Marty Stu in Literature
In A Princess of Mars,
Edgar Rice Burroughs creates the quintessential Marty Stu character
with John Carter. A Marty Stu is a male character who's perfect (TV
Trope Pp. 2-3). No matter what he attempts, he succeeds with little
struggle. He’s also dashingly handsome and has few, if any, faults. This
character’s perfect in every way. While reading the book, I looked for
John Carter’s weaknesses. Sadly, he has none. I am left disappointed,
wishing Burroughs had given the protagonist some sort of err in his
disposition.
After unexpectedly transported to Mars, John readily learns the Martian language within a week. In that time, he becomes a chieftain – not once, but twice. By the end of the novel, he's Prince of Helium. John achieves these honors through battles. Amazingly, he has perfect aim and manages to kill several beings by punching them in the jaw. He is injured; however, John quickly heals from his wounds and suffers no ill-effects from them. Moreover, John wins the (alien) girl of his dreams, teaches the elders the importance of kindness and friendship, and trains the thoats to be submissive. He adapts well to all situations and inhabits both Earth and Mars with little need for adjusting to his surroundings.
Even on Earth, he's the perfect man. A self-proclaimed gentleman, John fought in the Civil War and survived. This is quite a feat, considering 620,000 people died from infections and injuries (Davis Pp. 1). He also became wealthy after successfully mining for gold in Arizona. Finally, John Carter came back to life twice. For all we know, he might be immortal.
People choose book for various reasons. Sometimes, the plot is of interest. Other times, it’s the characters. If well-developed beings with flaws and weaknesses are a reader's main focus, A Princess of Mars wouldn't be a good choice.
After unexpectedly transported to Mars, John readily learns the Martian language within a week. In that time, he becomes a chieftain – not once, but twice. By the end of the novel, he's Prince of Helium. John achieves these honors through battles. Amazingly, he has perfect aim and manages to kill several beings by punching them in the jaw. He is injured; however, John quickly heals from his wounds and suffers no ill-effects from them. Moreover, John wins the (alien) girl of his dreams, teaches the elders the importance of kindness and friendship, and trains the thoats to be submissive. He adapts well to all situations and inhabits both Earth and Mars with little need for adjusting to his surroundings.
Even on Earth, he's the perfect man. A self-proclaimed gentleman, John fought in the Civil War and survived. This is quite a feat, considering 620,000 people died from infections and injuries (Davis Pp. 1). He also became wealthy after successfully mining for gold in Arizona. Finally, John Carter came back to life twice. For all we know, he might be immortal.
People choose book for various reasons. Sometimes, the plot is of interest. Other times, it’s the characters. If well-developed beings with flaws and weaknesses are a reader's main focus, A Princess of Mars wouldn't be a good choice.
Works cited:
Burroughs, E. R. (n.d.). Project Gutenberg. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from A Princess of Mars: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62/62-h/62-h.htm
Davis, B. (2004, November 1). The Civil War, Strange and Fascinating Facts. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from Civil War Home: http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm
Trope, T. (n.d.). Marty Stu. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MartyStu
Davis, B. (2004, November 1). The Civil War, Strange and Fascinating Facts. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from Civil War Home: http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm
Trope, T. (n.d.). Marty Stu. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from TV Tropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MartyStu
He sounds like a bit of a pompous self-righteous ass with an Oedipus complex to me LOL - good blog!
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could say that. :) Glad you enjoyed it! I wouldn't recommend reading the book unless you have to (I had to for a Sci-fi/fantasy class).
DeleteHe sounds like a bit of a pompous self-righteous ass with an Oedipus complex to me LOL - good blog!
ReplyDelete