The Wormwoods in Matilda. The Weasleys in Harry Potter. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.
There are some seriously memorable parents in literature. Which ones are your favorites?
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Art: The Artist and His Family by James Peale
abc says
Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are pretty intense.
JOHN T. SHEA says
God the Father, the Virgin Mary, and stepfather Joseph spring to mind. They’ve certainly been remembered a long time already, and in a lot of books!
Wendy says
Here, here. John. Penultimates.
Dana Bailey says
How about Marilla and Mathew Cuthbert from Ann of Greene Gables? Do they count? And the Bennets from Pride and Prejudice.
Ekta Garg says
Yes! I was going to say Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert as well! Love them!!
Wendy says
The most memorable parents for me are from The Tail of The Sea Witch. Eleven-year-old Marina might be considered a handful by some with her adventurous spirit and imagination, but her parents raise her with tolerance, caring and understanding and a sense of humour.
Vince Murdock says
One of my favorite books (by one of my favorite authors) is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. The father is so determined to protect his son it really comes through in the writing. Stories like that have driven me to love that genre.
Wendy says
Vince, compelling idea to release early drafts of your story through this blog site in regular small parcels, accompanied by detailed, modern illustrations with full-bodied action shots of the characters.
Kate says
Wow… so I was definitely thinking more along the lines of the Longbottoms in HP, Matthew and Marilla, or perhaps the Jonathan and Martha Kent, but your comment about The Road hit me as right on. I evidently have a tendency toward the warm and fuzzy stories about orphans, but The Road… I only read it a few months ago and it’s such a simultaneously mundane, yet visceral and epic depiction of parenthood. I have to agree with you 100%