So, in case anyone ever wanted an explanation for why Gilbert Blythe is my chosen fictional groom, as opposed to, say Jack Sparrow, or Westley, or, heck, Louis de Pointe du Lac, here it is..
The Anne of Green Gables series may well be some of my favourite books of all time. Now, I know I’m very vocal about my love of all things William Goldman, but there’s something about Anne, that just hooked me from the first time I met her.
But just as big an attraction, for me at least, lies with the character who starts out as Anne’s sworn enemy, progresses to one of her best friends, and eventually, (finally! Like we didn’t all see it coming!) is revealed as the love of her life.
Yes, I’m talking about Gilbert Blythe.
Swoon.
My love of this character and my frequent declarations that he is my one and only ‘book love’ is a source of much contention between me and my sister. You see, she, like so very many other hapless women out there, fancies herself in love with one Mr Darcy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I see the attraction there. He’s dark, and brooding, and rich (please, don’t even try and tell me that Pemberly isn’t a major factor of his so called ‘hotness’); and, perhaps most importantly, most women believe he is either Colin Firth or Matthew MacFayden, and as a result have many a fantasy involving wet shirts. Yeah, Colin Firth is unbelievably sexy when he’s emerging from a pond and staring soulfully at Lizzy Bennet. But:
a) Colin Firth is not Mr Darcy, and
b) Mr Darcy. Is. A. Tool.
I can just hear the outraged screams of hundreds of hysterical women if I ever made this statement over loudspeaker in, say, a crowded cafe, or a shopping centre, or even a public bathroom.
But it’s true. What is so appealing about Darcy? He’s an arrogant prick, who judges people based on their outward appearance; thinks he’s better than everyone else because he is rich and good looking; interferes with other people’s lives when he has no right (yeah that’s right Fitzwilliam, Lizzy might have forgiven you the whole Jane/Bingley debacle, but I never will); and has a gigantic pole up his ass. Seriously, why is he so lovable? The last 1/8 of the novel is when his good points come out, but since they only come out as a reaction to his need to prove his love, they don’t really outweigh the bad. And you know what, proving that he is a self absorbed, egocentric tool, he is TAKING OVER THIS POST.
Ahem. So, where was I? Oh yeah...
Gilbert Blythe wins the “Fictional Love of My Life” Award. He is sweet, and sensitive (when he grows up, not during the carrot-calling, dipping-braids-into-inkwells stage of his life, obviously), and he loves Anne so much it breaks my heart to read the parts where she’s rejecting him. Truly.
What brought on this public (well, kind of) declaration of love? I went to the bookstore this morning, to pre-order the next Discworld adventure, and I saw the most amazing hardback collector’s edition of the first Anne book. I wanted to buy it right then, but firstly, it was on order for another customer, and secondly, it would’ve cost me $69.95. But it was beautiful. Naturally, the first thing I did when I came home was to look up where I could buy a whole set like that from, and I found them! Apparently, the reason it’s so expensive is because the gold looking stuff on the cover, and on the edges of the pages is actual 22 carat gold. For real. See?
They’re so pretty though. I want them. I want them so much I just placed an order for the first one. Sigh. I will never learn to manage my money.
All right, enough procrastination, I’m off to do my final 35% essay for Law Foundations. And by that, I mean I’m off to sit on my desk with my half completed essay in front of me, while I read Matthew Reilly's latest, and try and pretend that Jack West Jnr will help me understand the Bill of Rights. Wish me luck.
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