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From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: feminist sf/fantasy
Message-ID: <16945@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Oct-85 16:55:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.16945
Posted: Mon Oct 21 16:55:58 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 22-Oct-85 05:13:02 EDT
References: <4052@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <294@inuxm.UUCP>
Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 52

In article <294@inuxm.UUCP> arlan@inuxm.UUCP (A Andrews) writes:
>> From: Caro.PA@Xerox.ARPA
>> 
>> Here are my favorites:
>> 
>> * The Screwfly Solution, James Tiptree Jr.
>> For a man, Tiptree sure writes strong female characters well.  I also
>> enjoy the upbeat endings that his novels always have.
>> 
>> * Witch World, etc., by Andre Norton
>> Another male writer who espouses feminist views.  His female characters
>> are also very well written.
>> 
>> * A Spell For Chameleon, The Source Of Magic, Castle Roogna, etc., Piers
>> Anthony
>> I've found Piers Anthony to be an author who, unlike many others, has no
>> problem at all with feminist doctrine.
>> 
>> * Titan, Wizard, Demon, John Varley
>> Again, strong female characters.  A friend of mine pointed out that, "To
>> Varley, a woman can only be a strong character if she is a Lesbian."
>> 
>> Others have suggested that John Norman's Gor series treat women in a
>> radically different way than most other authors, but I haven't had a
>> chance to read any of those books.
>> 
>> Enjoy!
>> 
>> Commodore Perry
>> 
>> (-: Ask a silly question ... :-)
>
>*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
>James Tiptree, Jr., SHOULD write strong female characters, if anyone can,
>since he is the pseudonym of Alice Sheldon.  (We all fall into this trap;
>I even used "his" name in a novelty item I did in OMNI four years ago--
>"Science Fictional Table of Elements.")
>
>--arlan andrews, analog irregular

Honestly, sometimes I despair, when even smiley faces are not sufficient!
I especially despair on behalf of SF Lovers everywhere who KNOW that
James Tiptree Jr. and Andre Norton are female, KNOW Piers Anthony has
incredibly patronizing views towards women in the Xanth books and
elsewhere, and KNOW that the Gor series is the peak in treating
women as sex slaves.  I don't want to attack Arlan in particular,
because he's just the straw who broke my camel's back.  I just want to
assure Commodore Perry that I know a joke when I see one, and I thought
it was a giggle.

				Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo