Lakeland Public Library discussion

Villains come in all sorts, from charming and sympathetic to downright despicable. Many times a good villain makes a good story; sometimes we secretly cheer them on and other times we hope they get what’s coming to them. Love them or hate them, villains can be an essential part of a story.

Who are some of your favorite villains and what do you think makes a good villain?

I think the judge from Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is truly a villain. When reading the book you get this feeling from him that he lacks of regard for anything or anyone.

I love sympathetic villains. At times, I admit, I'm even a villain apologist. (I knew Snape wasn't a bad guy the whoooole time! And seriously, Thor was a total jerk before he got banished to Earth. You can't blame Loki for being bitter. Much...)
The most engaging villains, to me, are the ones that have motives that make sense and that you can relate to, even if their means of attaining their goal are questionable, to put it mildly. I still root for the good guys (mostly), but that sense of ambivalence heightens the tension and makes the story that much more engrossing.
One of the most memorable villains I've read is Tom Ripley, from The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. I spent the whole book alternately afraid he would get caught and desperately hoping he would get caught. By the end I was exhausted and depressed. I couldn't read any of the other books after that.

I agree with you Susan on Tom Ripley. We read The Talented Mr. Ripley at Discussions at the e (one of Lakeland Public Library's book clubs) and it was one of the best discussions. The group hated Tom but also rooted for him. Highsmith created one of literature's best villains in Tom Ripley.