History JerkWithAHeartOfGold / Literature

* Gilbert Blythe of ''{{Anne of Green Gables}}'' starts off the series this way. He calls the girls names and pins their braids to their seats, but always apologizes for going too far (like calling a certain red-head "Carrots"). Eventually, he outgrows the jerk side.

** Possible inversion- The LEP files of the time specifially state that Artemius case file was being investigated by social services, possibly just a case of missinformation by the propaganda machine

* Sachar in ''{{Oblomov}}''. But he doesn't show his good side [[spoiler:until his master, the titular character, dies.]]

* Sachar in ''{{Oblomov}}''. But he doesn't show his good side until [[his master, the titular character, dies.]]

* Mat Cauthon in TheWheelOfTime. Also, everyone else to a lesser extent

* Ripred the Gnawer (read: rat) from {{The Underland Chronicles}} is this. He's an antisocial semi-loner with only a small band of outcasts around him, and doesn't respect anyone unless they earn it from him. He has his moments, such as in the first book comforting Gregor after one of the quest members dies and he feels it's his fault, but in the last book, we learn he had a family that drowned in an event described in the fourth book. He had a daughter, named Silksharp, that liked to do math puzzles and was apparently not very strong-bodied. Lizzie, the middle child of Gregor's family, reminds her of him. One of the [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] moments of the book is him comforting Lizzie in the middle of the night after she has a panic attack.

* Dedicate Rosethorn from the CircleOfMagic books is irritable, snarky, refuses any and all help when she desperately needs it, and constantly threatens gruesome deaths on her charges. Yet she gives a great deal of herself helping others - nursing the sick and restoring medicines in Briar's Book, leaving Summersea to save the village in Melting Stones (never mind that she's just returned from a war and is completely spiritually exhausted). She also adores her student, Briar, however much she tries not to show it.

* Superintendent Andrew Dalziel from the DalzielAndPascoe novels and TV series. He comes across as your typical overweight northern alcoholic bigot; but if you serve under him, despite the verbal abuse you'll get, he'll do his damndest to fight tooth and nail for you.

* Gilbert Blythe of {{Anne of Green Gables}} starts off the series this way. He calls the girls names and pins their braids to their seats, but always apologizes for going too far (like calling a certain red-head "Carrots"). Eventually, he outgrows the jerk side.

* In ''[[IClaudius Claudius the God]]'', Claudius describes his lifelong friend Herod Agrippa as "a scoundrel with a golden heart." His description of what this entails is classic JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* Jayfeather from ''WArriorCats''.

* Gilbert Blythe of {{Anne of Green Gables}} starts off the series this way. He calls the girls names and pins their braids to their seats, but always apologizes for going too far (like calling a certain red-head "Carrots"). Eventually, he outgrows the jerk side.

** While not a jerk, Horace Slughorn seems to be rather more concerned about his influence and knowing famous people than being a decent person, as well as being a bit 'old fashioned' (He seems to find the idea of muggle-borns being really good witches novel). However, [[spoiler:his terrible guilt over what he revealed to the young Tom Riddle as well as his willingness to personally fight Voldemort in the final book]] show that there's more to him than connections and influence.

** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] and demolished with regards to Albert, Death's manservant. "And it's no good thinking you can appeal to my better nature under this here crusty exterior, 'cos my interior's pretty damn crusty as well."

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