Why do we fall for toxic men in Literature by Aaina Jassel

Why do we fall for toxic men in literature?

by Aaina Jassel

Over the past few weeks, I have made a shocking discovery. I fall for toxic men in literature. My fi rst thought was what on earth is wrong with me but as I discussed this with friends, I realised that it wasn’t just me. So why do we fall for these stereotypical ‘masculine’ toxic men? Especially when I know that in reality it would never be a good relationship.

These men generally fall into the ‘tall, dark and handsome’ category. They can be brooding and mysterious like Mr Darcy from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and sometimes they can even be borderline sociopathic like Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’. I know that, in Mr Rochester’s case, locking his wife Bertha up in an attic and pretending she doesn’t exist is a pretty big red fl ag but I can’t help but love him. Why is this? Why is it that these tall, brooding and sometimes just plain mean men seem to do so well in getting us to fall for them? The previous two examples I gave are from some classic books so you might be thinking, ‘Well, that doesn’t happen in modern literature’ but novels haven’t changed all that much. In recent literature we have Rhysand from ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ series by Sarah J. Maas who is fi rst shown to us as a villain, yet halfway through the second book he is a character who could do no wrong in my eyes. We also have Prince Cardan Greenbriar from ‘The Cruel Prince’ by Holly Black (and I mean, guys its literally called the CRUEL prince). Even Thomas Cresswell from the ‘Stalking Jack the Ripper’ series who is shown multiple times as someone who lacks empathy and can often get confused with social cues (don’t worry, he isn’t Jack the Ripper!).

This brings me to question why are these the type of men we like to read about? For one, there is the ‘I can change him’ or ‘he will change for me’ aspect which allows you to feel that you’ve helped him become better. That he would do anything for you and allows you to feel in complete control, especially when the world is out of control. There is also a level of protection, the ‘if anyone touches her,