Books with self-tortured, guilty, possibly even criminal anti-heroes??
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:15 pm
I am writing a book in a completely different genre than "literary," but one model for my tragic/loathsome main character is Humbert Humbert, the vile protagonist of Nabokov's Lolita. Ultimately, though, that character's motivation is sexual -- which is not where I am going with my story.
So I'd like to read some examples of anti-heroic, even criminal, protagonists to see how other authors pull off making the reader identify with them despite their -- objectively speaking -- unlikableness. (When I say "criminal," I am not talking about the charming thief who the reader roots for in a heist/caper story. I am talking about someone more internally conflicted than that.)
Does anything come to mind?
So I'd like to read some examples of anti-heroic, even criminal, protagonists to see how other authors pull off making the reader identify with them despite their -- objectively speaking -- unlikableness. (When I say "criminal," I am not talking about the charming thief who the reader roots for in a heist/caper story. I am talking about someone more internally conflicted than that.)
Does anything come to mind?