I agree about the feminism. I read some of the things LeGuin said about her reasons for writing Tehanu as she did, and she makes a lot about the irreconcilable differences between men and women, which I just don't agree with. People are people. Some characteristics are a little more likely to be found in women, and some a little more likely to be found in men, but I think people should relate to others as humans first and foremost, with gender, race and everything else pushed far into the background.
Female fantasy leads don't bother me per se (except when they insist on wearing chainmail bikinis on the front cover.) I can deal with female leads, as long as the blurb also makes clear that there's going to be an interesting male character featuring strongly, too.
My preference for male leads derives from shallowness, pure and simple. If a main character is running around with a sword, saving the world and doing cool magic, I want them to be someone I can fall in love with. I can fall in love with male heroes. Female heroes I can't. (And, yes, I realise I am totally hypocritical, given what I've just said about reacting to people as humans first and foremost, but fiction is different from life.)
I do, though, also get annoyed by the anachronism that's behind a lot of strong female leads in historical novels. So many novels end up showing a medieval woman in a medieval, patriachal society who is "strong" - i.e. uses a sword, answers back, and does things that just wouldn't have been done in that sort of society. That just annoys me. A pet hate of mine is modern values being imposed on the past. I prefer female characters, in historical settings, to be strong within the confines of their society, not "strong" in a way defined by the values of 2006, that doesn't fit in with their own world.
(If that makes sense at all...)
As for Atuan... I read it at 11, so maybe I was a bit different in my reactions then. I do remember, though, that it was my least favourite of the three, and on re-reading it, I was often tempted to skip to the bits where Ged appeared.
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Date: 2006-03-07 08:15 am (UTC)Female fantasy leads don't bother me per se (except when they insist on wearing chainmail bikinis on the front cover.) I can deal with female leads, as long as the blurb also makes clear that there's going to be an interesting male character featuring strongly, too.
My preference for male leads derives from shallowness, pure and simple. If a main character is running around with a sword, saving the world and doing cool magic, I want them to be someone I can fall in love with. I can fall in love with male heroes. Female heroes I can't. (And, yes, I realise I am totally hypocritical, given what I've just said about reacting to people as humans first and foremost, but fiction is different from life.)
I do, though, also get annoyed by the anachronism that's behind a lot of strong female leads in historical novels. So many novels end up showing a medieval woman in a medieval, patriachal society who is "strong" - i.e. uses a sword, answers back, and does things that just wouldn't have been done in that sort of society. That just annoys me. A pet hate of mine is modern values being imposed on the past. I prefer female characters, in historical settings, to be strong within the confines of their society, not "strong" in a way defined by the values of 2006, that doesn't fit in with their own world.
(If that makes sense at all...)
As for Atuan... I read it at 11, so maybe I was a bit different in my reactions then. I do remember, though, that it was my least favourite of the three, and on re-reading it, I was often tempted to skip to the bits where Ged appeared.