Sexism in Literature
I wish I could remember who it was, but I read the other day a very competent essay on sexism in writing. I found it honest, fair-minded, and compelling. I was happy that it wasn't a "the Man is keeping us down" piece. The general concept was that, while gender equality has made great strides over the past few decades, we have simply moved from explicit to implicit sexism. You're more likely to find a heroine rather than a damsel in distress than you were 50 years ago, but usually that heroine is given masculine traits to allow her to be heroic.
That made me stop and realize that the first main character I ever wrote for the Third World follows that mold precisely. In Maya's case, she lives in a harsh environment and if she isn't hard, she'll die. But I would like to have another female character that could be more effeminate and still be heroic. But I'm having trouble finding a place to put such a character. (I may use Poet from The End of Bliss in later books, but she'll never attain main character status.)
This flows into her second point, and this one my reaction to was "nuh uh!" but I think I may have proven her right without meaning to. Even when the author has no intention to cast gender roles, he will equate genders to particular character traits and will fundamentally gravitate toward his or her preferred gender. So of my current main characters, all of them are male except for one. The one female character exhibits masculine traits. I've become a statistic!
lurkerwithout had a good critique in his journal about sexism in comics and how women are so frequently used merely as plot devices for the men. This is tremendously true and I'm guilty of this myself. What I'm worried about, and the impetus for this post, is that I may have overdone it in The End of Bliss
There are four primary women in this book: Mahli, Ayime, Poet, and Angelique.
Mahli: Raped by a bishop, spurring Bear to kill the bishop.
Ayime: A tribute to Robert E. Howard, she hangs out in her birthday suit
Poet: A simple flower girl that tempts Rian Inkwright to break his vows
Angelique: Covered head to toe, soothsayer, there to have Bear fall in love before she dies
How disappointing is that? Most of them have little less than one dimension and none of them are anything more than a plot device. But I like the story I'm crafting. It's epic fantasy with a dash of sword and sorcery and a garnish of pulp. I like it. I just wish I could find a way to maintain what I like about the story without perpetuating the cycle. (I'll have to see if I can't make Poet a better character. If I do, though, that probably won't happen until Cause and Conviction if not What Know You of Peace. I hope I haven't been pigeonholed by then.)
I'm touchy on the subject. I get accused of being a sexist more often than I like. When I ask them why they would ever call me that, what I had done, they're answers always start "well I just assumed..." What about me says "sexist"? Should I be judged by the actions and statements? Look, he's short and fat! He's a sexist! What the fuck is that about? (The most recent occasion I was told it's because I always think I'm smarter than women. I had to correct her and tell her that I always think I'm smarter than everyone and gender has nothing to do with it.)
That made me stop and realize that the first main character I ever wrote for the Third World follows that mold precisely. In Maya's case, she lives in a harsh environment and if she isn't hard, she'll die. But I would like to have another female character that could be more effeminate and still be heroic. But I'm having trouble finding a place to put such a character. (I may use Poet from The End of Bliss in later books, but she'll never attain main character status.)
This flows into her second point, and this one my reaction to was "nuh uh!" but I think I may have proven her right without meaning to. Even when the author has no intention to cast gender roles, he will equate genders to particular character traits and will fundamentally gravitate toward his or her preferred gender. So of my current main characters, all of them are male except for one. The one female character exhibits masculine traits. I've become a statistic!
lurkerwithout had a good critique in his journal about sexism in comics and how women are so frequently used merely as plot devices for the men. This is tremendously true and I'm guilty of this myself. What I'm worried about, and the impetus for this post, is that I may have overdone it in The End of Bliss
There are four primary women in this book: Mahli, Ayime, Poet, and Angelique.
Mahli: Raped by a bishop, spurring Bear to kill the bishop.
Ayime: A tribute to Robert E. Howard, she hangs out in her birthday suit
Poet: A simple flower girl that tempts Rian Inkwright to break his vows
Angelique: Covered head to toe, soothsayer, there to have Bear fall in love before she dies
How disappointing is that? Most of them have little less than one dimension and none of them are anything more than a plot device. But I like the story I'm crafting. It's epic fantasy with a dash of sword and sorcery and a garnish of pulp. I like it. I just wish I could find a way to maintain what I like about the story without perpetuating the cycle. (I'll have to see if I can't make Poet a better character. If I do, though, that probably won't happen until Cause and Conviction if not What Know You of Peace. I hope I haven't been pigeonholed by then.)
I'm touchy on the subject. I get accused of being a sexist more often than I like. When I ask them why they would ever call me that, what I had done, they're answers always start "well I just assumed..." What about me says "sexist"? Should I be judged by the actions and statements? Look, he's short and fat! He's a sexist! What the fuck is that about? (The most recent occasion I was told it's because I always think I'm smarter than women. I had to correct her and tell her that I always think I'm smarter than everyone and gender has nothing to do with it.)