Consider It Boy-Crazy

So, in my British Literature class we were talking about the makings of a hero. And it go me thinking. I was recently recommended Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (which I really can't believe that I haven't read before) and I'm basically in love with Zooey, as a male protagonist. So I decided that now, for all to see, I'm going to pay homage to those other strikingly beautiful, elegant, drool-worthy and completely fictional men that I've come to love.

1.) Marcus Flutie, The Jessica Darling Series: If you have not read these books, I more than suggest it. I command it. It's an imperitive that you have them read. They will cause you to laugh, cause you to cry, and cause you to remember why you're glad you're not in high school anymore. And they WILL make you fall in love with Marcus Flutie. Whether its his red dread-locks, his snarky attitude, or the fact that he gets over his drug-doing ways and goes to a Buddhist school in the desert, there is something utterly delicious about this man. It could be the way he's in love with Jessica, the slightly-annoying-and-self-indulgent female lead. It could be the way that, for their first "kiss", all he does is bite her lower lip and then walk away. Or it could be the fact that he really it, under all the attitude, a sensitive guy. Either way, I'd jump his bones in a second.

2.) Mark Darcy, Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife: Obviously. No top-five list will be complete without THE man of men. Whether its the reserved, capricous gentleman we meet in Austen's original canon, or the sex-craving lothario protrayed in Takes a Wife, there really is no greater lover out there. Add to the mix the embodiment of Colin Firth, and you may have the measuring stick for all future boyfriends!

3.) Laurie Lawrence, Little Women: If you haven't read the book, you're missing out on some of Laurie's greatest charm - his utter adoration for all of the March sisters. Having read the book once a year (religiously) from the ages of 8 to 18, I've spent quite a bit of time with the shy boy next door. He's always up for a romp (ice-skating, anyone), provides endless amounts of shoulder to cry on (even when he is secretly in love with you) and, in the end, provides a much needed masculinity to the all-feminine Alcott tale. And, honestly, if you can get through the on-paper rejection by Jo without tears, I'm not sure you have a heart at all. If you haven't read the book, well... you've still got Christian Bale to work with.

4.) Dexter, This Lullably: Yes. It's by Sarah Dessen. Yes, its teen chick-lit if ever there was such a things. But he plays the guitar. He sings in a band whos hit song it "The Potatoe Opus". He comes from a family with a long line of divorces and remarriages. He has a shaggy dog named Mutt, and he's totally willing to put his heart on his sleave. He has black hair. He drives a white "maybe I'm a rapist" van. And his name is Dexter. And all of this and simmer with a girl who refuses to fall in love, and you have the makings of the best teen-chick-lit book I've ever read. And believe me, I've read it many a time.

5.) Henry, The Time-Travellers Wife: Well, to being with, he time travels. Thats got to earn you some immediate street cred. Secondly, he's so willing to love that he does it over generations at a time, always coming back to Claire. And, thirdly, he's made his life out of academia. He is not only full of sex appeal (I always pictured him as a mix between the Sean Connery and George Clooney...mmmm....), he's also a bit of a role-model (he works in the rare books section of the library, for God's sake). True, his story may get a bit long-winded, with the book tapping in at over 600 pages, but its 600 pages of brilliant dialouge, and quite a bit of naked Henry!

And there you have it. I'm sure I've left off some wondeful leading men. But, for me, these guys really do take the cake!