imperfections

I tried to think of what would drive me crazy about each of these men given enough time, and thus this table. None of these negative traits are so prevalent that they override the character’s good points, but they do make for some interesting conflicts with strong women.

The trait I found most difficult to articulate was what I’ve called insensitive/oblivious. What I mean by that is, a male character who retreats so far into himself that he doesn’t notice what other characters might be experiencing, or suffering. This might be a self-protective mechanism or simply a lack of empathy, and it’s a pretty serious flaw for a main character in a love story of any kind. The prime example here is Darcy’s first proposal to Elizabeth Bennet, in which he (as she says) insults her in every possible way, and still thinks he’s doing her a great honor. Niccolo van der Poele is, of all these seven, the most astute. His understanding of others is so intuitive and exact that it would be a formidable weapon in an amoral man. While John Crichton is extremely perceptive, there is one incident with Chiana that almost earned him a negative, but not quite. Nathaniel got a negative here, and he deserved it. This is his biggest flaw, the occasional tendency to overlook things he should not ignore in the people closest to him.

FD Fitzwilliam Darcy Pride and Prejudice |

PT Phin Tucker
Welcome to Temptation |

PdSC Philippe de Saint-Christophe
The Bride of the Wilderness|

NvdP Niccolo van der Poele
Niccolo Rising| JC John Crichton
Farscape| DJ Daniel Josselyn
Hearts and Bones| NB Nathaniel Bonner
Into the Wilderness


is, or has a tendency
to be
FDPTPdSCNvdPJCDJNB
conceitedxx
condescendingxxx
evasive
secretive
xxxxxxx
opinionatedxxxxxx
stubborn
inflexible
xxxxxxx
impatientxxx
insensitive
oblivious
xxx
prone to
melancholy
xx