Re: Female characters
- From: djheydt@xxxxxxxxxxx (Dorothy J Heydt)
- Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 04:46:01 GMT
In article <1180585092.123281.155110@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
J.Pascal <julie@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On May 30, 9:54 pm, Erol K. Bayburt <Ero...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Wed, 30 May 2007 17:53:25 -0700, David Friedman
<d...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Some time back, I raised the question of why women warriors were so
common in modern fantasy (including my _Harald_, as it happens). It got
diverted into an argument about how common they were historically, but I
thought it might be worth going back to the original question.
One obvious reason is that there are women who want to identify with the
character and like the idea of being a warrior, but I think there are
others--certainly that wasn't my reason. I think part of it is that the
tension between the conventional view of women and the situation of a
woman warrior is dramatically useful. Part of that is just the effect of
breaking conventions. But a different part is that readers, at least
male readers, are likely to retain the feeling that women are
particularly vulnerable and to be protected, and that makes situations
where they are at immediate risk more poignant than the same situations
with male characters.
Other reasons?
One possible reason: "Why can't women be more like men?" - women
warrior characters are more like men.
Googling for my comments in the previous incarnation of this
discussion, I opined that another reason was that women in the warrior
role threw off "highly desirable woman" signals (healthy, high-status,
a competent protector of her children, etc.)
I'd also like to note, again, that it isn't just *modern* fantasy
where women warriors are found. So I'd bet on the reasons being
multiple, old, and deep.
This reminds me of an article I read about why Esther got in the Bible
and this other lady (Jude?) did not. The person writing supposed it
was because men put the Bible together and Esther was more acceptable
to them because she held a more subservient role while the other lady
was independent and a spy, taking the battle to the enemy, defeating
some commander type (shades of the lady who *did* make it into the
cannon who killed the opposing general with a tent stake in his head)
and ended the story *still* single and independent and dedicated to
serving G-d.
Jael, who drove the tent stake through Sisera's head? She was married.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jael
And she's in the Book of Judges.
Judith, now, is in the Book of Judith, considered canonical by
some and not by others. She decapitated Holofernes, and she was
a widow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith
Getting back to Esther, she didn't lack courage. You'll recall
that she went into the court to approach the king without having
been summoned, which was punishable by death. (Even though the
king was her husband.) It was the kind of stubborn (I don't want
to say "passive") courage that makes one stick to one's post in
the face of danger, not the overt kind that makes one go charging
into the battle, but courage nonetheless.
And I thought... no... it's because this lady was pretty obviously in
an adventure novel pretty much aimed at men. Thus, she had to remain
*available*. She was pious and beautiful and brave and... single.
Which one are you talking about, now? Judith, the widow? Or
Jael, who was definitely married?
Dorothy J. Heydt
Albany, California
djheydt@xxxxxxxxxxx
.
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