Fabulous monsters Count Dracula, Alice, Superman, and other literary friends

Translator and critic Manguel (Packing My Library) expounds with thoughtfulness and humor on the lessons learned from some of his favorite literary characters in this insight-rich collection. "Fictional characters at their best often seem more alive than our friends of solid flesh," he reflects. Each short profile searches for the essence of a particular character, the bigger questions that they embody, and what they offer readers. Faust raises the question of what souls are worth in a time when the desired trade is for money or fame. Robinson Crusoe provides a sharp lesson in inequality and domination. Alice, of Wonderland fame, prompts a discussion of confronting madness with reason, and yet also finding reason in the madness. (The title of the volume itself comes from Through the Looking-Glass, namely the scene in which Alice and a unicorn agree to believe in each other.) Reflecting Manguel's far-flung interests, his subjects come from a wide variety of sources--novels, fairy tales, biblical stories, mythology--and also include Job, Lilith, Little Red Riding Hood, Quasimodo, and Sinbad. Though the profiles vary in success, the idea behind them is meaningful and powerful, and Manguel's whimsical illustrations add a charming note to an already winning assemblage. (Sept.)