Women in Fantasy
The Sirens Conference has issued their latest newsletter, which just gets my brain fizzing all over again.
Here is a chance for women of all ages to get together and talk about books. Not just books, but the fantasy genre. No apologetics required for liking fantasy instead of stern-browed literary exiguities, the context is an unapologetic We love this stuff. Let's look at the reasons why.
So I'm thinking, well, what are the reasons why? This is not an invitation to bash fantasy written by men--I read plenty of it, and enjoy it. But what makes female fantasy writers become favorites for readers?
Here are some ideas I'd love to see talked about.
"I've read Tortall/Twilight/the Blue Sword/Darkover/A Wrinkle in Time/Graceling/Kushiel books/you pick 100 times, and I never get tired of it!" What makes certain books into lifetime favorites?
Why does wish fulfillment work? It's obvious why it works for kids, but what about those of us who haven't been carded for several decades--what makes us enjoy a book that is basically wish fulfillment? (My own feeling is that first, 'wish fulfillment' has to be broken down several ways. For example, there is a difference between the "she's the princess just because," like Bella of Twilight, who we are told is ordinary, even a bit clumsy, but when she's the new girl at school, everybody is interested in her or wants to be her friend--and of course the hot vamp guy who's been seeing high school girls for a century becomes instantly obsessed.
Then there is the Hariman-sol wish fulfillment heroine--she goes from awkward younger sister to winner of the contest, the battle, and the king's hand in marriage, but she works hard for every one of her wins. Wish fulfillment where we win is a powerful draw . . . how many of us work hard for our dream, just to get hit by a bus, or have a piano fall on our head? Or have everyone laugh at our efforts?
Then there is the wish-fulfillment heroine who wins because she was a victim. At the end, if she wishes hard enough--her emotions are intense enough--she gains superpowers, and is crowned queen of the universe.
Women in fantasy and sex. How has that changed over the years? Well, forty years ago, there wasn't any sex, except that vague reference to "bad" girls. They were supposed to either die or go to jail at story's end. Good girls, we were told, never thought about sex, except as an unspoken duty after wedding bells . . . so what about the stories dripping with UST that we read and reread? Why does UST work as well as it does? What kind of characters do we find sexy, and how do those differ from what male readers find sexy? What female writers are writing sexy stuff for male readers--and which male readers are writing sexy stuff for female readers?
Woman warriors. What do we mean by 'woman warriors'--do we want to read about spine-snapping, skull-smashing, body-count-piling woman berserkers? Where do revenge tales fit in, and what sorts of things are women getting revenge for now, as opposed to tales of the past when they got revenge against other women for 'stealing' their men, or against those who attacked their children? My own favorites are not the hackersmashers, but I love to see women win in heist stories. In the past, men got to be the clever ones, and women were decoys, or prizes, or sometimes villains, but planners? Active agents carrying out the heist? Why isn't there an Oceans Eleven with women? I'd write one, if I thought there was a chance of selling it!
Women taking charge--competent women--women who arewomen, and who don't read like feminized male stereotypes . . . what are some of the stereotypes emerging from the 'new' tales of the seventies? Whose influence are we seeing everywhere?
Just a few ideas. Am I the only one who finds these compelling?
Here is a chance for women of all ages to get together and talk about books. Not just books, but the fantasy genre. No apologetics required for liking fantasy instead of stern-browed literary exiguities, the context is an unapologetic We love this stuff. Let's look at the reasons why.
So I'm thinking, well, what are the reasons why? This is not an invitation to bash fantasy written by men--I read plenty of it, and enjoy it. But what makes female fantasy writers become favorites for readers?
Here are some ideas I'd love to see talked about.
"I've read Tortall/Twilight/the Blue Sword/Darkover/A Wrinkle in Time/Graceling/Kushiel books/you pick 100 times, and I never get tired of it!" What makes certain books into lifetime favorites?
Why does wish fulfillment work? It's obvious why it works for kids, but what about those of us who haven't been carded for several decades--what makes us enjoy a book that is basically wish fulfillment? (My own feeling is that first, 'wish fulfillment' has to be broken down several ways. For example, there is a difference between the "she's the princess just because," like Bella of Twilight, who we are told is ordinary, even a bit clumsy, but when she's the new girl at school, everybody is interested in her or wants to be her friend--and of course the hot vamp guy who's been seeing high school girls for a century becomes instantly obsessed.
Then there is the Hariman-sol wish fulfillment heroine--she goes from awkward younger sister to winner of the contest, the battle, and the king's hand in marriage, but she works hard for every one of her wins. Wish fulfillment where we win is a powerful draw . . . how many of us work hard for our dream, just to get hit by a bus, or have a piano fall on our head? Or have everyone laugh at our efforts?
Then there is the wish-fulfillment heroine who wins because she was a victim. At the end, if she wishes hard enough--her emotions are intense enough--she gains superpowers, and is crowned queen of the universe.
Women in fantasy and sex. How has that changed over the years? Well, forty years ago, there wasn't any sex, except that vague reference to "bad" girls. They were supposed to either die or go to jail at story's end. Good girls, we were told, never thought about sex, except as an unspoken duty after wedding bells . . . so what about the stories dripping with UST that we read and reread? Why does UST work as well as it does? What kind of characters do we find sexy, and how do those differ from what male readers find sexy? What female writers are writing sexy stuff for male readers--and which male readers are writing sexy stuff for female readers?
Woman warriors. What do we mean by 'woman warriors'--do we want to read about spine-snapping, skull-smashing, body-count-piling woman berserkers? Where do revenge tales fit in, and what sorts of things are women getting revenge for now, as opposed to tales of the past when they got revenge against other women for 'stealing' their men, or against those who attacked their children? My own favorites are not the hackersmashers, but I love to see women win in heist stories. In the past, men got to be the clever ones, and women were decoys, or prizes, or sometimes villains, but planners? Active agents carrying out the heist? Why isn't there an Oceans Eleven with women? I'd write one, if I thought there was a chance of selling it!
Women taking charge--competent women--women who arewomen, and who don't read like feminized male stereotypes . . . what are some of the stereotypes emerging from the 'new' tales of the seventies? Whose influence are we seeing everywhere?
Just a few ideas. Am I the only one who finds these compelling?