The Hidden Value of Unlikeable Characters

The Hidden Value of Unlikeable Characters

Unlikeable characters pose a problem for readers. It’s hard to finish a book when the main character annoys or even outrages you. But the payoff for perseverance is real. By cultivating patience and empathy for an unlikeable character, we learn about ourselves and others—and we are reminded that disagreeable characters and people alike have hidden depths we cannot measure. Professor Joshua D. Phillips reflects on one unlikeable character, and what grappling with it taught him and the Books@Work group he was leading.

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