Swoon Worthy Men of Literature and Film

Hello world! Did you miss us? 

It’s been quite awhile since we have posted anything. Basically, Chelsea left the country and then graduated, leaving Keisha in an inconsolable state where she was unable to write in coherent sentences. Sadly, Keisha had to finish her last year of college without being able to compose anything in writing.  Luckily for you, our beloved readers, Keisha graduated, got a real job, and moved in with Chelsea. Reunited at last!

As our first post as roommates, we decided to be complete girls and build our cases for the most perfect men  in literature and film. Unsurprisingly to most of our readers, the men are mostly from literature that was then turned into film (We love our books). And then, just for fun, we will each propose one additional man and comment on the other’s choice.

Sound fun to you? We hope it does.
 

3. The Beast:

 

What better way to start our list but with a Disney prince? While Beauty and the Beast is a French folk tale dating back to the 1740’s, most people’s minds go to the Disney film of the 1990’s. The story of the Beast is a simple one: He was a prince who was turned into a beast and had to find true love in order be changed back into his human form. While we agree that the character at the beginning of the movie is, in fact, a shallow and unlovable jerk, through the love of Belle he becomes a better person. When he begins to really love her and she looks to be returning his feelings, he lets Belle leave to help her father, even though she may not come back, jeopardizing the Beast’s chances of becoming human again. That’s love. He also has a pretty amazing castle, including a huge library, and servants. What girl could resist that?

 

Chelsea: I am decently sure the no-longer-Beast would just let Belle hang out in the library all day. I like the idea of such a life. The Beast also seems to have good fashion sense, when he bothers to wear clothing. He even does a good job picking out Belle’s attire, although  I do have to  wonder where he acquired Belle’s fantastic yellow ball gown. We know the Beast has changed for the better since Belle came into his life. He has learned to be selfless even to the point of death. Unlike Gaston who ridicules Belle for her love of learning, the Beast presents Belle with her own personal library. Beast not only is okay with her intelligence, he encourages her to read. The observation of the story being some form of Stockholm syndrome keeps Beast from being the perfect man/creature for me.

Keisha: Okay. I’m a sucker for facial hair. The Beast is fantastically rugged looking. There’s a point in his favor. He also shows a great capacity for change. The castle with it’s huge library and great ballroom is another draw. One thing that goes against the Beast for me, however, is I think it’s a bit weird for Belle to love him. She doesn’t know that he’s a prince. What sort of interspecies relationship was she planning on having? This isn’t really the Beast’s fault, but I’m just not sure that he could be the man/Beast for me.

2. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy:

 

Ah, Mr. Darcy of Pemberley. Darcy is a classic leading man created by the incomparable Jane Austen. Should you need to know more, go read Pride and Prejudice or at least watch one of the many film adaptations. Darcy possess the most necessary qualities: He is handsome and rich. Just kidding. Darcy is willing to do whatever it takes to marry Lizzy, even at quite a cost to himself. He is willing to not only admit when he is wrong, but does his best to fix the situation.  He agrees to put up with her crazy family. He is not afraid to anger his relations, such as Lady Catherine, with his choice of wife. He does change throughout the novel as a result of Lizzy’s influence. She makes him better and he does the same for her.  Most importantly: His library is considered to be one of the best in the country.
 

Chelsea: The name Darcy alone stands for masculine perfection. The easy qualifications: he is the master of one of the most beautiful estates in the country. Lizzy teasingly states she first realized her love for him upon seeing his house. Darcy is reputed to be proud, but it keeps him from fortune hunting ladies, such as Miss Bingley. Those who know Darcy best have nothing but praise for him. His housekeeper who has known him since birth is full of kind words about her master. Darcy is fiercely protective of  those he loves. Consider his actions toward Lizzy, Georgiana and Bingley to ensure their continued happiness. Lastly, Darcy has a way with words. I teach English; When a man can use language well, I’ll meet him at sunrise any morning.  
 

Keisha: Oh my. Mr. Darcy. Just the name makes me swoon, actually. While many of the people I talk to find him unlikeable at the beginning of the novel, I love him. His level of social awkwardness makes him all the more endearing to me. He was raised in a moneyed society and should have in his arsenal a great deal of social graces, but he doesn’t. And I like a bit of arrogance with my men. Of course, he does all of the great things for Lizzy, even though she has not returned his advances. That’s what makes him swoon worthy to most girls. “You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you.” What girl could resist that? It’s a combination of his social awkwardness, his thoughtfulness, and the lines he uses that make him a winner for me.

1. Aragorn:

For this one, we will be discussing the character from the movies. While Aragorn is fantastic in the Tolkien books, his character is a bit more fleshed out in the films, mostly because he is a great character who deserves more screen time than he did page time. Who has watched the Lord of the Rings movies and not swooned when Aragorn (or Strider if you’re feeling adventurous) came on screen? Not only can he wield a sword like a master, shoot a bow like an elf, and ride a horse like he was born in Rohan, he is completely dedicated to the love of his life. He is adventurous and loving, rules a kingdom, and has hair that blows in the wind while he rides Brego.

Chelsea: It seems like there is nothing Aragorn cannot do. He is a master of every weapon, has some skill as a healer and actually pronounces Mordor correctly.  He is incredibly loyal: he stays true to Arwen when Eowyn attempts to romance him, will not abandon Merry and Pippin to the Orcs and puts Borimir at peace as he is dying. Is it any wonder Arwen gave up her immortality to be with him?

Keisha: Aragorn. I love him. He is the very essence of what a man should be: loyal, brave, humble, skilled, and a romantic. He can take you camping, build your shelter, kill your dinner, fight off trespassers, serenade you, and dress your wounds when you inevitably fall down and hurt yourself. And he’s a king. Girls love royalty. I feel like I should be able to write more about why Aragorn is so perfect, but words fail me. That should be testament enough. That Arwen is a lucky elf indeed.

 

So that’s it for the agreed upon men. Now we will each propose our own fantastic men of literature or film. This should be interesting because we very different tastes when it comes to men. Here are our individual picks:

Chelsea’s Pick: Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing

It you have no idea who this is, check out the new Joss Whedon movie, the Kenneth Branagh version or actually read the play. You will like it, promise.  On the surface, Benedick is a terrible choice for a boyfriend or anything more. He is cynical and a self-professed woman hater.  When you look closer, he holds up to scrutiny much better. To begin, Benedick is incredibly intelligent and has a great sense of humor. His verbal sparring with Beatrice is the highlight of a fantastic show. You always know his honest opinion. He tells his best friend when he is being stupid-multiple times. He is honest and believes others to be as well. When no one else believes the Hero’s story, he does. Benedick also is incredibly loyal. When his new-found love orders Benedick to duel his best friend, he at first refuses.  In this relationship with Beatrice, he has taken the time to consider this relationship.  Lastly, he has no false pretentions about his relationship with Beatrice. Both know the best and worst of one another.

Keisha’s Comments: Well, if you know Chelsea, you knew this one was coming. Chelsea likes to think herself a bit of a Beatrice (which is completely justified). I have spent quite a bit of time with this play, and I see her point. He is quick-witted and a bit of a romantic, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. My main problem with Benedick is he seems to be a bit of a turncloak to me. He agrees to duel and possibly kill his best friend just after he and Beatrice proclaim their love for each other. Other than that though, I’d say this is a satisfactory choice.

Keisha’s Pick: Indiana Jones

 

Indiana Jones. He is a professor, so obviously he is intelligent. There is nothing more attractive than a guy with smarts. But professor is only his day job: his mild-mannered alter ego, if you will. Then he dons the hat and becomes the rugged adventurer that cinema has acknowledged as one of its greatest action heroes. Indiana does have one flaw that makes him a bit undateable though. He likes the ladies quite a bit. On the up side, he does fight to protect whomever his leading lady is, even when she turns out to be a Nazi. Also, he chose to name himself after the dog. That must mean he’s a dog lover, another appealing quality. A list of other attributes I find attractive are his love of history, his fear despite being such an adventurer (“Why did it have to be snakes?”), and his tenacity. And if you need another reason to love Indiana Jones, well just look at him. Harrison Ford was quite attractive in the 80’s. An adventurous dreamy history nerd? Sounds like the guy for me.
 

Chelsea’s comments: I agree on all points. My only argument is simply the fact Indy does not seem to want or to need women around. I think he would make a terrible boyfriend.

So, there you have it. These are the men that we swoon over while watching movies or reading books. Feel free to comment and contradict us, however. We’ve both been on debate teams. We can take the arguments.

We are so glad to be back and plan on posting things much more often.