I love me some classic fantasy narratives, especially that old standby, the quest story. I love doomed journeys and mistaken identities and coming-of-age moments, and questing tales are stuffed with them.
When I saw the previews for Stardust, I almost drooled. And the movie itself, a quest story if ever there was one, didn’t disappoint – until later, when I was enthusiastically comparing it to another favorite film of mine, The Princess Bride.
“It’s got the same kind of over-the-top-yet-awesome action!” I said, happily. And then, less happily, “and, actually, now that I think of it… The same kind of agency-less women.”
Don’t get me wrong. I love Buttercup. But she doesn’t do much, you know?
And it seems like, even in fantasy films where the female characters get to fight, or have magic powers, they still don’t actually get to be heroes the way male characters in the same films do.
I tend to think that things are getting better for women in fantasy movies, generally. The recent film versions of the Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia featured expanded and less-sexist roles for some female characters, which is a positive step. And there are movies with young women in the central hero role of the classic fantasy quest story, like the title character of Ella Enchanted. Though, of course, Prince Char has a lot more going for him in terms of capability and personal power than the female romantic interests in more typical questing stories ever do.
So, yes, there are lots of great female characters in fantasy movies, and even some really wonderful heroines. But I can’t think of any that quite rival the classic male heroes of the genre. Which is weird. Is there really anything about a quest story, or any other classic fantasy narrative, that makes it unsuitable for a female lead? Of course not.
So where are the strong heroines of fantasy films?
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I’m new to this forum, having followed a Fark link to it, and I’m guessing you get more trolling and destructive crit than you can stomach. The topic of this thread brings to mind the advances of feminism in other realms, beyond movies and books. I wanted to get some poster’s opins on how the female role is being redefined in the gaming world. I don’t want to be a thread-hyjacker, but reading the word “Quest” lends itself to the many online games such as world of warcraft. I play many hours a week, and I find that many men who play the game are now creating female characters to represent themselves. Is this because the computer world is occupied by “nerd” types who wish to create the onscreen embodiment of their perfect girlfriend? Are they trying to use the “sexuality” of their characters to get an advantage over male characters? Is it some right of ownership, such as the way we are taught to refer to ships and cars as “she” and “her”? I personally know 4 men who regularly become female in-game, though they have no problem letting us know they are male using voice chat while also in-game.
Again, I’m not trolling, just looking for some honest discussion on the topic, as I can’t get a clear answer from said men with whom I “game”.
Delaney(Quote) (Reply)
Delaney, your comment is neither trolling nor wildly off-topic (we’re pretty flexible about topic wandering).
I have no insight into your question, unfortunately, but there are gamers around here who will probably respond sooner or later. I just wanted to let you know that your comment was acceptable. (And it’s not so much that we can’t “stomach” the trolling and destructive criticism – many of us choose to frequent forums where it’s the norm and we have no say over it. But since there are so many sites where trolls can spout their crap, we choose to run this site differently so that comments like yours don’t have 30 “shut up, c—” comments on either side of them and therefore get lost in the discussion.
)
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Well, Delaney, all I can say is that when I ask my brother why he chooses female characters, he says it’s because they’re easier on the eyes. (Which is true. The men in the games he plays are hideous.) So for him it’s simply being practical–he wants to be able to look at himself straight on without wincing. Which I guess opens up the question of why men are free to be hideous but women are not…?
Thal(Quote) (Reply)
Delaney, I suspect that there are some individual men who use female avatars for each of the reasons you suggest, as well as those who do it for the reason offered up by Thal’s brother, and those who do it out of a desire to explore their own gender identities or simple curiosity.
And Thal, good point. I seem to remember that one of the authors here wrote a post about how ugly most male game avatars are… *searches* Ah, yes, here it is: http://thehathorlegacy.com/azeroth-males-still-arent-pretty/
I think tekanji might touch on some of these things a bit in her paper, “Idealizing Fantasy Bodies,” hosted at Iris, too.
Revena(Quote) (Reply)
I certainly hope so, because I love Peter S. Beagle. I’ve gotten the impression that he takes it for granted that strong female protagonists belong in his stories, and that he doesn’t really think about it.
(I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with him at several successive Dragon*Cons, and he’s a delight to talk to.)
The follow-up story, “Two Hearts,” has a great female protagonist, named Sooz, who sets out on her own to deal with a local beast problem.
alicetheowl(Quote) (Reply)
This makes me think of a screenwriting book I read (and did actually throw against the wall) in which the (female) author took it as granted that the protagonist of any movie was male, and broke down the events accordingly… which led to some incredibly bizarre plot analysis of Titanic, because she was convinced the film was about Jack, and Rose was just the love interest. Seriously.
And yes, the book’s list of film genres did include “female-driven picture.” As a genre.
Patrick(Quote) (Reply)
May I ask what book this was, so I may avoid it and the author?
Gategrrl(Quote) (Reply)
Sounds like she’s been thoroughly assimilated by the industry Borg.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
:::snickers:::
Gategrrl(Quote) (Reply)
Sadly, I can’t remember the author or the title.
Patrick(Quote) (Reply)
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