Ten top appealing, possibly psychopathic, fictional characters

For The Huffington Post, Maddie Crum tagged ten fictional characters who just might be psychopaths, and imagined why we're drawn to them. One character on the list:

Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair

Like [Jay] Gatsby, Becky Sharp shows us that not all certifiable psychopathy takes the form of serial killing. Becky is a social climber, and is ruthless about fighting her way to the top. She even uses her more emotional friend Amelia as a vehicle for social success. Becky seems to care about little else aside from marrying someone wealthy, and is willing to exploit the attachments of others in her quest to do so. But, as readers, we're not inclined to view Becky as evil. She's a misfit among the upper echelons of society, and therefore exposes the absurdity of the elite.

Quote: “Revenge may be wicked, but it’s natural.”

Read about the other entries on the list.

Vanity Fair also appears on Allegra Frazier's list of five of her favorite fictional gold diggers, John Mullan's list of ten of the most memorable governesses in literature, Stella Tillyard's list of favorite historical novels, John Mullan's lists of ten of the best fat men in literature and ten of the best pianos in literature, and Thomas Mallon's list.

--Marshal Zeringue