On Self inserts

From Dante to Tolstoy to Dan Brown, it seems like self inserts are and old technique with very different results depending of the author.

What are your favorite and most hated self inserts books or characters?

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I often found the Tolstoy self-inserts pretty endearing. They were definitely never my favorite characters in the books but I was actively hoping for them to have a good ending.

I made my dad watch the 2016 War and Peace miniseries and he asked me like two episodes in “Does this guy get a good ending” referring to Pierre saying he didn’t really care about anyone else so I guess the self inserts really speak to some people.

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Virgin whining about spoiler vs. Chad Dad actively seeking out spoilers

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Reminds me of my mom, she always ask for spoilers and still enjoys movies/books after being spoiled.

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Levin for instance was the only good person in Anna Karenina. The other characters were all so self absorbed, I think that’s why we root for them.

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