mean, seriously, Jamie withstood 200 lashes and didn't demand a red room of pain within the walls of Lollybroch. (Though he didn't seem to mind spanking Claire too much, now did he?)
So, based on this characteristic alone, I think Mr. Grey may have been de-throned in my eyes. What do you think? Mr. Grey or Jamie Fraser?
What keeps me reading and writing in this genre, however, is the men. Partly because I find men of valour and integrity so hard to come by in real life, but also because I am such a sucker for a great hero. I'm endlessly trying to figure out what makes a memorable and sigh-worthy male lead in my own writing. There's a magical quality to certain fictional characters that inspires me to write better, more vivid and genuine citizens of my imaginary universe. I don't really know if I've created that titular hero yet, but I think I've come really close.
What I do recognize, however, is when I come across a fictional hero who makes me bitter and jealous of the writer who created him. Right now that is the young Scottish romantic lead in the Outlander series, Jamie Fraser. Oh my, can that man wield a sword!!
I know what you're thinking. Why now? I'm 26 years too late to be discovering the Outlander series and the irresistible Jamie. I wish I could say I was ignorant of the series and somehow missed it when it came out, but the truth is that I started the first book long ago and quickly lost interest. That's right. I didn't give it much of a chance and it seemed pretty dry to me at the time. Also, the description of Jamie seemed pretty low-key and not all that attractive at the time. (He didn't smell that great and red hair has never done it for me. )He was kind of a peripheral character in the few chapters I read. So I put it aside and started reading something with Fabio on the cover instead. No, I'm not proud of this.
Then the Outlander series popped up on Netflix and I decided to give it a half-hearted try, not expecting too much but willing to spend some time in that world at least until some new episodes of Stranger Things or Gotham arrived. Needless to say, I was blown away. Yes, I admit part of this was Sam Heughan's playful portrayal of Jamie. (What a smoking hot ginger, by the way!) But it was more than that. When I started reading the book back in the early 90's the writing style seemed rather stiff and the romance build-up was slow, almost non-existent. I never reached the wedding scene which came to life so vividly on screen. If I had, I'm pretty sure I would have read the whole series back then if only to try and re-capture the emotional chemistry between Jamie and Claire.
So, now, the decision must be made... who is the best fictional romantic hero? There can only be one in my eyes. For years, I loved Rhett Butler. Various other stud-muffins took the title over the years but the current leader of the pack is, of course, Mr. Christian Grey. I realize that the 50 Shades books have their problems, but he was compelling in so many ways. Broken but rich, capable but vulnerable, hot but scarred. Yes, it could be argued that he's abusive or a psychopathic but in the romance genre the hero is always capable of redemption. And E.L. James certainly created a man that woman love to imagine fixing, myself included.
Jamie, however, is a different story entirely. No fixing required. He has endured so much, even before he meets Claire. And yet he remains untouched by the darkness that surrounds him. He is a true man of valour, self-deprecating and even innocent, with a playfulness that reduces Mr. Grey to look like a self-absorbed, brooding child. I mean, seriously, Jamie withstood 200 lashes and didn't demand a red room of pain within the walls of Lollybroch. (Though he didn't seem to mind spanking Claire too much, now did he?)
So, based on this characteristic alone, I think Mr. Grey may have been de-throned in my eyes. What do you think? Mr. Grey or Jamie Fraser?
