Biblio File
Our Favorite Literary Wafflers
Instead of going literal on National Waffle Day (although we’d love to hear about your favorite actual waffles in books), we decided to go literary.
We asked our NYPL book experts to come up with characters who make readers suffer along with their agonizing indecision — in other words, the best literary wafflers! Here’s what they said.
Archie has never quite decided between Betty or Veronica... or has he? Follow this clumsy, big-hearted guy as he waffles around modern-day Riverdale, beginning with Archie, Vol. 1, The New Riverdale by Mark Waid. —Laura Stein, Grand Central
It’s hard not to feel sorry for (and also kind of amused by) the titular character of T. S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. He certainly fits this description:
And indeed there will be time... for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea... Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
—Christina Lebec, Bronx Library Center
In Anthony Trollope’s Can You Forgive Her?, Alice Vavasor is torn between her “perfect” fiancee, John Grey — kind, loving, cultured, and above all wealthy (but unambitious and oh, so dull) — and her cousin George, the “bad boy” to whom she was formerly engaged. George is well described by Lady Caroline Lamb’s celebrated assessment of Lord Byron: mad, bad, and dangerous to know. You can certainly sympathize with her, but can you forgive her? —Kathie Coblentz, Rare Materials
In P.G. Wodehouse's Wooster and Jeeves stories, upper-class nincompoop Bertie Wooster is a classic ditherer. Without Jeeves — his indispensable, problem-solving valet — he’d barely function in the world. A fun-filled, satirical romp through early 20th-century England, and is Wodehouse at his most iconic. —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street Library
Adrian Mole is one of my favorite waffling teenagers! In The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend, British teen Adrian Mole chronicles his day-to-day affairs. Adrian’s diary predates Bridget Jones’ by a good decade and a half and is just, if not more, rip-roaringly funny. —Kate Fais, Bloomingdale
In Margaret Drabble’s The Waterfall, NOBODY can decide who they love or how to act. Sample line: “Were I drowning, I wouldn’t raise a hand to save myself, so unwilling am I to go against my fate.” And that deliberately echoes George’s Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, in which Maggie can’t decide — or isn’t permitted to decide — her own fate either and actually does drown. (Also there is every Russian novel, ever.) —Anne Barreca, Battery Park City
---
Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!
Read E-Books with SimplyE
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
If you don’t have an NYPL library card, New York State residents can apply for a digital card online or through SimplyE (available on the App Store or Google Play).
Need more help? Read our guide to using SimplyE.
Comments
Wishy-Washy Character
Submitted by Joanne Conte (not verified) on August 24, 2017 - 10:25am