Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site decwrl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!amd!
From: @amd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: feminist sf/fantasy
Message-ID: <1009@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Oct-85 17:07:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.1009
Posted: Wed Oct 23 17:07:36 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Oct-85 08:27:45 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 45

> 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

Look, being female does NOT guarantee that one can write strong female 
characters!!  Nor does being male preclude the ability to write strong female
characters!

Now, if anyone wants a flame session, just for fun, we can cite examples of
female authors who write lousy female characters:

  o Swooning females can be found in great abundance in romance novels, such
    as those marketed by Harlequin (admittedly, most of this stuff is probably
    not science fiction or what we like to call fantasy--at least, I'm guessing
    because you don't think I'm going to read them all!  :-) ); many of these
    are written by women

  o Anne McCaffrey--okay, I have to admit to a fondness for Lessa, but 
    _Restoree_ was dreadful!  I'm being a little mean to pick on one book 
    out of many.

  o A E Van Vogt's female characters are only really bad when he collaborated
    with his wife--I wonder what her influence was on this.

(Yes, call me ignorant!  But enlighten me with your opinions!)

In addition, many protagnists authors wrote about mostly male (C. L. Moore,
Leigh Brackett, Andre Norton (at least her early stuff))--many of these stories
today might be written with a female protagnist, but at the time they were
written the authors thought, at least it seems obvious that Moore and Norton
thought so, that no one would take seriously a book by a woman--a female
protagnist would be preposterous.  And the same is true for male authors: I
think today you have more of an opportunity to make a choice about the gender
of your characters--they don't have to translate into

		strong, carries a sword  ==> male
		
And, well, maybe this is too late, but if I've insulted your favorite author:
look, I read the stuff, didn't I?  (And I'll probably read more too!)

Disclaimer: I speak for myself (at best), not for the evil vaxian empire.
L S Chabot   ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot