Feminist SF Wiki - User contributions [en]

Terry Pratchett

2006-06-07T00:15:28Z

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[[category:Male Writers]]

Creator of the ''Discworld'' series, has also written several children's books and early works which are unrelated to the Discworld, or contain embryonic Discworld features only.

'''* The Discworld:'''

The Discworld is a flat world carried on the back of four elephants, who in turn ride upon a giant turtle swimming through space. It is populated with archetypes, parodies and myths garnered from 'our' world made literal - for example, on the Disc, Death really ''is'' a skeleton carrying a scythe. It is a series which began as a light-hearted comic look at science-fiction and fantasy conventions such as wizards and witches, and moved into a much deeper analysis of folk myths and archetypes. The most recent books in the series have shown a new social criticism which creates ironic parallels between 'our' world and the Discworld as a means of satirizing modern politics and current events. Pratchett has always been a social commentator/observer, but his humour and wit now focuses on current events rather than generalities.

'''* Feminist agenda:'''

Pratchett's female characters, like his writing style, have evolved tremendously, and while they never suscribed to the 'token bimbo love interest' stereotype - indeed, this is one stereotype Pratchett parodies - they have moved beyond a refutation of the bimbo stereotype and into a class of their own. His women are typically strong, independent, often unconventional (in both looks and mentality), and span a wide age range. Notable recurring characters include:
* Esmerelda (Esme) 'Granny' Weatherwax, Lancre 'head' witch, expert in 'headology' and 'borrowing'
* Agnes Nitt, one-time opera singer, ex-goth (as 'Perdita X Dream'), now Lancre witch and a fat girl with a thin girl (her alter-ego, Perdita) and a lot of chocolate inside
* Lady Sybil Vimes (nee Ramkin), dragon-breeder, also runs the Sunshine Sanctuary for sick dragons, has a magnificent bosom, and is one of the 'Ladies who Organise'
* Mrs Rosemary 'Rosie' Palm, a lady of 'negociable affection', now runs the euphemistically-named Seamstresses' Guild in Ankh-Morpork
* Corporal Cheery Littlebottom, works in the Ankh-Morpork Watch, one of the first to defy dwarf tradition and assert her female sexuality (and to wear boots sporting welded-on high heels)

As well as these recurring characters, individual books in the series also feature feminist issues such as the right to equal education (''Equal Rites'') and the issue of women in the armed forces (''Monstrous Regiment'').

Utopia

2006-06-06T00:47:51Z

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'''Utopia''' (from the 1516 novel by Thomas More usually known by that name) designates a culture depicted in fiction or non-fiction, which is presented by the creator as being or approaching an ideal of human organization. (Some critics will use the term "utopian" to disparage an allegedly excessively idealistic concept or project.)

[[Science fiction]] and [[fantasy]], for obvious reasons, are ideal media in which to present [[utopia]]s.

More's book, originally written in Latin, is presented as a 'true story' as told by Raphael Hythloday, and is arguably the first work of sf. More uses frequent puns in Ancient Greek to suggest Hythloday's story is less than genuine; 'Hythloday', for example, translates as 'teller of tales/nonsense'; 'Utopia' translates as 'nowhere'. The island Utopia as described by Hythloday is, on closer inspection, anything but. While the explorers on the island are fascinated and delighted by the Utopians' world view and political/social systems, the reader is presumably meant to find the rigid social control and enforced uniformity disturbing. The ironic portrayal of Utopian ideals in this text sets the precedent: future sf utopias also tend to show damaged ideals rather than genuinely perfect worlds.

The Passion of New Eve

2006-06-06T00:32:17Z

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CONTAINS SPOLIERS:

In ''The Passion of New Eve'' Carter’s treatment of transgression clarifies into an exploration of gender: transgression becomes transsexual.

The plot follows Evelyn, an arrogant young Englishman, on his travels through an ugly, dystopian America where gang warefare is rife and militant feminist terrorists leave their symbol (the female sign with teeth in the circle, a ''vagina dentata'') all over the cities. Evelyn meets the beautiful black stripper and hash addict Leilah, whom he abandons after she has to have an abortion. Heading out into the desert, Evelyn is captured by a group of feminists who forcably give him a sex change: Evelyn becomes Eve and goes beyond his all-male boundaries into her new-found sexual America. As a woman (and a reluctant woman at that, one who still has ‘a cock in [her] head’) , Eve is forced into the same world in a different body, discovering the limits men impose on women (the animalistic parody, Zero, who rapes her) and transgressing them when she has sex with the drag queen extraordinaire, Tristessa.

THEMES/LITERARY DEVICES:

* Magic realism: Carter knows her sf, and is more than comfortable borrowing aspects of the genre, but her key mode of writing is magic realist at heart. Magic realist texts, unlike sf ones, do not explain the supernatural (through science, etc). Likewise, sf often has a fantastical, furturistic framework (another planet, 1000 years into the future, etc), while magic realism works from a realistic background. Carter mingles the two genres almost equally here: science explains how Evelyn's sex change is possible, but does not explain Eve's mystic experiences with Tristessa, nor does it account for Leilah's transformation into Lilith.

* Transgression: The novel centres around a series of transgressions in behaviour, sex, and gender.

* Archetypes: with typical energy, Carter attacks both misogynistic and feminist archetypes, creating an independent feminist voice for herself.

Gendered "Otherness" Experiences in the Body

2006-06-06T00:03:22Z

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Many writers have chosen to explore gender roles and the impact of gender on characters' lives and experiences by having their characters live as the other (or another) gender. In SF, this is often sex changes, or alien sexes; in historical or fantasy fiction, there can be "body swaps" between characters, magical transformations, or characters -- often female -- who live and pass as male. Characters may also have "souls" or "spirits" that multiply inhabit the same body, in both science fiction and fantasy.

Some examples:

==="Passing women" and girls ===
The female character has some compelling reason to live as a male, often to avoid physical danger while traveling, or to take advantage of greater adventure or job opportunities. This is a particularly common way for [[YA fiction]] to explore gender issues. "Passing women" have shown up in plenty of non-SF works as well, again, particularly in YA fiction. "[[Passing women]]" are part of a broader phenomena of, usually, members of discriminated-against classes "[[passing]]" themselves as members of the privileged classes. Examples:
* [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]], [[Hawkmistress!]] (1982) (girl disguises herself as boy and passes for male)
* [[Maureen McHugh]], [[Mission Child]] (woman lives and passes as man)

===Sex changes, body swaps, soul migrations ===
Focusing on one character who changes their sex, takes over or incarnates into a different sexed body, or swaps bodies with another character, lets the author explore otherness. In the gender context, can provide opportunities for humor and political commentary as psychically "other" characters attempt to adjust to the gender expectations and norms for their new body-gender. Also inherently explores the question of the essentiality of gender and whether it resides in the body or the "soul", or both.

Some authors have also used frequent sex changes as a way of de-essentializing gender or showing that it is No Big Deal; for example, by showing multiple reincarnations across gender, or simple and ubiquitous sex-change technology.

Examples:

* [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s [[A Civil Campaign]] ([[1999]]) (a minor female character undergoes a sex change in order to get around [[primogeniture]])
* [[Angela Carter]]'s [[The Passion of New Eve]]
* "Switch", by Blake Edwards (a man is "punished" for his sexist ways when he dies by coming back as a woman; he redeems his evil ways by dying in childbirth)
* [[Lynn Flewelling]], [[The Bone Doll's Twin]] and [[Hidden Warrior]]
* [[Ursula K. Le Guin]], [[The Left Hand of Darkness]] (classic gender-exploration novel; the world is peopled with hermaphrodites who phase in and out of male or female genders ("[[kemmer]]"); in a later short story, Le Guin explored the differences in sexual experiences across the genders)
* [[Kim Stanley Robinson]], [[The Years of Rice and Salt]] (2002) (reincarnation across multiple genders; some demonstration of sexism in society, but the characters' spiritual essence appears to be genderless)
* [[Geoff Ryman]], [[The Warrior Who Carried Life]] (magical transformation of female to male body)
* [[Thorne Smith]], [[Turnabout]] ([[1931]]) (an early instance of body swapping in literature; probably the thematic inspiration for mostly non-sexual "Freaky Friday" type body swapping films)
* [[Virginia Woolf]], [[Orlando]] ([[1928]]) (and see [[Sally Potter]]'s film adaptation, ([[1993]]))
* Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, 'Turning'; short story about a wife magically transferred into her husband's body, experiencing the freedom of male dress and petty sexisms.

====Technology makes changing sex easy, and fun, too====
* [[Tanith Lee]], [[Drinking Sapphire Wine]] and [[Don't Bite the Sun]]
* [[John Varley]], his "Eight Worlds" universe, particularly [[Steel Beach]] and [[The Golden Globe]]

===Multiple psyches/souls inhabiting the same body===
A special instance of soul migrations etc., but the dual (or multiple) inhabitance in the same body permits the author to engage characters in cross-gender dialogue; verbalize their gender dysphoria; comment on the other person's experience or their own experience of the other person's body; show blended gendered experiences (as in sudden [[bisexual|bisexuality]])
* [[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[I Will Fear No Evil]]
* [[Tanya Huff]], [[Quarters Series]]
* [[Matt Ruff]], [[Set This House in Order]]

See also [[gender]], [[sex]], [[transgender]], [[transsexual]], [[cross-dressing]], [[hermaphroditism]], [[intersex]], [[neuter]], [[sexuality]]

List of stereotypes of female characters

2006-06-05T23:55:57Z

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Common portrayals of women in SF/fantasy that rely on stereotypes of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality.

* woman as nurturing partner / sex object ([[Deanna Troi]] in [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]])
* woman as nurturing mother ([[Dr. Beverly Crusher]] in [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]])
* woman as encapsulating Otherness; often monstrous evil, but also sometimes just the feared or inferior Other ([[Borg Queen]] in [[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]; hive-like matriarchies a la [[Frank Herbert]]'s [[Hellstrom's Hive]])
* woman as cold, powerful, threatening, dangerous (the [[Ice Queen]] myth, C.S. Lewis' [[Queen of Narnia]])
* woman as pandora: curious, lacking self-control, leading to trouble
* woman as victim
* woman as controlling bitch
* woman as sex fantasy object
* wicked stepmother
* hapless ingenue, innocent but sexually available to the Right Man
* the [[Black Warrior Woman]] - too powerful to touch; must be feared; may be sexually unattainable
* the [[Asian Warrior Woman]] - "exotic", alluring, and dangerous Asian woman with martial arts skills, undercover jobs, and frequent large dragon tattoos on their bodies: deadly but beautiful, with mad sex skills, but not attainable; may be good or evil.
* professional old maid scientist (e.g., Asimov's [[Susan Calvin]])
* spunky teenage girls ([[Podkayne]])
* the mother of the Chosen Boy ([[Irulan Corrino-Atreides]] from [[Dune]]; the [[Virgin Mary]]; [[Sarah Connor]] in [[The Terminator]])
* loyal female subordinate, such as a secretary (Duffy in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man; Tildy in Pohl and Kornbluth's The Space Merchants)

Babel-17

2006-06-05T23:51:30Z

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[[category:1966 Publications]]

PLOT:

Centres around the heroine, Rydra Wong, and an intergalatic war between the Invaders and the Alliance.

Wong is a celebrated poet, space captain, gifted linguist, telepath and de-coder asked to decode a language called Babel-17, which has been linked to attacks on Alliance forces.

SPOILERS:

Babel-17 is the ultimate logical language, a language which can express ideas with far more clarity than any other. Wong also meets a man called The Butcher, who has been 'programmed' by Babel-17 into a spy for the Invaders.

RYDRA WONG:

As a character, Wong is is some ways a Mary-Sue. She is, for example, extremely attractive, to the extent that at least one male in the book falls hopelessly in love with her. She is also intelligent, bold, tough and enchantingly charismatic. Her more fragile side, born of a traumatic childhood, undermines her outward confidence and thus can be read as either creating a more complex psychological view of Wong as an individual rather than as a stereotype; or as another layer of romance added to ensure she is endearing to the reader.