Alright, think of a Byronic hero. Now think the complete opposite. There you get Stargirl. She may have other names according to other people, but I'm naming her after the protagonist in the young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli. She is slightly eccentric in her bubbly, agape character and active imagination but one trait stands out in every setting: INNOCENCE. Innocence pivots her character and sometimes leads to her downfall. In my opinion it must be difficult to really pull off a Stargirl in adult literature because totally innocent characters, those guardian angels, can become rather...well...boring. And unbelievable. But they often play vital positions in books as the one who sacrifices something, or sacrifices themselves for the plot or the undeserving. Hello, Christ figure! I'll tell you where I've spotted some Stargirls:
Bridge to Terabithia, Leslie Burke. I'm once again harping on young adult literature, but as this book broke some boundaries and is studied in classrooms all over the world, I think I'm justified in my decision. Leslie works on the life of Jess Aarons and creates an imaginary world to transform the character of Jess from timid to fearless. She and her family, who suits her character, have no TV and generally have fun by painting the house. She is considered eccentric by her school and is kind of liked but avoided because of her difference. She is life changing and ultimately sacrifices her life for imagination. She is so perfect...
Dracula, Lucy Westenra. Maybe I should just blog about Dracula. OOHh. It gives me the shivers. Well, Lucy is the perfect, one-dimensional Victorian woman. Honestly, between her and Mina, it does get a bit tiresome at times. Anyhow, she is a perfect, very beloved woman. Proof: She was proposed to 3 times in one day. Really, Lucy? Her name, Lucy, has latin roots in luz, meaning light. Pure, innocent light. She meets her downfall through absolutely no fault of her own, but her character. Apparently, Dracula is attracted to innocence he can corrupt. Her body (though not her soul) is corrupted and she is sacrificed in the plot for the downfall of Dracula.
A Tale of Two Cities, Lucie Manette. No....Lucie can't be symbolic... The perfect and most boring and yet very important character is Lucie Manette. She saves her father from his wrongful imprisonment by her goodness and light and once again attracts 2 or 3 men to her side. She is innocent to a T and proves it by constantly swooning and yet going to stand in the same place in the marketplace every day. Oh, the sacrifice! *swoon* In this book, she does not sacrifice, she is sacrificed for by Sydney Carton.
Any heroine in any book by Thomas Hardy. At least, the 3 that I've read. The marvelous thing about these Stargirls is that they have one flaw: Vanity, too quick to give their heart away, just existing in Tess. They have flaws, but they regularly attract too many men and have symbolic names (Tess=Summer (Pure), Elfride = Elf (magical, mystic, pure), Bathsheba Everdene = beautiful with a flaw and eternal). They are all beaten and abused by the world and are sometimes misled into existing with the world. But they usually find some sort of salvation at the end. Stupid Angel. Please read Far From the Madding Crowd though!
IRONIC USE: Great Expectations, Estella. Complete with a symbolic name, this Stargirl is a regular little devil! Not kidding. She is set up by her crazy aunt (?) to be a perfect, pure little girl, who regularly leads believing little boys like Pip down the path of destruction. Oh dear. In fact, Dickens plays on the reader's expectation and knowledge of the Victorian Stargirl and uses this to turn her into a demon.
Blast. I forgot Clarisse from Farenheit 451, who was the inspiration for this post. Oh well, she resembles the Spinelli Stargirl more by valuing imagination, having a symbolic name, and generally being eccentric by society. OOh. Without realizing it, I've divided them into two categories: Victorian Stargirl and Spinelli Stargirl. I could so write a book.
No comments:
Post a Comment