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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40178
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40178
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Two tropes you might want to look into are [Chivalrous Pervert](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChivalrousPervert) and [Lovable Sex Maniac](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LovableSexManiac).

The Chivalrous Pervert would be thinking about sex _a lot_. He would be unable to avert his gaze when that would have been the polite thing to do. He'd be constantly making passes at women. There'd be no doubt in any woman's mind that he's very much interested. But there are boundaries he would not cross. He would be a gentleman to all the women he meets. He'd never make himself actually unpleasant to a woman. In fact, he'd be the first to jump to a woman's defence (even if she really doesn't need it, and can, in fact, defend herself _and_ him).

The Lovable Sex Maniac is significantly more perverted, but in his case all the perversion is played for laughs. He's inappropriate (though, again, he doesn't cause actual harm). He's often over-the-top. He's so over-the-top, it's funny. And because it's funny, the reader is inclined to forgive the inappropriateness.

What those tropes have in common is that in both cases, the guy is actually harmless. You won't get sympathy for a character who victimises a woman by continually harassing her, for example.

There is of course the example of Humbert Humbert, from _Lolita_, but I wouldn't categorise him as "sympathetic". He is, however, captivating. This is achieved, I think, by him being so intelligent. His internal monologue is interesting to read. But he is captivating and repulsive at the same time, that's the beauty of that novel.

Original score: 6