A question... And some more banners
A couple of posts by people on my f-list, (whose names I won't mention because this is in no way a comment on what they said), have again got me pondering something I've been wondering for a while
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Yes, like those silly Mary-Sue tests. But I have seen it used as some sort of standard -- AO3 even has a 'Passes the Bechdel test' tag!
I didn't read it when I first found it - I am sure it wasn't the cross-over element and so I am not sure why I skipped over...
It's a pity you don't remember, because I'd love to know! It's like a poor relation, or a Victorian orphan, or something. When I was writing it, my Dad was very ill, and I was spending a lot of time driving to Manchester and back, etc, struggling to keep the story going, with only half of my mind focussed on it, and it changed direction, and it grew, and got out of hand...
But it has a lot of stuff in it that I'm quite proud of (including a couple of battle scenes) and, having spent the afternoon editing the first five chapters, I'm beginning to think that, with careful expansion of a few obscure points, I can actually cure what I thought were major structural problems...
I will let you know when the new version is up -- I may even post it here!
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But why would anybody care? AO3's 'all fanfic writers are women writing for women, and if they aren't they ought to be, but we will tolerate men as long as they realise it is a feminine pursuit' underpinnings showing again, I presume!
A good story is a good story - adding bits or taking bits out to 'pass' such an arbitrary line on the sand is likely to detract from how good the story is, I would think.
Any story where a female character interacts with males rather than other females would seem to fail straight away - no matter what form her interaction is.
So your Éowyn leading investigations, or my Tindómë spending a chapter pointing out to the twins why most of their arguments are a load of rubbish, would, of course, fail. But a tale of two elderly ladies discussing whose turn it is to make the tea would pass...
As for Shadowland - I think I didn't really understand what was going on - I was as confused as Éowyn, but I stopped before I did understand. I think I was actually reading it too quickly that first time - when I went back I could see the clues better, maybe?
I meant to say, as well, that I do agree that the Bechdel test is useful for showing up the way women are all too often seen in Hollywood films - just that it is too clumsy.
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