Voldemort Named Among Worst Literary Villains by Penguin

Jan 16, 2009

Posted by: EdwardTLC

Books

Dark Lord Voldemort has made the top ten list of ‘scariest villains in children’s literature’ according to a report in the Scotsman. The paper details the results of a new list from the Penguin Group, which polled 600 readers, asking them to rank the literary characters they most feared. Coming in at number six, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from the Harry Potter books by author J. K. Rowling stands along side such other great literary villains as The White Witch from C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, Captain Hook from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and The Wolf from Red Riding Hood by Brothers Grimm. The article also quotes Booktrust children’s website editor Rebecca Wilkie as saying:

“A good villain is larger than life and does things we would never dare, but usually gets their comeuppance in the end. Who can forget Harry Potter triumphing over Lord Voldemort and Roald Dahl’s witches being turned into mice?

She goes on to note that, “For all of us, there is something comforting in the ultimate triumph of good over evil.” The full list of the Top Ten Literary Villains is as follows:

  1. White Witch (The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis ’ 1950)
  2. Captain Hook (Peter Pan by JM Barrie ’ 1904)
  3. The Grand High Witch (The Witches by Roald Dahl ’ 1983)
  4. Wicked Stepmother (Snow White by Brothers Grimm ’ 1810)
  5. Cruella De Vil (The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith ’ 1956)
  6. Voldemort (Harry Potter books by JK Rowling ’ 1997)
  7. The Child Catcher (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming ’ from the 1968 film. Not the original book)
  8. Miss Trunchbull (Matilda by Roald Dahl ’ 1988)
  9. The Wolf (Red Riding Hood by Brothers Grimm ’ 1810)
  10. Long John Silver (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson ’ 1883)




The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.