Asking out of curiosity here... you never know, one day this kind of information might come in useful.

Is there a classic book - fiction, non-fiction, biography, whatever - that Clark might pick as his very favourite book of all time? One he'd, say, love to have a first edition of, or the one book on his shelves he'd grab first out of all of them in the event of a fire?

Looking forward to suggestions.


Wendy

The Ugly Duckling? A childhood favorite about someone kept apart for being born different...

Or Peter Pan. Escape to a place where people can fly and be themselves.

Tuck Everlasting, too, for similar reasons. Secrets that separate a family from the rest of the world, a debate about how good or bad immortality is, and a love story. What more could young Clark want?

Getting a little more mature, there's Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. Alien planets, special people (isolation again), mysterious government projects, and facinating and brilliant insights into the human psyche.

Or maybe something about an adoptee?

Or the Scarlet Pimpernel. It's more classic, and it has adventure and a hero with a secret identity.

Hmm... Not sure what else...

Interesting question, Wendy.

Or something in another language, picked up by his travels. I had him refer to Barjavel's <i>La nuit des temps</i>, and I could see him connecting to that. Someone brought out of her own advanced world and having difficulty fitting in here, true requited love.... In a lot of ways, Clark's in the same position, but reversed -- he does have the trouble fitting in, but he doesn't remember where he's from; he found his true love here rather than leaving it behind.

Well, in the comics his favorite book (and movie) is To Kill a Mockingbird. I would assume this is due to the premise that doing what's right is not always popular and what's popular is not always right. Also, like Atticus Finch, Clark protects and helps those who can't help themselves. I think it's logical that he would identify with the story and the hero of that book.

Dr. Jeykyll and Mr. Hyde?

c

I don't remember it ever being mentioned in the comics, but it's quite possible. (My memory is not exactly something to be counted on).

Interestingly enough, To Kill a Mockingbird is the first book I thought of when I read the question.

Tank (who doesn't believe that Wendy is 'just curious' about this)

Hmmm, now that I think about it, I don't know if they specifically mentioned it being his favorite book, but I know that when Clark comes back after being killed by Doomsday, he mentions that To Kill a Mockingbird is his favorite movie in order to prove to Lois that it's really him.

Since the movie stuck so close to the novel, it would make sense that it's also his favorite book, unless he's simply a Gregory Peck fan .

Yes, it was mentioned in Roger Stern's Superman novel - the Death and Life of S. I'd thought Superman asked Lois what his favourite "book" was, but it's been a long time since I read Stern's novel. Maybe someone out there can remember the quote?

c

Hmmm. Let me see. *pulls book off the shelf and starts flipping through it*

Thanks for checking, Karen. Movie, it is, then, but for some reason I'm disapointed that it was the movie and not the book he chose. No idea why.

c.

Okay I have no good reason for this, but I can imagine Clark really getting into some Classic poetry like Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass or a collection by William Butler Yeats. Just me though. I have no logic as to why I would think that.

Marcy

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I've found this fascinating. And really useful.

Tank said:

...and you'd be right. Explanation in the fanfic folder.


Wendy