Top ten villainesses in literature

Emerald Fennell is a young British actor who recently appeared in Any Human Heart, the adaptation of William Boyd's bestselling novel. She plays Princess Merkalova alongside Keira Knightley and Jude Law in the film version of Anna Karenina. Shiverton Hall, her debut novel, began life as a television script.

Fennell named her top ten villainesses for the Guardian, including:

Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

One of Hogwarts' many ill-chosen Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, Dolores Umbridge is a kitten-loving sadist who thinks nothing of using cruel and unusual punishments to get results. This tiny tyrant is possibly my favourite character in the whole HP universe: there is nothing more terrifying than a torturer in a pink, fluffy cardigan.

Read about the other villainesses on the list.

Dolores Umbridge is one of Derek Landy's top 10 villains in children's books.

--Marshal Zeringue