Today’s topic: the role of gender in fantasy literature. As societal expectations regarding sex and power change, our ideas of the appropriate traits for a hero or heroine evolve, too. For instance, today’s contemporary fantasy heroines almost reflexively assert their rugged individualist independence by being annoyed at the overprotective males in their lives. Too, male vampires and werevolves are sometimes made genetically predisposed to be overprotective jerks so that we can excuse their more annoying tendencies. Or consider Harry Dresden, one of my favorite fictional characters who is clearly not a jerk. Chicago’s favorite gumshoeing wizard doesn’t exactly apologize for his old-fashioned chivalry toward women, but he does justify it, as if author Jim Butcher recognizes that a protective attitude toward women can be endearing so long as it is portrayed as a quirk and kept in strict check.
Things becom
e more complicated when we move backward in history into steampunk, medieval, or even earlier adventures. In a nutshell, a hero or heroine with twenty-first century sensibilities can feel out of place, jarringly anachronistic or unbelievable if her attitudes are too twenty-first century. Please note in saying that I am not implying that women were historically shrinking violets or that historical men were chauvinists.
Recently, I read Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker, a carefully crafted steampunk (steam-engine era) story of a mother on a mission to save her son. The protagonist is not particularly maternal, by any stretch, but she sets out to do the right thing for her family regardless of the social consequences, and we love her for it. Yet reading it, I began to wonder: Would the story have been as powerful if it had been about a father rather than a mother?
And while I was in the throes of this crisis of possible personal hypocrisy, I read both books in Caitlin Kittredge’s newest Black London series. Kittredge has a penchant for writing rude protagonists. But in this case, it is not the female heroine who is rude but male co-protagonist, Jack Winter. Objectively speaking, Kittredge may even do a better job of providing mitigating motives tha
n in her previous series. And yet I still found myself disliking the man and then questioning myself: Would I like him better if he were a very rude female?
Did I have double standards!?
Unable to answer these questions for myself, I thought I’d throw it out to the larger group: Are there things you like in a male protagonist that you dislike in a female protagonist? Traits, heroes, heroines or authors who particularly please or annoy you? All commenters on this post will be entered in a drawing for Stacia Kane‘s Demon Inside. (See Kelly’s review here)
[...] Ongoing Giveaway: Demon Inside [...]
First, at risk of sounding like a fanboy, I gotta say, you have Dresden’s (and thus Butcher’s) attitude all wrong. As I see it, Dresden is the kind of guy who will open a door to a woman – i.e. not a jerk, really. That’s about as far as it reaches. It’s not really a protective attitude as such.
Secondly, I have some beef with your anachronisms. To begin with, it’d be hard for anyone to be chauvinistic before about 1800 – Nicolas Chauvin, the fictional patriot whom chauvinism is named for served in the Napoleonic wars. :-P Then there’s the matter of women’s role in, especially, medieval society, or before then. Women such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret I of Denmark, and for earlier periods say, Hatshepsut, would probably not fit the ‘shrinking violet’ label. They were not by any stretch unique, either. In fact, medieval sensibilities were, while different, not truly alien from modern ones. Women owned properties, voted in assemblies, went into business on their own, and even fought in wars (although mainly as defenders) throughout the medieval era, throughout Europe. A woman with 21st century sensibilities, as you call them, would not be wholly out of place in such a society. Don’t get me started on the idea of ‘anachronism’ in wholly different time lines or worlds. The concept is ludicrous.
Now, to return to the actual subject you present for discussion: Not really. Unsympathetic traits are unsympathetic, no matter who exhibits them, to my mind. Rudeness unsoftened by other traits is unbecoming in a male and female character both. Racism is unbecoming no matter someone’s skin colour. Religious bigotry is unpleasant from any religion – or even none. I have put down books (or even thrown them with great force) over such traits before, and likely will again. Now, a well-balanced character where such a trait is clearly a failing, however, that’s a different matter. And again, sex, skin colour, hair colour, religion (or lack thereof) etc. really do not matter to the end result. It’s all about how it’s used and executed.
Very thoughtful response thanks. And I certainly didn’t mean to imply that Dresden was a jerk, far from it. Though I do think there are many times when he does get paternalistic (eg: his female student is killed by a Loup Garou when he won’t teach her what she asks and doesn’t stop to ask why she wants to know). But I really love his character.
Gert, just because Chauvin wasn’t around until the 1800s doesn’t mean that someone couldn’t have exhibited Chauvinistic attitudes before then. They just wouldn’t have called it that.
Even though I’m an independent, feministic, well-educated woman, I prefer men to act like men and women to act like women. BUT, I don’t think any woman should be a “shrinking violet.” Women should be strong, smart, self-motivated, and active. They should get educated, be able to support themselves, and have high self-esteem that doesn’t depend on whether or not they “have a man”.
But I still think that a man should offer his bus seat to a woman who’s standing — not because she’s not capable of standing, but because it honors her. If she doesn’t want the seat, she should smile and say “thanks, but I’m fine” rather than hit him over the head with her purse.
Men and women ARE different physically, emotionally, and cognitively. I think that’s a wonderful thing that should be celebrated rather than scorned and I like to see it celebrated in literature by providing realistically strong heroes and heroines.
Kat, wrt. the bus seat, I call cultural difference. Here, see, that would be considered condescending (although if she, say, had two kids and big grocery bags with her, the case if different). But then, that attitudes differ between continents should surprise no one, right? :-)
It also sounds like your attitude echoes the medieval one: Women and men are different, but both have their strengths, and are equally worthy of respect. Eleanor of Aquitaine would approve.
I find it annoying when a female character deliberately does something stupid – like putting her life in danger – in order to prove that she doesn’t ‘need a man’ to help her. I am all for independent, strong women, but when they are too stubborn to ask for backup because they don’t want some guy to think they are weak, then it’s time to toss the book.
The other thing that really puts my back up is when the previously strong, intelligent female gets all ditzy and can barely breathe, etc when the big strong love interest shows up. I read one recently where an otherwise highly intelligent student couldn’t do math because she couldn’t even think straight whenever the male teacher was in her presence. Really? I hate it when ‘girls can’t do math’ rear’s it’s ugly head. Especially in a book geared towards female readers.
I won’t read a book where the male characters are spending all their time patting the little female on the head and rescuing her from the big bad dragon either.
Hi Stephen :)
I don’t like the male hero to be overly emotional but a strong alpha.
Interesting post. Thank you for sharing.
I posted about this post & giveaway on my blog tomorrow (Tues Nov 17th)
Thanks,
All the best,
RKCharron
:)
Gert,
Eleanor of Aquitaine rocks!
Kat
I find myself thinking certain male protags are jerks and just disliking them but not all of them. The ones who are just offensive or just down right unlikeable I have a hard time with but the ones who are protective in a non-demeaning way I often fall in love with. As for female protags – well I have a really, and I mean really hard time with the whiny girlie ones. Seriously, if you can’t defend yourself in high heels then chuck them, keep your nails short, dress appropriately! Nobody cares how nice your manicure is when you are fighting demons/zombies/insert bad guy here…and if you can’t defend yourself at the beginning of the book then start training for God Sake!They just annoy me. So maybe I have my own double standard.
I dont like whiny complainers in either. And while I like the male protags to want to take care of the females in their life I dont like it when they try to run it. I like the female protag to be a strong,independent, caring character. They can take care of themselves but can also be taken care of. And the male protag needs to realize this and be a cooperating part.
i tend to like characters that are a little goofy, the socially awkward, bumbling types. rincewind from the discworld books is a good example of this. but i also like the smart, sarcastic badasses durzo blint from brent weeks night angel books is the perfect example of that.
I prefer a pretty much equal partnership between the Male and the Female. I hate whinny women who want a male to save them. I also (being a female raised in the 1950″s) hate the male that believes a female can do nothing for herself and must be led and protected. I find say, Patricia Briggs’ werewolves. The Alphas have this overbearing “I need to protect you” attitude, but they struggle with it, trying constantly to overcome these feelings. They also become very “proud” when “their” female proves herself capable of succeeding on her own – overcoming the “bad guys/girls” I enjoy as “Kick Ass” female who works with the Males, as well as taking care of herself.
I hate when there is a male character that thinks that their female companion is completely unable to do anything for herself. Especially when it is clear that the female is stronger then the male. Such as a human male who thinks he can protect a female vampire/werewolf better then she can protect herself. I basically hate a male character with an ego that could swallow up the earth…