It would seem from one of my latest post that I haven't even made up my mind on what a Mary-Sue really is *dry laughs*
But reading some of the comments above, I must say that by just having the author-inserted character flawed and human does not necessarily constitute a good portrayal... IMO it's more important that the MS receives reasonable, realistic treatments from both the author and all the characters s/he interacts with. Say if I write a mediocre-looking girl with not the most lovable personality traits, yet somehow every boy around her sees beyond her humble appearance and falls in love with her.. this is most likely when I throw the thing out of the window hadn't I written it myself. To me a flawed MS who everyone (at least the protagonists) thinks well of despite all his/her unlikeable traits is much worse than a perfect MS who receives the same favorable treatment, I dunno probably because I think in the earlier case the author is "cheating" me into reading their personal fantasy!
So what I would consider the best MS is one who the author desplays no favoritism towards.. in that sense neither Harry nor Hermione quite 'qualifies', as both of them have moments in the story that makes me go, "Yeah right, like that is gonna happen if they weren't the author's beloved surrogates!"
Going on a tangent- I remember reading one of my favorite mangaka (manga author)'s interview, where he said that a minor character who no main characters paid much attention to (rightfully so since she was such an dork), was actually just like him in his school days. And I find it so cool that instead of showering his fictional surrogate with goodies he never had in real life, he chose to relive his experience as a dork exactly as it was on the pages :P
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But reading some of the comments above, I must say that by just having the author-inserted character flawed and human does not necessarily constitute a good portrayal... IMO it's more important that the MS receives reasonable, realistic treatments from both the author and all the characters s/he interacts with. Say if I write a mediocre-looking girl with not the most lovable personality traits, yet somehow every boy around her sees beyond her humble appearance and falls in love with her.. this is most likely when I throw the thing out of the window hadn't I written it myself. To me a flawed MS who everyone (at least the protagonists) thinks well of despite all his/her unlikeable traits is much worse than a perfect MS who receives the same favorable treatment, I dunno probably because I think in the earlier case the author is "cheating" me into reading their personal fantasy!
So what I would consider the best MS is one who the author desplays no favoritism towards.. in that sense neither Harry nor Hermione quite 'qualifies', as both of them have moments in the story that makes me go, "Yeah right, like that is gonna happen if they weren't the author's beloved surrogates!"
Going on a tangent- I remember reading one of my favorite mangaka (manga author)'s interview, where he said that a minor character who no main characters paid much attention to (rightfully so since she was such an dork), was actually just like him in his school days. And I find it so cool that instead of showering his fictional surrogate with goodies he never had in real life, he chose to relive his experience as a dork exactly as it was on the pages :P