In my quest to become a better author, I continue to read. To those of you who follow this blog, that might not be much of a surprise, but what is unusual is that I often have to push myself to read modern works within my genre. Maybe I just need to be pointed in the right direction by helpful folks (hint hint).
Recently, I picked up a novel by an author whose other work I have thoroughly enjoyed (no, I'm not saying who) and found the story of a plucky young princess who has had to take up the mantle of leadership. During this political upheaval, she decides to throw out "appropriate" riding clothing for a lady, because it isn't utilitarian enough. There is also the soldier who pines for the princess he knows he can never have. Perhaps the author turns these tropes on their heads and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, but I doubt I'll ever find out. There was plenty more going on in the story, but these central characters just didn't grab me. Perhaps I'm not the audience for them. It did, however, help to inspire this posting.
Over the last few months, I've been exposed to more and more material about the continuing difficulty that women face in the modern world (it helps that I have a friend in a politically focused punk band). While things certainly have gotten better for women today, there is still a long way to go before "equality" can even be sniffed in the distance. As with other globe-spanning issues, the problem can feel overwhelming. The joy of the artist is that we can impact large numbers of people (theoretically). If our work is successful, we can help make that change, even if it isn't in the modern world, but with the next generation.
Ah yes, another crusading white man. Not exactly. I get that I don't really know what it's like to be discriminated against. I grew up as a white christian male in the suburbs, in relative affluence. Even during the brief time I lived in Brazil, and was obviously in the minority, being light skinned was still an advantage. In my heart and my experience, I know that there is no inherent difference between people, but it's difficult at times to know if some of my thoughts and actions are actually sexist, racist, or simply rational. What thoughts come from training and what from reasonable understanding? Real introspection is required to sort through those feelings. Then again, the answers I come up with will certainly not jibe with everybody's, so where does that leave me? Ah right, trusting the moral compass.
One of the things I harp on most often is that I love genre fiction because it allows our readers to suspend their disbelief and go on a ride unimaginable in standard fiction. We create heroes and heroines to inspire our readers. We invent ideal societies. We subvert gender and racial norms. We do all these things to promote our hopes and beliefs, but we shouldn't make our leads into Disney princesses.
There are plenty of examples of women in history who stepped outside of the defined gender-roles and did incredible things. Cleopatra seems to have been quite a woman (hi there Kahleesi). Some trained as soldiers, like the Norse shield-maidens (have you still not watched "Vikings"?). Even more fought when they had no other choice (JRRT has Eowyn told to go defend the women and children when Theoden fully expects to have his army crushed, right?). Other women became doctors and midwives (that show from the BBC has been rather popular, hasn't it?). These are the ladies we most often meet in Fantasy novels, the exceptional ones (meaning, not the historic norm). These are the figures we choose for our heroines.
However, those women that didn't take on the roles assigned to men also made significant contributions. Do you think that the life of a farmer was easy? Did his wife just tend the fire and cook his meals? Hell, reading The Good Earth was an eye-opener for me too, but I was what, 14 at the time? Nurses still play an enormous role in modern healthcare. Women have had to work just as hard as men did to scrape out an existence. Do you really think women didn't hunt, or gather? When the men went off to war, do you think the ladies had a quilting bee? They had to take over "men's jobs", just like during WWII. Why are these ladies not represented?
It's time for Fantasy to do more than to invest princess figures with modern ethics. Sure, it's good to give little girls someone to admire. It's important to inspire them to break new ground. It's also important to demonstrate what they've been accomplishing throughout history. Taking on the roles traditionally assigned to men is great, but it is just as valid for strong female characters to fill traditionally ascribed roles (you can find some in GoT). There is the old saying that, "behind every good man, is a great woman." Where are these partnerships? It feels important to show that women don't have to change or prove themselves worthy of respect, but that they've been worthy all along. You never know, along the way we just might teach some men as well.
Damn. These blog posts keep giving me more stories I have to tell. Well, I guess it's good to know I won't run out anytime soon. Sorry about another observational post. I promise that next time I'll get back to the history. Then again, if you liked it (or didn't), let me know. It's always good to get feedback.
No comments:
Post a Comment