• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Annoying Characters

V

Violanthe

New Member
Who are the most annoying characters in fiction? Are they annoying to other characters, or just annoying to the reader? Are annoying characters simply excess baggage in a story? Or do certain stories benefit from an annoying character? Are they ever bothersome enough to make you quit reading?
 
The most annoying character in the history of books is Ms. Umbridge, that horrible woman from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I hated that woman, fictional or not, but it did get a lot of anger and emotion out of me. Annoying characters are a good thing, but only if they are supporting characters. If the main character is meant to be annoying to the reader, then the book just won't be good. A reader can only take so much annoyance. Umbridge added a lot to the plot, so her annoying manner was definitely a good thing. Even if I did want to rip the book to shreds.
 
If talking about the Harry Potter series, then I would have to say the most annoying character to me has got to be Harry. He is soooooo slow. He never catches on to things unless they're handed to him on a plate with a side of explanation. UGH! So annoying.

Most annoying to another character in a book would have to go to Jean-Claude in the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I would have to say Jean-Claude is the only person that can rile up Anita more than anyone else, especially when he calls her ma petite. It adds so much comic relief to the book, which is very serious, except for Anita's stuffed penguins!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
savvyambrose said:
The most annoying character in the history of books is Ms. Umbridge, that horrible woman from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Click to expand...


OMG that was Exactly what I was planning on posting as soon as I saw this thread! That woman was a B**!*!!!.. ohh she pissed me off. Of course, she was a well written character, but ooh did I hate her.
 
well, i'd have to agree with whoever said umbridge, and harry does annoy me too. But then so do both ministers of magic, snape, wormtail and voldemort.

in books other then harry potter: one of my favorite series is The bartimaeus trilogy. However, nathaniel/john mandrake, the main character, is annoying as hell until around the end of the 3rd book(and some of the 1st).
 
lol raffaellabella!!

As soon as I saw this thread I was going to post about Emma, from Jane Austen's novel. God I couldn't stand her. What a whiny little snot. I could only take about 45 pages of her and then I had to stop reading.

When characters are only annoying to other characters, it's ok... like in the character Leo Getz in the Lethal Weapon movies, or Colin Creevey in the Harry Potter books. They function more as comic relief in that situation.
 
I agree with Stewart - Tom Bombadil. It took me three reads to get past that section of The Lord of the Rings and from there enjoy the rest of the book.
 
Owen Meany, hands down is THE most annoying character in fiction (IMO) However he is also one of my favorites. Boy could he piss people off!!!!!!!
 
I'd say certain stories benefit from characters that annoy the other characters, but typically not from characters that annoy the readers. The only example of a character that annoyed me that I had to admit was good for the plot was Jan Valentine in Hellsing...but that's honestly all I could think of. Anything else where the characters were annoying, I put it down. I find it highly amusing to see characters annoy each other, which typically creates humor or at least interesting reactions, but I don't read to be annoyed.

There are a lot of other characters--some people mentioned Umbridge, and she's a good example--that I hate, but they don't really annoy me. I enjoy hating them. That's the mark of a good villain.

I hated Jane Austen's book Pride and Prejudice because the characters lacked personality. I didn't really find them annoying...but then again, I haven't read Emma, and I don't plan to.
 
Umbridge didn't annoy me, but I hated her all the same. Harry can be annoying, I agree. If it wasn't for Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, I feel I could have never made it through the series. ;)
 
ValkyrieRaven88 said:
There are a lot of other characters--some people mentioned Umbridge, and she's a good example--that I hate, but they don't really annoy me. I enjoy hating them. That's the mark of a good villain.
Click to expand...
I keep telling that to my family whenever we see an episode of King of the Hill and everyone expects that Peggy Hill will suddenly be witty and sophisticated or that she'll do something right- she's the foil, people!

Dolores Umbridge, I love to hate you.
 
I think the most annoying character of any book is by far Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She wants her daughters to be married so bad that she completely annoys the reader. But with that being said I don't think the book would have been the same without her.
 
I think my most annoying character so far has been Patrick Bateman (American Psycho). OK, as a character he's not annoying, he's absolutely despicable and impossible to read - but the annoying thing about him is that I liked Ellis as a writer, but I couldn't finish the book on account of loathing, hating and wanting ne'er no more of Pat B. Maybe I should read Lunar Park... But I want no more of "that guy"...

*mrkgnao*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top