Fictional Families
The parentage of a hero can be pretty important, at least in my books. I find that I write stories and characters that deal with families, and of course the center of most of those families is the mother. Families give history to a character. They show what a person has embraces or overcome in their development. They give a frame of reference to the character’s actions. And they take the character out of the vacuum of the fictional world they live in by creating a more complex fabric for them.
That’s not to say that sometimes characters don’t have strong families. Often they have obstacles to overcome and sometimes those obstacles revolve around lack of family. The hero or heroine can fill that void.
To me, whether it’s in the core family that already exists or in the formation of a new family for the hero and heroine, the existence of family is essential. Family is the core of my world and so it’s what I relate to in books.
In tribute to Mother’s Day, here’s a toast to books, movies, and TV shows that have families.
Question of the Day:
What is your favorite fictional family, and who is your favorite fictional mom?
May 12th, 2008
Misa 
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May 12th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Answering my own question, I will say that Scarlet O’Hara’s family [Gerald, Ellen, Miss Pittypat, Melanie] are the things that keep Scarlet grounded and help facilitate her growth through the book. [I’m reading Gone With the Wind for book club so it’s on my mind =) ].
Of course Stephanie Plum’s wacky family is ever-present. The Supernatural boys have each other and the memories of their mother and father [Dean remembers his mother, but not Sam].
May 12th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Again with Scarlet? I am so missing out (my own doing, I know :)) Okay, favorite family? The only one I can think of is the Davenport Family in Linda Howard’s Shades of Twilight, which was headed up by a steely matriarch. It was dysfunctional, with lots of fighting behind the genteel Southern facade, but in the end it was all the trouble that revealed which loyalties were true and strong enough to withstand anything. Favorite fictional mom? Not sure, but I really liked Susan Sarandon’s character in that move with Julia Roberts and Ed Harris. I can hear that song–”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (i.e., to keep a mother from doing what she needs to do for her kids, including soliciting the help of her ex-husband’s new wife).
May 12th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Families…. The one I come to think of right now is the Donovan family from Elizabeth Lowell’s Donovan Series. That’s one interesting family.
Favorite mother, I would say is Dr. Charlotte Mira from the In Death books. I kind of like her. And I like the “family” Eve and Roarke has built up with Galahad, Feeney, Mavis & Leonardo, Peabody & McNab, Mira and Summerset, even when they don’t have any close blood relations with anyone.
May 12th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Michael Westen’s mother Madeline (from Burn Notice) takes the cake as far as mothers are concerned. As Michael once put it, dealing with his mother is like dealing with the Russian mob. They’ll give you what you want with a smile, but boy, will you pay. She’s a neurotic hypochondriac with a brown belt in emotional blackmail, and yet, at the end of the day, all she wants is her two sons home for the holidays, no matter how much they hate each other.
Families are harder for me to think of. I tend to be drawn more into characters who don’t have a strong family backing them up, or those who’ve been more or less lost in the shuffle. They’re sort of like strays. They show up, and they’ll let you feed them–pet them if you’re lucky–but a collar is simply out of the question. I’ve always been a sucker for the lost boys.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Favorite family has to be the Blackbird family from Nancy Martin’s Blackbird Sisters series. Crazy, but loyal.
Fictional mother would have to be - not an actual biological mother but Hannah Gruen, the housekeeper from the Nancy Drew mysteries. Loved the way she always offered comfort and support to Nancy!
June 11th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Books Harry Potter Books Pc Magazine…
I didn’t agree with you first, but last paragraph makes sense for me…