Character Invites

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If you were hosting a party and you could invite any 5 literary characters, who would you invite?

I would invite Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird, because I would love to hear his opinion of the travesty that has become our political and justice system, and maybe some thoughts on  how to fix it.  I would have Gregor Samsa, from Kafka's Metamorphosis, because I have always been fascinated by his somewhat lackadaisical, unperturbed reaction to his startling change into an insect.  I would invite Jo March, from Little Women, because I love female characters who are strong, smart, and capable of conversing about books (can she bring the Professor with her, but only count as one guest?)  I have to choose Albus Dumbledore, for his conversational ability and his infinite capacity for putting people at ease.  My final guest would be Death, as he appears in The Book Thief.  My absolute favorite narrator of all time: witty, sarcastic, dry, but with a capacity for sighting the good in people from a mile away.

On a somewhat related note, is it just my preference for male characters, or are truly very few female characters memorable enough to want to spend time with?  Noticed that as I was writing this, very few female characters came to mind as possibilities.  Food for thought.  Any takers?  What would your dinner party look like?

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