History BeautyEqualsGoodness / Literature

* The series ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' is especially notorious for this trope, seeing as Bella's narration does nothing but describe other characters' physical appearances and how wonderful or horrible it makes them as a being, depending on how they look. She primarily judges people based on their looks, so you can tell how important and "nice" a character's going to be based on how Bella finds them attractive. The only exception to this rule is Rosalie, who's depicted as [[DumbBlonde shallow and vain]], but that's just Meyer expressing her [[AuthorFilibuster blonde-female hate]].

* Subverted wonderfully in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'', in which the main character, thanks to his mother being poisoned while pregnant with him, is a brittle-boned dwarf who is considered worse than unattractive by his mutation-horrified homeworld. Unsurprisingly, most of the women who look past that are 'galactics'; one of these is a genetically engineered prototype-soldier who's eight feet tall and as strong as two men. Eventually, even more subversive to this trope, Vorkosigan [[spoiler:marries a woman from his own planet who loves him much more than her former, physically-attractive-but-a-total-jerk husband and thinks he's perfect the way he is.]]

* Every single one of Creator/{{Danielle Steel}}'s protagonists is stunningly gorgeous or handsome, without any extra effort or help needed, and if they're over forty, it's frequently mentioned that they look much younger than they are. The closest she's come to an unattractive heroine is the HollywoodPudgy title character of the novel "Big Girl". The beauty is just the tip of the iceberg, as most of them border on PuritySue--intelligent, hard-working, etc. Any "flaws" only serve to make them more endearing and appealing.

I might add that this was a man of great pride, that his calm, firm gaze seemed to reflect thinking on an elevated plane, and that the harmony of his facial expressions and bodily movements resulted in an overall effect of unquestionable candoraccording to the findings of physiognomists, those analysts of facial character.\\
[[IsThatWhatTheyreCallingItNow I felt "involuntarily reassured" in his presence]], and this boded well for our interview.''

* Shakespeare's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnet_130 Sonnet CXXX]], a poetic TakeThat towards his contemporaries (and predecessors. [[OverlyLongGag and successors.]])

* Creator/CSLewis sometimes uses this in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''. The most prominent instance: the ''Dawn Treader'' party meets the star's daughter [[spoiler: who became Caspian's wife]] and think, "When they looked at her they thought they had never before known what beauty meant." Another example, Swanwhite the (good) Queen who lived in one of the long periods of peace in-between the Chronicles, "was so beautiful that when she looked into any forest pool the reflection of her face shone out of the water like a star by night for a year and a day afterwards." Lewis certainly did not believe that external beauty ''equalled'' internal goodness [[BeautyIsBad as demonstrated elsewhere in the Chronicles,]], but he did believe in internal goodness expressing itself, eventually, as visible beauty. This is beautifully and ultimately demonstrated in Literature/TheLastBattle, when Emeth describes Polly, Lucy, and Jill with "O Ladies, whose beauty illuminates the universe." Since he and everyone else still in the story is in [[{{Heaven}} a state where they both see and speak Truth]], it is the utterance of a truly reliable witness.

* Zig-zagged in the ''Literature/LunarChronicles''. Our heroine Cinder is considered disfigured due to being a cyborg but her appearance is otherwise average. Her stepmother and stepsister are described as beautiful but cruel and abusive, while the kinder stepsister is also pretty. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Levana]] is beautiful but it's only a Lunar glamor she's projecting and is possibly average-looking or even ugly. Played straight with the handsome Prince Kai, Cress and Thorne.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' both follows and subverts this trope with various characters. Many of TheBeautifulElite are admired for their regal or exotic appearance, such as Cersei Lannister or Joffrey Baratheon, but are actually quite incompetent and cruel. Others are mocked, belittled or hated for their ugly appearance, including Brienne of Tarth and Tyrion Lannister, but show far more compassion and integrity than many others. However, other characters follow this trope straight. Many heroic characters are described as being quite handsome or beautiful, such as Daenerys Targaryen ([[WellIntentionedExtremist arguably]]) and Sansa Stark. Many villainous or anti-villainous characters are also quite hideous, such as Sandor Clegane (though he looks hideous due to his monstrous brother burning his face, leading to him becoming cynical and bad-tempered, though shows a kinder side occasionally, though it is very well-hidden). In general, a character's appearance is more likely to be an influence on their personality rather than a reflection of it.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes has an in-universe example: Holmes points out to Watson that the ugliest man he had ever seen was a philanthropist who donates a quarter of a million pounds to charity, while the most beautiful woman he ever met was hung for poisoning children.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes has an in-universe example: At the time of writing, this trope was considered universal truth, and Watson immediately fingers the ugliest suspect as the killer. Holmes merely tuts and points out that none of the killers he has put away was worse than average-looking, and that the ugliest man he has ever seen is a philanthropist who donates half a million pounds a year to charity, while the most beautiful woman he ever met was hung for poisoning children.

* ''Literature/TheScarletLetter'': Played almost [[{{Narm}} laughably]] straight with Hester Prynne, whose beauty the narrator goes into ridiculous amounts of detail describing. On the opposite side, her neglectful and vengeful husband has mildly deformed shoulders and becomes more malevolent-looking as the book goes on. A bit of a subversion exists, though, in that the main narrative thrust of the book centers around the fact that Hester is a sinner and an adulteress, and how she suffers for her actions; it's somewhat debatable as to just how much sympathy Nathaniel Hawthorne has for his character. This applies even more straightly to Hester's ''daughter'' (who is even named Pearl), though, as among other things Hawthorne [[{{Anvilicious}} drives home the fact (with a piledriver)]] that the sins of the parents do not apply to the [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent children]]. And in the mid-19th century, [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped some people really needed to be told that]], to be honest.

* An example who was once a subversion: To the vast surprise of most people, Lancelot in ''[[KingArthur Le Morte d'Arthur]]'' and other early Arthurian works is not the handsome "PrinceCharming" figure he tends to be portrayed as in modern media, but a stocky, barrel-chested walking meat wall who is notably plain in appearance. (He's also a mentally unstable berserker given to complete psychotic breakdowns at the drop of a hat. Naturally, since Creator/JohnCleese is an Arthurian scholar, ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' got him completely right.)

* Often inverted in Creater/AgathaChristie novels, which are replete with examples of beautiful people using their looks to get away with a whole host of seedy behavior. In particular, in one of the few consistent tells throughout her writing, [[spoiler: if the narrative goes out of its way to describe a young man as handsome or pretty, nine times out of ten, he's the murderer.]]

* One ''Ghosts of Literature/FearStreet'' book has the protagonist acquire a ClingyMacGuffin whose owners turn out to be tentacled, sluglike aliens. Another alien who looks more humanoid shows up and ostensibly tries to help the protagonist. The fact that the slugs turn out to be the good guys, while the humanoid alien is an intergalactic criminal they're trying to catch, is meant to be a twist.

* All of the protagonists of [[Literature/{{Dragons}} The Last Dragon Chronicles]] are described as - at the very least - good-looking at some point. Then, most bad guys are ugly as road kill. [[spoiler:AND THEN you have everyone who got infected by the Shadow - horribly deformed. But they're back to being pretty after it's gone.]]

* In "[[Literature/TheSilmarillion The Silmarillion]]" the Elf Prince (later Elf King) Fëanor is described as being quite good-looking, fitting in with his quality as TheAce among [[OurElvesAreBetter elves]]. However he is very arrogant, hot-blooded and obsessive, and comes across as a jerk, his actions, such as the kinslaying of the Teleri, leading to the Noldor being cursed for centuries.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes was not ''described'' as terribly good-looking -- and in fact his creator Conan Doyle criticized the stories' illustrators for their portrayals of the character, saying that he had always imagined Holmes as "uglier" than they had depicted him in their drawings (though he added that "perhaps from the point of view of my lady readers, it was as well"). ''Watson'' was supposed to be the attractive one (and quite a ladies' man to boot). Unsurprisingly, this is generally ignored in screen adaptations.
** There is also an in-universe example: At the time of writing, this trope was considered universal truth, and Watson immediately fingers the ugliest suspect as the killer. Holmes merely tuts and points out that none of the killers he has put away was worse than average-looking, and that the ugliest man he has ever seen is a philanthropist who donates half a million pounds a year to charity, while the most beautiful woman he ever met was hung for poisoning children.

** The magic-hating and repressive Dursley family are all either fat, or, in the case of Harry's Aunt Petunia, horse-faced. The story very clearly draws parallels between the obesity of Harry's cousin Dudley and his materialistic gluttony, as well as between Aunt Petunia's long neck and her nosiness and propensity to spy on neighbors over fences. Her sister/Harry's mom, Lily, is described as having been quite pretty and was much nicer than her.In the final book, when Dudley has matured past being a thug and bully and has let go of his animosity towards Harry and the magical world, he is no longer fat but muscular and presumably quite attractive.

** The cats aren't even immune. Of course Zoey's cat Nala is cute and Likable, while Aphrodite's cat is horrible and mean, and the only cat described as being ugly in the books. She's named [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] if it isn't obvious already that she's horrible.

%%* ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'': Miss Honey.

** The magic-hating and repressive Dursley family are all either fat, or, in the case of Harry's Aunt Petunia, horse-faced. The story very clearly draws parallels between the obesity of Harry's cousin Dudley and his materialistic gluttony, as well as between Aunt Petunia's long neck and her nosiness and propensity to spy on neighbors over fences. In the final book, when Dudley has matured past being a thug and bully and has let go of his animosity towards Harry and the magical world, he is no longer fat but muscular and presumably quite attractive.

* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Played with. There are the Whistlers, the hero's family, who are all very good-looking. Their neighbours, the Brindles, "look like horses" according to Jerin, and have a reputation for starting fights at markets and fairs and the like. Then there is Keifer Porter, who allegedly was very, very, pretty, but also very, very cruel towards his [[ExoticExtendedMarriage wives]], using psychological abuse against the older ones, while physically hurting at least one of the defenseless, younger ones.

** There is also an in-universe example: At the time of writing, this trope was considered universal truth, and Watson immediately fingers the ugliest suspect as the killer. Holmes merely tuts and points out that none of the killers he has put away was worse than average-looking, and that the ugliest man he has ever seen is a philanthropist who donates half a million pounds a year to charity.

* Often subverted in ''Literature/HarryPotter.'' [[AdaptationalAttractiveness No matter how attractive the movie actors may be]], characters are often described with more negative physical traits than positive---for example Harry is introduced as having knobby knees, messy hair, and perpetually-broken glasses. Other evil characters, like Bellatrix Black and the teenage Voldemort, are attractive.
** Bellatrix is sort of in between subverting and playing straight this trope - while she ''[[IWasQuiteALooker was]]'' clearly quite attractive, she is shown to be gaunt and worn from her time in Azkaban. On the other hand, the same is said about Sirius. And while Harry did think at one point that the Slytherins mostly appeared to be an unattractive lot[[note]]it is likely this meant personality-wise[[/note]], some, like Blaise Zabini, are considered to be quite attractive. Plus, seeing as Harry tended to be a bit biased against the Slytherins, there is a case of UnreliableNarrator to consider.
** There are further aversions with the likes of Mad-eye Moody. Played straight with a few villains like the Carrows, and Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson, the latter who is described as looking like "a pug".
** It's also worth mentioning Gilderoy Lockheart. He's represented as very handsome and charming and has published several books about his various heroic deeds. It's then found out that he's been finding people who banish werewolves and such and modify their memory, then taking their credit. He claims that one reason he did this is that the people who did these things weren't very pretty.
*** The general rule is that ugliness will not make you become evil, but [[EvilMakesYouUgly evilness will make you become ugly]]. Voldemort's looks began to deteriorate when he started using large amounts of dark magic resulting in his inhuman appearance, while Bellatrix lost her beauty through insanity and her stay in Azkaban. More morally ambiguous characters like the Malfoys are the middle ground; Lucius is never said to be particularly attractive in the books, and Draco is occasionally called ferret-like. Narcissa is beautiful because she's a Black ([[StrongFamilyResemblance they're ''all'' described as good-looking]], and [[spoiler:later redeems the family through [[MamaBear motherly love]]]], however her beauty is marred by her snootiness.

* Played with in ''Literature/ABrothersPrice''. There are the Whistlers, the hero's family, who are all very good-looking. Their neighbours, the Brindles, "look like horses" according to Jerin, and have a reputation for starting fights at markets and fairs and the like. Then there is Keifer Porter, who allegedly was very, very, pretty, but also very, very cruel towards his [[ExoticExtendedMarriage wives]], using psychological abuse against the older ones, while physically hurting at least one of the defenseless, younger ones.

* Miss Honey from ''Literature/{{Matilda}}''.
* Naturally, played for laughs in ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'':
-->In all this ancient and mysterious history, the most mysterious figures of all were without a doubt the Great Circling poets of Arium. These Circling Poets used to live in remote mountain passes where they would lie in wait for small bands of unwary travelers, circle around them, and throw rocks at them.\\
And when the travelers cried out, saying why didn't they go away and get on with writing some poems instead of pestering people with all this rock-throwing business, they would suddenly stop, and then break into one of the seven hundred and ninety-four great Song Cycles of Vassillian. These songs were all of extraordinary beauty, and more extraordinary length, and all fell into exactly the same pattern.\\
The first part of each song would tell how there once went forth from the City of Vassillian a party of five sage princes with four horses. The princes, who are of course brave, noble and wise, travel widely in distant lands, fight giant ogres, pursue exotic philosophies, take tea with weird gods and rescue beautiful monsters from ravening princesses before finally announcing that they have achieved enlightenment and that their wanderings are therefore accomplished.\\
The second, and much longer, part of each song would then tell of all their bickerings about which one of them is going to have to walk back.

* Played almost [[{{Narm}} laughably]] straight with Hester Prynne of ''Literature/TheScarletLetter'', whose beauty the narrator goes into ridiculous amounts of detail describing. On the opposite side, her neglectful and vengeful husband has mildly deformed shoulders and becomes more malevolent-looking as the book goes on. A bit of a subversion exists, though, in that the main narrative thrust of the book centers around the fact that Hester is a sinner and an adulteress, and how she suffers for her actions; it's somewhat debatable as to just how much sympathy Nathaniel Hawthorne has for his character. This applies even more straightly to Hester's ''daughter'' (who is even named Pearl), though, as among other things Hawthorne [[{{Anvilicious}} drives home the fact (with a piledriver)]] that the sins of the parents do not apply to the [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent children]]. And in the mid-19th century, [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped some people really needed to be told that]], to be honest.