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edenfallingDecember 10: middle-aged female protagonists (for transposable_element) [Tumblr crosspost]
We need about ten thousand more of them, yesterday.
I mean, seriously, if middle-aged men can be the protagonists of millions of stories over the years, there is no reason middle-aged women can't also. Adventure stories, mystery stories, college professors having midlife crises and hitting on their student stories, you name it. If it works for a man (except for, you know, prostate cancer etc.), it will work for a woman, goddammit.
I think these stories don't get written because too many people are used to thinking of women as the objects in someone else's story, and since middle-aged women aren't either the beautiful young (innocent?) sex prize, or the grandmother figure (either kindly or wicked), they might as well not exist from a fictional perspective. (Except maybe in contemporary realistic fiction? Which is a genre I don't read -- if it doesn't have an edge of the unfamiliar, either fantastical or historical, I'm not usually interested -- and thus know nothing about. And you get women in their thirties in genre romances -- which I occasionally read even without 'paranormal' elements, because they are undemanding brain candy with guaranteed happy endings -- but not so much in their forties or fifties, at least not as the romantic heroines.) Anyway, there has been an increase in female protagonists in general lately, I think, but they seem to be mostly teens and young women. Which is great! I remember how much of a welcome surprise Alana of Trebond was when I discovered her, and I am happy beyond words that she has lots of company now.
But what I really want is Die Hard with the Bruce Willis and Bonnie Bedelia roles reversed, and maybe a female replacement for the villain and/or the cop as well. I don't think that's so much to ask.
*pause*
I should get to work on that myself, shouldn't I? *grin*
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December Talking Meme: All Days
transposable_element) [Tumblr crosspost]We need about ten thousand more of them, yesterday.
I mean, seriously, if middle-aged men can be the protagonists of millions of stories over the years, there is no reason middle-aged women can't also. Adventure stories, mystery stories, college professors having midlife crises and hitting on their student stories, you name it. If it works for a man (except for, you know, prostate cancer etc.), it will work for a woman, goddammit.
I think these stories don't get written because too many people are used to thinking of women as the objects in someone else's story, and since middle-aged women aren't either the beautiful young (innocent?) sex prize, or the grandmother figure (either kindly or wicked), they might as well not exist from a fictional perspective. (Except maybe in contemporary realistic fiction? Which is a genre I don't read -- if it doesn't have an edge of the unfamiliar, either fantastical or historical, I'm not usually interested -- and thus know nothing about. And you get women in their thirties in genre romances -- which I occasionally read even without 'paranormal' elements, because they are undemanding brain candy with guaranteed happy endings -- but not so much in their forties or fifties, at least not as the romantic heroines.) Anyway, there has been an increase in female protagonists in general lately, I think, but they seem to be mostly teens and young women. Which is great! I remember how much of a welcome surprise Alana of Trebond was when I discovered her, and I am happy beyond words that she has lots of company now.
But what I really want is Die Hard with the Bruce Willis and Bonnie Bedelia roles reversed, and maybe a female replacement for the villain and/or the cop as well. I don't think that's so much to ask.
*pause*
I should get to work on that myself, shouldn't I? *grin*
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December Talking Meme: All Days
Grumpy Old Snake
Date: 2014-12-14 12:37 am (UTC)Otherwise, I'll add in Ekaterin, also of the Vorkosigan Saga, to the tally. She was the POV character for large sections of Komarr and played a large part in its resolution. And I got the feeling she was at least *approaching* middle age, I mean, she'd been married for a while and had a school-aged kid. :D
I'm also... Really, really tempted to add in the witches from the Discworld series. And they're *way* past middle aged, except maybe Magrat I guess. But despite their titles (Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg), they're also not exactly a typical grandmother role. My brain just lumps them in with 'older protagonist' and so they're coming to mind.
Actually, speaking of the Discworld, one of the major things I like about Terry Pratchett's writing is the fact that he seems to respect a *much* wider age range than many authors. He has the typical young protagonists, yes. But he also has distinctly senior protagonists (Granny, Nanny, the woman from Reaper Man whose name escapes me), and middle-aged protagonists (Sam Vimes, Ridcully and the wizards unless they're seniors), and very young protagonists (Tiffany Aching, aged 9).
And all of them are independent, active agents of change in their stories. They all have flaws, they're all *human*, but the narrative respects them.
Re: Grumpy Old Snake
Date: 2014-12-14 09:37 pm (UTC)Yeah, Granny and Nanny don't fit the stereotypical 'grandmother' role -- they are protagonists, not supporting characters -- but they're also clearly past middle age, so... I don't think there even is a widely recognized category for old-age female protagonists. :-/
Yes, Pratchett is very good at making people of all ages and backgrounds and interests come across as people rather than symbols or flat cardboard cutouts.