You're over the hill, dear.

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Tue, 2006-06-27 00:16

[The temptation to post this on Gen Diss was near to overwhelming but I've held out and posted here ' poor neglected forum, swapping Christmas cards with Writing Tips¦]

Here goes. This is something that occurs to me every time I pick up an Iris Murdoch novel. Her main protagonists are frequently older people and it always strikes me as unusual that this strikes me as unusual.

Because she was writing characters older than herself at the time ' and male authors write female characters and vice versa ' I don't think it's just a case of writing from an author's viewpoint. Is it just the books I've happened across recently, or are characters over a certain age being relegated to bit parts in novels these days, as they are in films?

I haven't read around enough to know, so I was wondering if I could take a straw poll. What are the ages of the main characters in the books you are currently reading?

Wed, 2006-06-28 07:06

lisa h

I am reading Stephen King - Dreamcatcher, the main characters bounce between teens and late 30's, depending on which flashback you are in. There's a mum, a secondary character, and the only old guys got picked off ages go. Lisa

Wed, 2006-06-28 09:23

pepsoid

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell... Strange is, I believe, in his early 30s, whereas Norrell (the grumpier one) is somewhat older. My last read, Koontz's Velocity, had the main protagonist in his 30s... but I think the villain was in his 40s. ...so older people are grumpy or villainous! :-) * P * :-) ( Read my blog! - www.oddcourgette.blogspot.com )

The All New Pepsoid the Second!

Wed, 2006-06-28 17:48

bobblehat2023

Sylvia Townsend Warner's 'The Corner That Held Them'. Lots of old nuns in it and an old priest or two but it's quite an old book.

Wed, 2006-06-28 23:42

2Lou

'but it's quite an old book.' Ah haa - dates, David, dates! It may just prove my theory.

~
www.fabulousmother.co.uk

Wed, 2006-06-28 23:48

2Lou

Ah - ok, just googled it. 1993. Knackers my theory. Oh well, it's still two for and one against... and they were nuns and priests - Iris's lot were still lusting after each other. Any more?

~
www.fabulousmother.co.uk

Thu, 2006-06-29 00:16

maddan

Homage To Catalonia, he was 33 at the time by my reckoning.

Thu, 2006-06-29 00:28

2Lou

Bloody good book that. I'll let him off, though, as it was better to be scrambling about spanish mountains with two good hips.

~
www.fabulousmother.co.uk

Thu, 2006-07-13 12:27

markbrown

In the books I am currently or recently reading: High Rise - JG Ballard: The main characters are between thirty and fifty. White Noise - Don Delillo: The main characters are forty-ish Lunar Park - Bret Easton Ellis: Main character is mid to late thirties In The Red Kitchen -= Michelle Roberts: Main characters mostly middle aged Millennium People - JG Ballard: Main Characters middle aged (forty to mid forties) Cheers, Mark

Thu, 2006-07-13 13:03

#10

josiedog

I recently read "Amos" by Stanley Gordon West, about an old guy in an old peoples' home. Amos must be in his late 70's I reckon, and of course all his compadres are knocking on. It's a bit of an old peoples' "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" - carers vs residents etc. I thought it would be really depressing and took me a while to pick up, but I literally read it straight through. It was a wonderful story, one of my best reads this year.

Sat, 2006-07-15 16:51

#11

neilmc

Interesting topic - hadn't considered it too much before. Seeing as there's no new Harry Potter story out, I've given chick lit a rest and I aren't reading any fantasy with elves in, probably fortyish on average. Let's see Just started "Norwegian Wood" by Murakami, late thirties character but with a lot of reminiscence of older teen years. "the Dog Catcher" by Alexei Sayle, one of the best collections of short stories I've read in a long time; variable but the twenty-somethings appear rather clueless and the senior citizens tend to come out well. Hilarious and weird. Also read quite a bit by Annie Proulx recently, most of her characters seem middle-aged at least. It's probably easier to write about a character similar in age to yourself, otherwise the oldies have an edge as at least they can remember youth whereas youngsters can only speculate about old age.

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