I recently had a fun discussion on an email group about the appeal of alpha males in fiction. We talked mostly about Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester, with a dash of Heathcliff thrown in. I am a huge fan of alpha males - I don't think I've ever written any other kind of hero. (As an aside, I've always found Heathcliff too cruel to see him as truly heroic).
But after having this discussion, it struck me that while alpha males are great in fiction - so much potential for explosive emotions and non-pc acts which drive the heroine nuts - they might not be so great in real life. Okay, maybe I can imagine living with Mr. Darcy *g* but he's an exception. What do you think? Would you want an alpha male in real life? (And if you have one, feel free to share what it's like!)
And since I love talking on this subject, who are your favorite alphas heroes in fiction? Why do you love them? If you're one of those rare people who doesn't like alphas, why?! I haven't had a male comment on this blog for a while but I know some of you are lurking - what's your take on alpha heroes?
11 comments:
Greetings! I found you through your comment at the PBW blog.
I’m not certain that alpha males are my cup of tea... one of the biggest things that attracts me to my life partner is that he prefers equality in our relationship as much as I do. At the same time, he is strong, confident, and willful, so perhaps there's still a sprinkling of alpha in him afterall. :)
While I can’t think of particular alpha males in literature who have appealed to me, I do want to recommend this woman’s blog, which I believe may have posts and discussions of interest to you, especially if you enjoy the Darcy and Heathcliff topics:
FrankenGirl
http://frankengirl.blogspot.com/
Cheers,
JLB
Thanks for the link JLB. That's an interesting post she has going there about Rebecca.
Re your comment about alphas - don't you think part of the true appeal of alphas is that they can take on strong women, so there is that equality after all eg. With Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. She's certainly an alpha female.
That's a great point Nalini! I didn't think about it that way. :)
I have been around alpha males most of my working life and especially when I was in the military. I knew SEALS and Rangers.
What I found is that if you are an Alpha female, you have no problems. If you are a Beta female, problems. Because of our "society", there is a lessening of Alphas in our society. :-)
There are only a few occupations for people who are Alphas in real life. Personally, I enjoy men... who are men... They are fun to watch.
Exactly Cynthia - they are so fun to watch! *g*
Your point about there being a lessening of alphas in our society is an interesting one. Maybe it's not that there are less but that they have less opportunities to really stretch out their alpha wings? As you said, there are few occupations for true alphas.
Hey Frankengirl! Thanks for dropping by and thanks to JLB for the recom!
It's funny, your comment meshes exactly with what I said during my original conversations on this topic - that my favorite alphas are the ones who go all mushy for the heroine, no matter how tough they might be at the start, or how badly they behave toward everyone else.
I love how you put it - the hardened exterior and the trembling exterior. That's so absolutely true. It's no fun if they're an alpha but they don't get conquered at the end.
As an aside, has anyone read Dark Lover? I haven't as yet but I've heard several comments that say the hero in that is so compelling because of exactly that reason - he's a total badass but crumbles for the heroine.
Emma - I haven't seen Brokeback yet but I really really want to. I'll have to look out for that brooding alpha.
I don't think there are too many insanely alpha romantic hero types in the real world, which is probably a good thing.
I dunno, wouldn't the world be a more interesting place with more of them? *g* But I guess for an alpha to be alpha, there must be the 'normal' herd.
Milady - yes, they DO stuff! They're often the ones who drive the action (even if it's because of way over the top Neanderthal behavior!).
Interesting discussion, Nalini. It's left me pondering the brooding alpha because I'm not sure brooding is a characteristic of the true alpha (the leader of men.) As Milady said, they do stuff, they act rather than brood, in an effort to fix and make things right in their world. Sometimes I think the brooder is more of a lost soul. I dunno. As I said, I'm pondering...
Lol Milady! I feel compelled to read it just because I hate not knowing what everyone's talking about!
Bron - maybe it's easier to write the alpha when he's distant and apparently brooding. It makes him less touchable, less vulnerable???
Oh yeah, he's totally got to have a vulnerability a.k.a. the heroine!
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