"Characterisation" and creating depth in characters seems to be a popular issue at the moment.
I am just wondering how much specific characterisation Ian Fleming put into Mr Bond in the books. Then again, how deep a character are we presented with?
Is "character" really so significant in either the series or the films?
Do we, consciously or not, impose our own expectations on James?
:-)
David
That's a really interesting question! Maybe one reason Skyfall's been so successful is that this Bond suffered more common human frailties than has been the norm in the film series.
Having only read 'You Only Live Twice', personally I found Bond too arrogant for my taste, much preferring Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar. To be fair, I read both years ago when I was young and naïve ;) To that extent my own sensibilities probably coloured my view and I might feel differently reading Fleming today.