Comments on: Fantasy and Female Characters, Part Three

By: Lincolnshire Dog Walker

Lincolnshire Dog Walker — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:47:35 +0000

I just cant decide what kind of dog I like the most. Of course I lilke them all. Thank you for such a interesting website.

By: Claire

Claire — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:03:24 +0000

While Patrica Briggs and C.E. Murphy have become known for their urban fantasy novels, they both have other series that are more traditional fantasy.
Mercedes Lackey usually has a good mix of both male and female characters.

There seems to have been more authors such as Patrica C. Wrede and Ru Emerson published in the 1980’s who offered a variety of female protagonists.

By: Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber « Wendy Palmer

Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber « Wendy Palmer — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:35:46 +0000

[...] drawback for me, the fact it fails the Bechdel Test, which I was reminded of just the other day in this discussion. (To pass, you not only need multiple female characters, but they need to talk to each other, about [...]

By: kateelliott

kateelliott — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:08:26 +0000

Oh, excellent, thanks for the recommendation of the domestic service book, and indeed all the various non fiction books suggested which help gain a fuller picture of the historical past.

And to everyone who joined in: great examples of interesting writers/novels.

By: Calyx Ro

Calyx Ro — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:04:36 +0000

Not a fiction book, but extremely illuminating: Anyone wanting to learn about the role of women in a historical setting might want to read “Mrs Woolf and the Servants: The Hidden Heart of Domestic Service” by Alison Light. What I like the most is how the writer manages to show the breakdown of the Victorian model of service and the transition to modern life. A lot is applicable to service throughout history. This book is all about identity.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:22:29 +0000

I can’t believe I didn’t think of Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders series before! Hobb is one of my favorite writers of all time. The women in Liveship Traders are excellently portrayed!

By: Katharine Kerr

Katharine Kerr — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:57:29 +0000

Mary Lefkowitz, not Mark!!! My fingers are kind of stiff today!

By: Katharine Kerr

Katharine Kerr — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:56:20 +0000

Anyone interested in historical studies of women in antiquity (as opposed to the Middle Ages) might want to look for books by Sarah Pomeroy. Her study of what is known about Spartan women is particularly good. There is also a “sources in translation” compendium edited by Mark Lefkowitz and Maureen Fant, WOMEN’S LIFE IN GREECE AND ROME.
A further tip on this period of history: Athenian women were much more restricted than women in other city states.

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:45:47 +0000

Re: Wraethu — I admit, all the characters in that series basically read as male to me. There were a few stabs at more motherly characters, but they tended to read as very fay gay men. It probably didn’t help that many of the main characters were “converted” from gay men initially. I found the first generation of true hermaphrodites more interesting, a little less gendered, but still male.

On the other hand, Storm Constantine has some very interesting women in her other books. So I think she’s good, I just think Wraethu is a bad example of her work in that regard.

By: Juan York

Juan York — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:06:29 +0000

Jacqueline Carey has quite a few interesting and well written female characters in her books based in Terre d’Ange. Also Storm Constantine in her Wraethu books takes an interesting look at gender roles and sexuality in an epic fantasy setting.