Female protagonists who did not experience sexual assault

Many, perhaps most, female characters in SF are figured in part by rape or the threat of sexual assault. This is an example of rapability, which is often used to establish the femininity of a character, or the essential vulnerability of a woman; sometimes it's used to establish a backstory or explanation for the "unusual" aspects of the protagonist's character (e.g., why she's a warrior); other times it's used for shock and titillation (see also the women in refrigerators syndrome); it may be used implicitly or explicitly to establish the depicted culture as patriarchal; it may be used in a deeply misogynystic way to "knock a female character down". And of course it may be the subject of inquiry or critique from a feminist perspective.

With all these potential uses, good and bad, of rape and sexual assault, it can be difficult to even find a female character who hasn't been depicted as previously raped or rapable. In addition to being a tired and over-used trope, this can also be difficult for actual survivors of sexual assault, who may sometimes wish to not encounter this in fiction. YA and works which feature young women or children are more likely to qualify, so adult works are particularly critical to list.

Verified examples

These are works which someone is certain have no sexual assault in the protagonist's history or depiction, and no sexual assault playing a significant role in the story in any other way.

Possible examples

These are examples of works which nobody remembers sexual assault of the protagonist, or sexual assault playing a significant role in the story in any other way. (If you, the reader, remember a disqualifying sexual assault, please edit this page and remove the work from the list. If you can vouch for or verify the work, please delete it from this section and add it to the "Verified examples" section.)

• Rifkind in Lynn Abbey's series: Daughter of the Bright Moon, The Black Flame, Rifkind's Challenge

by title

• Elizabeth Bear, Dust
• Rosemary Kirstein, Steerswoman series
• Ellen Kushner, Privilege of the Sword

See also

• Rape in SF
• Rape and revenge in SF
• Rapability
• The Fantasy of Rape: The Use of Rape as a Catalyst on Female Protagonists in SF/F, Naamenblog + comment thread on FSFblog, and relatedly, rape in SF and female protagonists who did not experience sexual assault