Gentlemen in stiff cravats and fancy coats. Hazel-eyed boys with dreamy smiles. That boy next door. That gentleman who comes to call. These are the heroes of classic novels that we’ve read either when we were young or somewhat later. It doesn’t matter when you encountered them, but what matters is that they’ve captured your heart and the hearts of thousands of women around the world, young and old, with their smiles, their kindness, their gentlemanly attitude, their brooding looks, and more.
Here are some of the classic literature heroes we can’t help but swoon over:
Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
With a house like Pemberley, how can you not like this man? Kidding aside, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy seems like one of the least likely heroes for readers to swoon over with his brooding looks, his quiet demeanour, and his cold, aloof interactions with Elizabeth. He is quite rude to her at the start, but we forgive him instantly upon his mention of “fine eyes”. From that moment on, he steps from the pages of the novel and into our hearts as a misunderstood gentleman. He grows on us as a character when we understand the reason behind his scowls and his silence. Who can forget his clumsy first proposal to Elizabeth as well his letter after? Who can forget his love and concern for his sister Georgiana as well as how he takes care of the issue and scandal surrounding Mr. Wickham? We, like Lizzie, go through the process of despising him, understanding him, and then loving him.
Captain Wentworth (Persuasion by Jane Austen)
If you think he isn’t quite popular among the ladies, think again! When we first meet Captain Wentworth, we are a little bit hurt on behalf of Anne Elliot, especially when it is soon revealed to us that she is not yet quite over him as she would like to be. He is aloof towards her, only paying attention to the sister of Anne’s brother-in-law. His attitude for the first part never gives away his thoughts and his feelings. And when we finally catch glimpses that he too might not be completely over Anne, we are never sure enough until his letter comes! And who wouldn’t fall head over heels in love with a man who writes to you, “I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight and a half years ago.” Cue the swooning ladies. Your loyalty and utter devotion will always have our hearts, Captain Wentworth.
Mr. Knightley (Emma by Jane Austen)
Albeit the ideal big brother at first, this knight in breeches and a cravat soon was anything but a big brother to Emma, the heroine of the same-titled book, and to the hearts of a thousand girls around the world. While he is a strict and no-nonsense person, often, his care and concern pour out of his words and actions. You can feel this in the way he lectures Emma, in the way he worries about her, especially after Frank Churchill pulled off his big joke on everybody. And that moment when they were “not brother and sister enough to not dance”. I am sure we all felt as happy as Emma. When Mr. Knightley, a man of few words as he is, finally tells Emma what he feels, he says one of the most endearing lines readers have come to love: “If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery)
For all the girls out there who have met this lad with the boyish grin and hazel eyes, there’s not one of us who would have loved to be in place of Anne, to be whispered “Carrots” to, so we can spring from seats, slate in hand and break it on a head full of dark curls…okay, you get the picture. Gilbert is every girl’s dream with his boyish charm and mischievous personality. He is a “chum”, someone you can count on, he makes you laugh with his endearing antics, and yet at the same time, he is there when you need him. He is fiercely loyal and has eyes only for one person, never mind all those Ruby Gillises and Christine Stewarts. I think there’s not a girl who wasn’t furious with Anne when she turned down Gilbert—first his friendship and then his proposal! If you don’t want him at all, Anne, we can have him.
Theodore Laurence (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)
Teddy is your average boy next door with his charming smile, gentle manners, and youthful boyishness. Many of us have longed to step in the shoes of Jo, to be beside this boy who has been making hearts swoon since forever. Teddy is light-hearted and easy to be with, but that does not mean he loves carelessly or that he has nothing to worry about in his life. No, rather, this is a boy who loves passionately as we can see in a certain interaction between him and Jo. He may be a bit stubborn, a bit childish, a bit silly, but that adds to his charm and sweetness. Pretty soon, we see him grow up into a responsible young man as he goes about doing what his grandfather wants him to do, which endears him to us more than ever!
John Thornton (North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell)
If you thought businessmen were unromantic people, think again. John Thornton and his cravat have been making hearts beat uncontrollably for many years now. His no-nonsense attitude and stern face might seem like a turn-off to some, but deep inside, this man has a heart of gold and a soft spot for his lady-love. He may appear to be quiet and cold, but deep inside, you know that he cares deeply for our heroine, Margaret (aren’t you just jealous of her?!). Such care makes him visit the south which he says is because he “wanted to see the place where Margaret grew to what she is, even at the worst time of all, when I had no hope of ever calling her mine.” How can you make our hearts beat wildly at such a line? Also, who could forget how endearing it was when he realised that the man he had been jealous of was the brother of the girl he loves?
Jervis Pendleton (Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster)
When we think of pink roses, long walks in a farm, and letters, we think of Jervis Pendleton. This man may be a little bit stiff to get to know at first, but once you spend time with him (just like Judy did), you will soon learn that he is very much a boy at heart. We meet him slowly, though the letters of Judy to her Daddy-Long-Legs, never once suspecting that he holds a secret to making our hearts swoon. When the full picture comes before our eyes, we sigh and swoon and pronounce him every bit the gentleman that he is. Who wouldn’t have loved to step into the shoes of Judy Abbott, even if only for a moment, just to meet this Mr. Jervis Pendleton?
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy)
When we first meet Sir Percy, he is cold, aloof, lazy, and somewhat slightly vexing. He doesn’t seem to care at all for Marguerite, his wife, which makes us wonder what is there to Sir Percy that make ladies heart’s flutter. We start out doubting him, but little by little, his secret is revealed to us, as well as the dangerous mission he and his friends have set out to do. Our heart goes out to him then–this gentleman whose coldness and laziness is an armour he must wear to disguise his clever mind and compassionate heart. Perhaps one of the most moving scenes in the book is when he tells Marguerite he doesn’t love her, but when she turns away, his disguise falls through and you see a man who loves his wife so desperately and so passionately.
