Romancing the tomes

If you could, which literary figure would you date?

Print or reel? Colin Firth or Darcy?

Most of us are familiar with those men. You know, those fabulously wealthy, dangerously handsome and oh, so arrogant men from literature. It is another matter that these hot men don’t seem to exist outside the pages of the book. They have enchanted us from the first time they said many savagely clever things and our teenage selves have spent many an evening with them. Also, most of us have given up hope of ever finding them on this planet.

Nevertheless, what if your fairy godmother were to grant you a wish; a date with one of them until midnight. Whom would it be?

“I like the rugged Mr. Rochester from

Jane Eyre . But, he is too sensitive,” says Diana, who holds a master’s degree in Literature and reads every book in depth, analysing it as if she were still in that literature class. Remember that scene on that first evening in Mr. Rochester’s drawing room? He assumes all sorts of things about Jane, who holds her own. Would you be able to stand up to that? If you can, then Mr. Rochester might be the one for you; never mind the crazy laughter coming from somewhere upstairs.

“All my students swoon when we talk about Mr. Darcy from

Pride and Prejudice ,” says Rina Ramdev, an English teacher at Delhi University.

While Mr. Darcy is the epitome of the Romantic hero, Colin Firth who played him in the BBC series was quite the lady killer. Especially the scene where he comes out of the lake in his clinging wet shirt. That definitely made the cut for millions of women — arrogance and pride notwithstanding.

So then are our preferences for these romantic heroes influenced by their television and movie avatars? A recent online survey by the Tata Literature Fest put the exceedingly clever Mr. Sherlock Holmes as the number one dating choice for Indian women.

The TV series, Sherlock , has the swoon-worthy Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead, making many women presume that the consultant detective’s printed avatar would have the necessary chops to present himself for a cheekbone polishing session. And, truth be told would you really like to go on a date with a know it all detective?

What about the irresistible “older hero,” with the “dark,” past? Sometimes, real life versions of these could be bearded professors too old for you or the handsome but married boss. Literature, however, presents the devilishly handsome Rhett Butler from Gone with The Wind , the wealthy and brooding Maxim de Winter from Rebecca and of course the secretive Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre .

They all are sophisticated with amazing social skills. They can also make you feel slightly stupid if you cannot hold their interest. For this, you need not be incredibly beautiful but you have to be innocent and inherently good. Being clever with enough traumatic experiences to give you some depth of character is also a bonus.

There are some however, whose idea of a literary date is a tad different. “I would choose Prof Snape for his unconditional love for Lily Potter. To love is to be brave,” says Heena Khan, a lover of all literature with a fondness for tales of enduring love.

In the end, whomever you choose, even if they are not mentioned in this article, you must always remember a crucial fact — these heroes often look best between the pages of a book.

Fabulous five

Darcy fromPride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) : A fabulously wealthy, handsome “proud,” aristocratic gentleman, who proves himself worthy by his actions

Edward Rochesterfrom Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) : A passionate man with a tortured past and secrets to hide

Heathcliff fromWuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) : A brooding, obsessed lover, revengeful and powerful, bordering on the villainous

Rhett Butler fromGone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) : A suave, strong, witty and sarcastic man, he is a little crude beneath his veneer of sophistication

Maxim de Winter fromRebecca (Daphne Du Maurier) : An enigmatic wealthy aristocrat with a tortured past