It can happen suddenly, and without warning.  A reader is making his or her way through a book, like normal, until out of the blue: there’s something more.  It’s love.  The reader falls head-over-heels in love with the irresistible character who keeps the pages of the book turning at a rapid rate. 

It’s not uncommon.  In fact, many students and teachers alike find themselves entranced by and obsessed with certain characters.

“I have a total man crush on Sebastian from ‘Brideshead Revisited’,” said Michael Fulton, Collab teacher. “I would love to be his buddy for a summer.” 

Fultonfinds himself in love with the fun times that Sebastian and his friend have throughout the book while traveling and just hanging out and genuinely wishes he could be a part of their life.  While having a crush like this on a character may seem harmless, there are in fact slight problems that can occur as a result. 

Fulton, for example, often finds himself caught up in daydreams of his fictional crush.  He then feels the need to go back and metaphorically “cheat on his wife [(Staples teacher Kathy Hernandez)] by re-reading.” This addiction to a certain character is whatFultonrefers to as “emotional adultery.”

Part-time teacher Delbart Shortliffe agrees with the idea of “emotional adultery,” as he too finds himself attracted to literary characters.  In Shortliffe’s case, he is equally in love with Dunya from “Crime and Punishment” and Elizabeth from “Pride and Prejudice.”  Shartliffe believed the main female characters in these books were noble and independent, which are the qualities that sparked his liking for the two characters.  

Although these may be qualities specific to Shortliffe’s taste, many people agree that good looks definitely help to turn a simple liking for a character into a literary crush.

Shortliffe’s favorite character Dunya being is a “ray of hope” in the book, he admits, “I think she’s hot too.”  Sam Koenig ’13, who has a particular liking for Katniss, in “The Hunger Games,” confesses that she is a “complete fox.” 

This, in addition to Katniss’ feisty yet innocent personality, is what makes Koenig love the book, and the character, so much.

Katniss is not the only character in “The Hunger Games” that readers fall in love with, however. 

Peeta, the innocent, sensitive heartthrob of the book is also found to be irresistible by readers.  Sophie  de Bruijn ’14 appreciates how realistic he is “He’s not perfect.  He doesn’t sparkle like Edward Cullen, which makes him more relatable to the reader.”

Just as “The Hunger Games” appears to be a hot spot for lovable characters, Mr. Darcy of “Pride and Prejudice” is a popular, likeable character for many.  Staples paraprofessional Fran Evan and Sarah Cooperman ’13 are just two of the Mr. Darcy fans. 

“It’s that romance,” said Evan, “that exterior of being aloof and unreachable and having emotions deep down.”

“He [is] kind of that tall, dark, mysterious guy that you learn more and more about,” Cooperman agreed.  “And he turned out to be quite a valiant, modest character — plus, he’s handsome.”

Cooperman, along with friends Katie Hickson ‘13, Emily Greenberg ‘13, and Molly Rubidge ’13, even baked a Mr. Darcy cake to show just how much they loved the character.

Similar to howFultondaydreams about his character crush, Cooperman and Evan agree that loving a character like Mr. Darcy so much can come with some side effects. 

Cooperman acknowledges that having to know that Mr. Darcy isn’t real can be kind of disappointing, and Evan notes that the crushes can make people compare their lives to the characters’ lives.  Evan mentions that once there is an “emotional involvement” with the book, reality can seem almost boring and plain in comparison. 

Even with the side effect of desperate longing for a fictional character to be tangible, readers can’t help but fall in love with the irresistible looks and lives of their all-time favorite characters. 

“Darcy’s mannerisms and lifestyle are such a breath of fresh air from the chaotic lives of everybody who loves him, including me. I guess I was just about 200 years too late!” said Cooperman.