This one's for the girls: women writers and female characters part two

To continue our discussion of women writers and female character, I'll begin this post with Clare from Claymore. My husband introduced me to manga and this series and even though the violence is sometimes hard to endure, I think it does a wonderful job of investigating a whole spectrum of female identities: caretaker, mother figure, saint, fallen angel, demon, temptress... I would love to see a second series of the anime!

It's out of fashion (at least in academia) to admit admiration for Paglia, but this book was a huge inspiration for me. I don't agree with all of its ideas, but prior to receiving a copy from a professor in undergraduate, I had no idea that scholarly writing could be beautiful and frantic, energizing and volatile. The next time you need a reminder to include the poetic along with the footnotes, you can't do better than Paglia for a reference point!

I have a complex, detailed, (addicted?) relationship with Law and Order: the original series. I've probably seen every episode 20 times and I hope one day to write critically about the show. It's my ultimate television comfort food... and I don't know what that says about me. Maybe the procedural, predictable format comforts my stability-seeking soul! Psychoanalysis aside, one of my favorite aspects of Law and Order is Lt. Anita Van Buren. She's tough and in control, but also unafraid of showing flashes of wit or making an emotional connection.

If reading Paglia is unfashionable, reading Rand is downright dangerous. I've never suffered more for any author. People see a Rand paperback in your hand and they feel perfectly justified in insulting your intelligence and belittling your beliefs... without even inquiring into them first. My relationship with Rand began because she's cited on Rush's 2112 -- and if she was good enough for Neil Peart, then she was good enough for me! This is not to say that i agree with Rand's politics or depictions of women -- I don't. But I think she writes a damn fine sentence and her concept of the "personal answer" has always rang true with me!

I'm including Baby Doll from Sucker Punch and The Bride from Kill Bill because they share the distinction of belonging to action films -- which I usually hate -- and being amazing female sword wielders. Since my heroine is also a sword bearer, they caught my attention and remain part of my personal iconography. They also follow in the footsteps of Eowyn. 

I don't think Sy Montgomery will feel offended if I admit that I'm completely jealous of both her life and her skill with a pen. Her work Spell of the Tiger contributed to my current research trajectory and I'm always excited to see what she's publishing next!

I mentioned ElfQuest in the first part of this post, but Wendy's work is so amazing that she deserves a second mention. As a young writer, I really looked to her and was impressed to see her name on a fantasy cover in a time when that genre felt very dominated by male creators, male perceptions, and, sometimes, female stereotypes held by some men (Frank Frazetta cover art comes to mind).

Determamfidd's Sansukh is praised far and wide across the internet, so I'll just be swelling the chorus here when I note that it expands Lord of the Rings to consider issues of disability, psychological and neurological issues, LGBTQ issues, gender issues, family and children.... and it does all of this without feeling preachy or heavy-handed. If you want to meet some amazing female characters of all shades, shapes, orientations, belief systems, and races, do yourself a favor and head here: Sansukh. (Warning, should you need it: contains f/f, m/f, etc. - but nothing graphic).