Too much thinking on my part...
I know there are some readers who are incredibly frustrated by Harry Dresden's chauvinism -- sorry, chivalry -- and wonder if it's a reflection of the author's own views/if the author is really chauvinistic/etc.
Personally? I think it's hilarious.
Why do I think that? Because I think Dresden fits with the more stereotypical heroine role than the stereotypical hero role.
If you have a heroine in almost any genre, especially if she's the primary character, you can pretty much take for granted she is going to be raped or there is going to be an attempt at it. This tends to be a defining thing for her and isn't often brought up. This rarely occurs to any hero. With Harry? We can feel pretty confident that it happened at least once, and in Changes I think any character besides Harry would consider the sex between him and Mab at least dub-con. There is hinting that something also happened between Lea and Harry when he was sixteen to seal the deal...pretty much literally. In regards to the fade-to-black incident with the Red Court, Harry never mentions it besides the random, curt comment, which he promptly drops: "They did things to me." Of course, Harry's like that with about every traumatic incident, which makes him the unreliable narrator we all love.
Actually, the field of sexuality and the questions that lie thereof are almost always regulated to the heroine. The hero tends to be completely secure in his sexuality. It's something he uses, not something that is used against him. Harry, while he grows more secure about it as the series progresses, tends to be skittish of it. He's almost afraid of it and is determined for years to link it only to love. In fact, the only time he is really willing to engage in sex where he knows where nothing will occur is at the end of Changes with Murphy, and at that point he thinks he's as good as metaphorically fucked anyway, so why not literal, too?
We have a guy who is loud and definite about being heterosexual while paying more attention to a mafia lord's eyes than his girlfriend's. I don't think it's homophobia, even if he does tend to stereotype a bit in the books. Since it's Harry and he's so fucking oblivious it's a miracle he's still alive, I don't find it insulting. He appears comfortable with homosexuality, just not any changes in his personal outlook, which is interesting. Again, makes it very clear he's heterosexual to his audience while checking out men. I think it's related to how he spends books only relating sex to women when love is involved.
Sexuality as a whole to him is scary and alien, and when he has a chance to talk about it with another character -- unfortunately for her, Molly -- his first thing is to pretty much ban it. Again, most heroes tend to be very secure in their sexuality, while it's usually more harmful, threatening, and confusing to heroines. It makes me wonder if this is why he also tries to be so clear-cut about gender roles.
And this is me thinking too much again. *coughs*
Personally? I think it's hilarious.
Why do I think that? Because I think Dresden fits with the more stereotypical heroine role than the stereotypical hero role.
If you have a heroine in almost any genre, especially if she's the primary character, you can pretty much take for granted she is going to be raped or there is going to be an attempt at it. This tends to be a defining thing for her and isn't often brought up. This rarely occurs to any hero. With Harry? We can feel pretty confident that it happened at least once, and in Changes I think any character besides Harry would consider the sex between him and Mab at least dub-con. There is hinting that something also happened between Lea and Harry when he was sixteen to seal the deal...pretty much literally. In regards to the fade-to-black incident with the Red Court, Harry never mentions it besides the random, curt comment, which he promptly drops: "They did things to me." Of course, Harry's like that with about every traumatic incident, which makes him the unreliable narrator we all love.
Actually, the field of sexuality and the questions that lie thereof are almost always regulated to the heroine. The hero tends to be completely secure in his sexuality. It's something he uses, not something that is used against him. Harry, while he grows more secure about it as the series progresses, tends to be skittish of it. He's almost afraid of it and is determined for years to link it only to love. In fact, the only time he is really willing to engage in sex where he knows where nothing will occur is at the end of Changes with Murphy, and at that point he thinks he's as good as metaphorically fucked anyway, so why not literal, too?
We have a guy who is loud and definite about being heterosexual while paying more attention to a mafia lord's eyes than his girlfriend's. I don't think it's homophobia, even if he does tend to stereotype a bit in the books. Since it's Harry and he's so fucking oblivious it's a miracle he's still alive, I don't find it insulting. He appears comfortable with homosexuality, just not any changes in his personal outlook, which is interesting. Again, makes it very clear he's heterosexual to his audience while checking out men. I think it's related to how he spends books only relating sex to women when love is involved.
Sexuality as a whole to him is scary and alien, and when he has a chance to talk about it with another character -- unfortunately for her, Molly -- his first thing is to pretty much ban it. Again, most heroes tend to be very secure in their sexuality, while it's usually more harmful, threatening, and confusing to heroines. It makes me wonder if this is why he also tries to be so clear-cut about gender roles.
And this is me thinking too much again. *coughs*