Weekend Assignment: Meet a Fictional Character
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Friday, April 2, 2010
Through some miracle of colliding realities, you have the opportunity to meet a fictional character, face to face. Which character would you most like to meet, and why?
This one required some serious thought. I went through a list:
- The Doctor. Mmm. Spoilers. Nah.
- Sherlock Holmes. An utterly fascinating character, but like his current incarnation Gregory House, I'm not sure I could stand to be around him for very long.
- A certain character in my WIP. I could ask him about his motivation, and then I could finish the danged book!
None of the above.
You see, I had a dream last night. I'm not one of those people who see dreams as harbingers of things to come. I take a more practical approach: Dreams are my subconscious brain working out a problem. Last night's dream involved another fictional character.
It was the 1930's and I was in the front seat of Mrs. Murdle, Lord Peter Wimsey's Daimler. The titled sleuth himself was driving. I briefly wondered why I was in the right-hand seat, but then remembered the Daimler was of German manufacture, and therefore most likely left-hand drive. (The things you think about in dreams.) Wimsey's valet Mervyn Bunter was in the back seat, one hand on his derby, playing tour guide. Wimsey was content to stick to his driving, for we were going utterly fast - as was usual for him - through the twisty mountain roads.
We crested hill and went down a very steep mountainside. Both sides of the street were quite built-up, right to the edge of the road. A large wooden building at the top of the hill had a cascade of water pouring out of the window.
"What an unusual fountain," I remarked.
"That, madam," replied Bunter, "is the last of Reichenbach Falls." I looked back in wonder as the ends of the scarf blew into my open mouth. Ptui.
"Amazing. How did it come to this?" (Notice how my brain tried to work the Extra Credit [What question would you most like to ask that character? Extra extra credit for posting the character's likely reply!] in.)
"I fear it was the crush of tourism."
"None of that for me," Wimsey interjected as he took his eyes off the road for just an instant to wink knowingly at his valet, who bowed his head almost imperceptibly in response. "There's a hostelry at the bottom of the hill. What d'ye say we drop in for a mug of the proprietor's finest?"
And so we did.
I suppose one question I would ask Bunter if I were to meet him was how he managed to handle being part of Lord Peter's notoriety. I got the distinct impression from the Dorothy L. Sayers tales that he was far more inclined to stay in the background.
Bunter is a fascinating character. Like a couple of other famous literary valets (P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Margery Allingham's Lugg), he's the perfect sidekick. Like Lugg, he does his share of the detectin' work - in part due to his particular talents and in part because the valet can insinuate himself in places his master cannot. Bunter's particular skill is photography - one of my own passions. So I suppose if Bunter and I did have the opportunity to converse, photography would be at the top of the list. I'm sure if Bunter were here today he'd embrace digital photography and Lord Peter would ensure his valet had top-of-the-line gear - all stowed below-stairs of course. The library would still exude the same timeless elegance as always.
Now I need a dream to help me work out the motivation of that certain character...
Tags: Weekend Assignment
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Comments are closed
Sherrie said:
Hi!
I'm sorry to say I've never actually seen this show or read any of the books. I'll have to check into these. My fictional character is posted at my place if you want to take a peek. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Sherrie's Stuff
Date: 4/3/2010 6:19:02 AM
Date: 4/3/2010 6:19:02 AM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
What a vivid response! Thank your subconscious for me, will you? And also your writer's brain, making sense of it and setting it down with immediacy and style. I also like the juxtaposition of these characters in such a crucial place in the Sherlock Holmes canon.
Date: 4/7/2010 11:58:16 PM
Date: 4/7/2010 11:58:16 PM
Sherrie said:
Hi!
I'm sorry to say I've never actually seen this show or read any of the books. I'll have to check into these. My fictional character is posted at my place if you want to take a peek. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Sherrie's Stuff
Date: 4/3/2010 6:19:02 AM
Date: 4/3/2010 6:19:02 AM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
What a vivid response! Thank your subconscious for me, will you? And also your writer's brain, making sense of it and setting it down with immediacy and style. I also like the juxtaposition of these characters in such a crucial place in the Sherlock Holmes canon.
Date: 4/7/2010 11:58:16 PM
Date: 4/7/2010 11:58:16 PM
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