Audible.com has created a list of the Top 20 Fictional Villains in literature. After reading over the list, I felt that there were a few entries I didn't fully agree with - and a few notable villains that were completely missing from the list. Here's the list, according to Audible:
20. Alex - A Clockwork Orange
19. Jack Torrance - The Shining
18. Hal 9000 - 2001
17. Moriarity - The Sherlock Holmes Theater
16. Grendel - Beowulf
15. Big Brother - 1984
14. Edward Hyde - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
13. Iago - Othello
12. Simon Legree - Uncle Tom's Cabin
11. Dracula - Dracula
10. The Devil - Paradise Lost
09. The White Witch - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
08. Oddjob - Goldfinger
07. Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
06. Fagin - Oliver Twist
05. The Poet - The Poet
04. The Headless Horseman - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
03. Heathcliff - Wuthering Heights
02. Hannibal Lector - The Silence of the Lambs
01. Count Olaf - The Bad Beginning
I'm not sure where they came up with this list, but the biggest surprise to me was number 1 on the list. Count Olaf, really?!? Where's Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)? And, while Iago is obviously a master villain, I'm not sure he beats out Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) or Goneril and Regan (King Lear). With so many vile and vicious evil-doers to choose from, I'm sure it's just a matter of the difficulty of narrowing it down to the very best. So, who's on the list that shouldn't be, in your opinion, and with whom would you replace them?
4 comments:
What about Richard III? Surely he's worse than Iago. Isn't he? And I don't know about Heathcliff, either.
What about Archeron Hades in The Eyre Affair? he's pretty evil.
And I wanted to let you know that I have nominated you for an award on my blog. Nice work!
Count Olaf?! Seriously?! And I can't believe that Voldemort didn't garner a mention. I'm not sure that I would classify Heathcliff as a villain, either, more a tortured soul; but it has been awhile since I've read Wuthering Heights. I would put Dracula a bit higher as well.
Pshh I'm with you on Voldemort. Iago though.... my Shakespeare teacher went on and on and on about him being the most horrible villian that ever was or ever will be- she may have converted me a bit!
Voldemort should definitely be there, but I don't know what should be changed or moved on the actual list. I suppose a top 20 is hard to narrow down. I agree about Alex from A Clockwork Orange though...he should definitely have made the list, and it's good to see he is there, even if he's last.
-Lauren
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