# Tragedies



## J.S.S (Jun 30, 2007)

Does anyone know any books with tragic heroes or books where the main character dies in the end?
I all ready have a complete works of Shakespeare book, so please no recommending him. Also I was wondering if there are many modern day tragedies?
Thanks in advance.​


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## Stewart (Jul 2, 2007)

The problem here is that it may not be known that the character dies toward the end and therefore it can be deemed a spoiler. With that in mind, here's two novels where the main character certainly dies:

_The Death Of Ivan Ilyich_, Leo Tolstoy
_Everyman_, Philip Roth

I would also steer you towards _A Prayer For Owen Meany _by John Irving. And Yukio Mishima's _The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea. _Oh, and _Lamb_ by Bernard MacLaverty.


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## Lance (Jul 2, 2007)

The Davinci Code, the tragedy was, the book was so bad.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jul 2, 2007)

What kind of books?  Fantasy?  Sci-Fi?  Mystery? Anything?


And Lance... shut up.


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## Lance (Jul 2, 2007)

> And Lance... shut up.


 
You follow me around to every topic I post, sorry I don't take commands from anyone, especially you. 

Report me.

Shame.


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## J.S.S (Jul 2, 2007)

Ilasir Maroa said:
			
		

> What kind of books?  Fantasy?  Sci-Fi?  Mystery? Anything?



Anything except horror, not a big fan of horror.


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## Ilasir Maroa (Jul 2, 2007)

And what level?  

Some of those above are older books.  Are you looking at contemporary books too?  I don't want to suggest something that turns out to be the wrong age level or something.


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## Shawn (Jul 2, 2007)

Tragedies are everywhere, but it's not just the main character dying. It's about a person who tries to do the right thing, but ends up losing. Not necessarily dying.

Tragedy really is an overused word. But I can't think of any contemporary ones right now.


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## Faustling (Jul 2, 2007)

Conn Iggulden's _Emperor _books about Julius Ceasar. Very entertaining and unless you're painfully ignorant about history it's no spoiler that the main character dies in the end.


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## Lance (Jul 2, 2007)

Faustling said:
			
		

> Conn Iggulden's _Emperor _books about Julius Ceasar. Very entertaining and unless you're painfully ignorant about history it's no spoiler that the main character dies in the end.


 
I would have never known if you hadn't of told me!!


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## Stewart (Jul 3, 2007)

Shawn said:
			
		

> Tragedies are everywhere, but it's not just the main character dying. It's about a person who tries to do the right thing, but ends up losing. Not necessarily dying.
> 
> Tragedy really is an overused word. But I can't think of any contemporary ones right now.


 
Everything ever written by Richard Yates, notably _Revolutionary Road._
_The Great Gatsby_, F. Scott Fitzgerald


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## Shawn (Jul 3, 2007)

Ah. I got a quarter through Gatsby and had to put it down... still haven't gotten back to it. Thanks for ruining it.


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## Stewart (Jul 3, 2007)

I've not even read it and know how it ends, thanks to Blake Bailey's excellent biography of the aforementioned Yates. If you want real life tragedy, in biography form, then that's a good place to look.


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## boongee (Jul 3, 2007)

A Prayer for Owen Meany


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## Edgewise (Jul 5, 2007)

Winston in "1984" by George Orwell


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## Shawn (Jul 5, 2007)

I hadn't thought of that! Wow... I'm out of it. 

That would also mean Snowball and Boxer in Animal Farm.


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## Lady_Kristin (Jul 5, 2007)

_Phantom_ by Susan Kay


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## Mustafa (Jul 6, 2007)

For contemporary works I would have to put out "The Green Mile" by King.  What gives it a little twist is that the tragedy is not in the main character dying, but living.


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