Mr. Rochester Is England's Most Romantic Character

Telegraph:

[I]t comes as no surprise to me that when surveyed by Mills and Boon, the nation's readers voted Charlotte Bronte's Mr Rochester the most romantic character in literature. The true hero, you see, has to have more than charm and dash. Those things are all very well, and fine for having a flirtation with, but if he is to get a real hold of your heart, then he must hurt it a bit, make it bruise and bleed.

Read the whole story: Telegraph

Comments

[MAragon]

06:24 PM on 10/18/2009

It's a serious four way toss up for me: Rochester and Heathcliff for the Romantic (in the period sense, not the current understanding of the term), and Colonel Brandon and Mr. Darcy of the more reasonable rational choices, although for bad boys, it's hard to top Austen's Henry Crawford.

[lillibelle]

04:39 PM on 10/19/2009

Think of Heathcliff in the bed_room and then contrast that with the rational choices. Once your pulse has slowed to a more manageable beat, tell me who would ever choose a "reasonable, rational" romance? Look what happened to Cathy when she made that very choice.

[Leebot]

07:26 PM on 10/17/2009

Well, it's true, sometimes the boys with the dark secrets ARE the most romantic . . . and I admit I have a fondness for Colonel Brandon . . . but my personal favorite is Colonel Dobbin (played by Phillip Glennister) from the novel "Vanity Fair." Toward the end of the story, Becky Sharp says of him "He has a noble heart." And he was a friend first, and always a gentleman. That to me is romantic.

[hilaritee]

12:31 AM on 10/17/2009

Mr. Darcy.....my number one.....always. Forget the rest, including that mopey vampire boy.

[kareemachan]

03:22 PM on 10/18/2009

Have you seen the book that's come out called "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"? or "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters"? I can't believe what they are doing to classics these days. Arghh!

[hilaritee]

10:41 PM on 10/19/2009

saw the zombie one but have not read it...i have mixed feelings, to say the least.

[jesselee26]

11:55 PM on 10/16/2009

hmmm.... a lot of love for darcy, but i will never fall out of love for jude fawley.

[naschkatze]

04:30 PM on 10/16/2009

Not Heathcliff? I would have picked him over Mr. Rochester.

[lillibelle]

06:06 PM on 10/18/2009

Me, too, in a heartbeat. Oh, the dark-brooding-thunderous-passion! I very recently re-read "Wuthering Heights." It sweeps me away every time!

[Shiroe]

04:24 PM on 10/16/2009

Thank you guys, I'm making this unanimous again. Rochester was a grumpy old man who locked his problems in a closet... or a tower as the case may be. It takes a REAL man to face himself and his flaws head-on the way Darcy did. He could have just written Elizabeth off as a shrew in the cottage in Hunsford, but instead he engaged in tough self-examination and came out the better. All Rochester accomplished was the extremely bad treatment of a mentally ill woman; being bi-polar myself I am offended that anyone could consider him a hero for that.

In fact, Jane pretty much cornered the top three. Edward Ferrars, charmingly played by Hugh Grant, gave up everything to honor an engagement with a woman he didn't love anymore simply to honor his promise; and just for you spoonflipper, Colenol Bradon, also well played but this time by your man Alan Rickman, watching and loving Marianne Dashwood from the sidelines as she cavorted about with Willoughby, never expecting to have a chance but still loving her with all his heart, certainly rounds out the top three.

[kimbutgar]

03:35 PM on 10/16/2009

Someone beat me to it, Fitzwilliam Darcy should be number 1.

[naschkatze]

04:33 PM on 10/16/2009

I nominate Eugene Wrayburn from Our Mutual Friend, but I guess he's not a big name like Darcy and Rochester.

[spoonflipper]

01:18 PM on 10/16/2009

Not Mr.Darcy?! I'm shocked. I thought British woman (and many American women) were obsessed with Mr.Darcy! Not that I don't love Mr.Rochester. Though I wish Alan Rickman had played him. I always thought he would make a spanking Mr.Rochester.