The most glaringly obvious literary model, other than Heathcliff, is Dante.
And I don't agree that Edmund was a thoroughly nasty little boy. Well, he was a bit of a stinker in LWW. but grew to be the kindest and fairest-minded of the children. I like Edmund!
However, over and above all of these, the clearest literary model I saw in Severus Snape was Aragorn. Both "look foul but feel fair', and both show through their actions who and what they really are -- and that we shouldn't judge by appearances.
Snape's not an anti-hero. He's a hero.
And I don't agree that Edmund was a thoroughly nasty little boy. Well, he was a bit of a stinker in LWW. but grew to be the kindest and fairest-minded of the children. I like Edmund!
However, over and above all of these, the clearest literary model I saw in Severus Snape was Aragorn. Both "look foul but feel fair', and both show through their actions who and what they really are -- and that we shouldn't judge by appearances.
Snape's not an anti-hero. He's a hero.