In honour of Valentine's Day, we've ranked literature's most famous romantic leads by their date potential - from modern icons like Edward Cullen and Noah Calhoun to classic heroes Mr Darcy and Mr Rochester.
Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Likes: Wiley windy moors, drinking, gambling, cursing
Dislikes: Coventional morality, his family, you
Perfect date: Sitting in a dark room glaring at you, like any well-adjusted human being
Our verdict: 1/5. Avoid at all costs
Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre
Likes: Plain Janes, being serious, telling other people what to do
Dislikes: Bonfire night, Heathcliff (he’s his rival), women who won’t stay in line, illegitimate children
Perfect date: Locking you in the attic. Just kidding. Reading aloud together – but under no circumstances near an open fire
Oliver Mellors in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Likes: Game keeping, staring intensely for hours without saying that much, erotic fiction
Dislikes: Most people
Perfect date: Someone reported my response as too X-rated to print
Our verdict: 2.5/5
Edward Cullen in the Twilight novels
Likes: Cringe one-liners, playing the piano, moping, brooding
Dislikes: Eternal life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, drinking blood
Perfect date: Navel-gazing at an appropriately indie concert followed by a moonlit stroll through a graveyard
Our verdict: 3/5
Marius in Les Miserables
Likes: Love at first sight, champagne socialism, Eddie Redmayne
Dislikes: Empty chairs, empty tables, the unequal distribution of wealth
Perfect date: A protest march with an impromptu sing-song
Our verdict: 3.5/5
Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind
Likes: Witty putdowns, picking up the cheque, smoking cigars, wealth, twiddling his moustache, feisty women
Dislikes: Weak men, liberals, Justin Bieber
Perfect date: Cruising around the Deep South on a luxury yacht
Our verdict: 4/5
Brian Jackson in Starter For 10
Likes: The Cure, fancy dress, politics, University Challenge, English Literature
Dislikes: Pretentious people, small talk, Benedict Cumberbatch
Perfect date: Sharing a bottle of red wine in my halls of residence
Our verdict: 4/5...If you’re around the 18-22 years-old age bracket
Noah Calhoun in The Notebook
Likes: Writing long love letters, building things, 1940s vinyl records, dancing outside, Walt Whitman poetry, hipster beards
Dislikes: Dating apps, authority figures, TV
Perfect date: Boating through a swan-filled lake at dusk
Our verdict: 4.5/5 (because he's not actually Ryan Gosling...)
Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice
Likes: Wading through ponds, letter writing, Derbyshire, intense stares, doing the right and noble thing
Dislikes: Duplicity, bad manners, embarassing relatives, meaningless chit-chat, superfluous comparisons to Bridget Jones' Diary
Perfect date: A walk through the grounds at Pemberley followed by a tour of the library
Our verdict: 2/5 at first, 5/5 happily ever after