Rounding up #RavenBoysWeek we have the fabulous Jess from My Reading Dress. She reflected on my favourite character, Gansey. On the surface he seems to have it all but he too isn’t perfect. And really, it’s the imperfections of people that spin stories worth reading.
Jess caught my attention via Instagram last year. Her personality shines so much just through her photos. Her words pack an equal punch on Twitter as well as on her blog, where she speaks her mind — no hold barred. This lady keeps it real even as she happily dives into fictional worlds, of which she tracks the books on Goodreads.
It took me months to realise Gansey’s selfishness; months before the innocent quest of Glendower crumbled.
Let’s not be coy, I play favourites. And Richard Campbell Gansey III leads the crowd. At first glance, my adoration for the boy may have been attributed to a certain someone’s pockets being lined with gold. I like them rich and royal (a story for another day). But then came the characterisation.
On the veneer, Gansey reeks unadulterated passion. He is consumed by his desire, his quest for Glendower. It is a sensation that I’ve sought, unsucessfully, with every endeavour. To want something so dearly; to devote yourself wholly and entirely; to thread your very essence with the intensity of passion. An innocent ideal. Which is perhaps why I’ve been grappling in the dark for something inexistent. Because, even in fiction, it is all an ideal.
Which leads me to question, is there anything truly innocent about desire? Or am I simply being allured by the human’s innate propensity to put one’s self first? Gansey seeks Glendower out of a personal longing. He seeks questions, he seeks answers and above all, he seeks validation. Unlike all other privileges handed out on silver platters, the Glendower becomes an ideal unbound by money. It is beyond a dollar tag. Beyond reach.
“I am only my money. It is all anyone sees…”
— The Raven Boys
Glendower exists on a plane where sense of self is independent from financial wealth. Glendower becomes a source of self-validation — is there something for him beyond a life of luxury?
Perhaps the quest for magical kings and favours and answers isn’t as virtuous as it once was. At some stage, it went beyond the search for treasures and turned into the search for a treasure.
“How ungrateful they’d become, how greedy for better wonders.”
— Blue Lily, Lily Blue
And yet, it is this selfish passion that draws me closer. Because what can become of fervour without a little heedless devotion. Gansey chases the dream I wish I could.
Best,
Jess
Adam was my favorite Raven Boy in the first book, then Gansey, now I’m swaying towards Ronan. Damn you Stiefvater for making me switch to often. Normally I’m quite consistent :p I think passion, and even obsession for something, can be dangerous and attractive at the same time. I like it when someone knows what they want – and they will do anything to achieve it. At the same time it can make you destroy other people and dreams on the way, because you are only thinking about one thing.
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Gansey is my favorite Raven Boy, too :)
“I like them rich and royal” Don’t we all? *conspiratorial wink*
I never really sat and thought about why I’m so enamored by Gansey. I just accepted it and enjoyed the book. But I think Jess just listed on of my reasons here. He’s incredibly passionate. He’s also intelligent, endearingly presumptuous (because he sometimes fails to realize how presumptuous he is)… and rich. He also has minty breath, which is a huge turn on because I’m obsessed with oral hygiene.
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