Babel Clash

Being female, I have a visceral reaction to the idea that women are frail.  Once I’m past that initial flare, I have to admit that most of the men I know could take me in a fair fight.  That’s just the way it is.  But the fact remains that there are plenty of women in fantasy & science fiction who kick butt and take names (my personal favorite being Eowyn - I will admit to having her speechto the Nazgul memorized), which makes me wonder if I shouldn’t propose a third possibility beyond counter-balance or highlight.  What if women often serve the same sort of role tricksters fill in folklore?  Could butt-kicking women be there to demonstrate that sometimes being clever, quick, or more skillful can allow you to triumph over brute strength?  What do you say?

Related posts:

• Women, and Other Favorite Topics…
  I’ve come up with so many reasons why I like writing female characters, but I think what it all boils down to is that I like contrasts. Good SF&F creates a contrast between the real and the imagined worlds, and by that contrast, draws the subject into clearer relief. Likewise,...
• Trickster or frail bag of tricks?
  I’d certainly agree there yes, that some women in fantasy do fulfil that role, and it does make me think that for one reason or another, there’s usually more purpose/consequence in putting a woman into a fantasy plot than a man, unconscious or not. Chuck another bloke in and half...
• Frailty and women – the uses thereof.
  I was going to post that I’m not a fan of frailty, or not to the degree Joel says he is, but thinking about my books that might not be so true. First and foremost I’m interested in power and its mechanics – what such a level of power can...
• Consistency, drama, women-vs-men, and more!
  I think the consistency thing is the most important. If your characters are going to transcend normal or ‘realistic’ physical boundaries, they should do so in a way that’s consistent with the rest of your world. Now occasionally you get even great writers violating this, like in one very ‘gritty...
• And that’s (almost) a wrap, folks
  Thanks, Tom & Joel for contributing to Babel Clash!  Please take this opportunity with your last couple of posts to share any information you’d like regarding The Grave Thief and Petrodor.  Or to just get the last word in on gods and their uses . . . And for all you...