HEROES, VILLAINS AND VICTIMS

   
     Why do some professions lend themselves to fictional heroes?

Others are thought to harbor villains. Several give us an easy or sympathetic victim. Royalty is chock full of victims and villains--Shakespeare's live on. Politicians? Many more villains than heroes. Perhaps we'd better stay away from politicians unless we intend writing a detective novel that features the Father of our Country.
     Most of John Gresham's lawyers are role models and professors can be exciting and even sexy--think of Harrison Ford chasing after the Holy Grail. But stay away from Colin Dexter's Oxford and a few of the professors who teach there. Those intellectuals keep Inspectors Morse and Lewis busy solving their crimes.
     There is the crusading newspaper reporter--our hero and his opposite--the gossip columnist who wrecks havoc with lives and careers. And what about doctors? In real life and most television shows we are filled with admiration and usually follow everything prescribed but in fiction? A doctor often falls off the pedestal he or she is placed on. And victims--Susan Isaacs in Compromising Positions used Dr. Fleckstine, a dentist, as a victim. Lawence Olivier as Dr. Christain Szell--a dentist, Nazi and former SS Officer made a splendid villain. I'm sure many movie patrons lived with hours of pain before keeping their dental appointments. I've never read about a fictional dentist as hero--fellow writers the character is all yours.

Bests,

Elise

HEROS, VILLAINS, AND VICTIMS

Why do some professions produce fictional heroes? Others lend themselves to villainy and still others sprout heroes. Royalty is chock full of victims and villains—Shakespeare’s live on. Politicians? Many more villains than heroes--example The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon. Perhaps we'd better stay away from politicians unless we're writing about George Washington. Most of John Gresham’s lawyers are role models. Professors can be exciting—think of Harrison Ford chasing after The Holy Grail. But stay away from Colin Dexter’s Oxford and a few of the professors that teach there. Those dastardly intellectuals keep Inspectors Morse and Lewis busy solving their crimes. Then we have doctors—in real life and most television shows we are filled with admiration and usually follow everything prescribed but fiction? A doctor often falls off the pedestal he or she is placed on. There is the crusading newspaper reporter—a hero and the gossip columnist who wrecks havoc with lives and careers. Politicians? And victims—Susan Isaacs In her book Compromising Positions used Dr. Fleckstine, a dentist as a victim. Laurence Olivier as Dr. Christian Szell—a former SS dentist, featured in Marathon Man made a splendid villain. I’m sure movie patrons lived with excruciating pain before keeping their dental appointments. But I’ve never read about a fictional dentist as hero—fellow writers the character is all ours.


Bests,

Elise

(photo by Sfn1/dreamstime.com)

My cozy eBook mystery is available at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Carina Press and wherever eBooks are sold. An audio version has been produced by Audible.com