On Self inserts

I feel like there's a pretty clear difference between self inserts where the whole point is wish fulfillment vs. self inserts that serve as mouthpieces or devices aiding in the development of some larger theme. The former is pretty clearly what most people mean when they use the term 'self insert' whereas the latter is more like the author relying very heavily on their own experiences/thoughts to carry forward a particular narrative point.

That said, if we're going with an expansive view of the term, I'd say I enjoyed Tolstoy's self inserts a fair bit. His work is very preachy, so I can understand why he'd need to lean on a character like Levin in Anna Karenina to express his views, but I never felt like it was particularly harmful to the larger narrative, especially considering how much of it is taken up by other perspectives.

For bad self inserts, I'd say just about any weebshit has to take the cake. "Oh look, the hikkomori libertarian feels kinda bad about being a male feminist, and is socially awkward. How relatable."