This issue will focus on women in literature, as main characters and supporting characters. A number of books featuring female main characters will be listed as well. There are lots of spoilers about... Sorry if you haven't read the books and plan to.

 

 

 

Authors Featured:

 

J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter series)

 

Tamora Pierce (Lioness and Protector of the Small quartets)

 

Stephanie Meyer (The Host)

 

Alison Goodman (Eon: The Last Dragoneye)

 

Kristen Cashore (Graceling)

 

 

 

WOMEN AS MAIN CHARACTERS

 

One author who does an amazing job with this is Tamora Pierce. If you've never read one of her books, I reccomend Trickster's Choice or Beka Cooper. Her stories usually involve a female put into a setting where they usually don't belong. Most of her books are set in the same fantasy world, and they are in a sort of medieval fantasy genre. In both the Lioness Quartet and the Protector of the Small Quartet, the main characters are girls training to become knights. In Alanna's case (Lioness) she switches places with her twin brother, who wants to become a mage (which is where Alanna would have been sent). She masqurades as a boy for some time, dealing with the normal problems as she gets older. Her master becomes aware that she is a girl but continues to hide it. She does eventually become a respected knight. In Keladry's case (Protector of the Small), she is sent as a girl to become a page, the first since Alanna was knighted after some controversy. The law has been changed to allow girls into the knighthood. She is bullied by some of the boys and continually told to leave by them. She is befriended by a few, notably Nealan of Queenscove. The training masters generally dislike her and do not make any exceptions for her. She's angered by this and trains harder until she is the equal, if not better than, most of the boys. She eventually attains knighthood and they live happily ever after, blah blah blah.

 

 

 

Stephanie Meyer is a different case. I do like the Twilight series, but this time I'm going for her other book, The Host. The book involves an aliens-invade-Earth scenario where human minds are replaced by 'wanderers' or souls. The main character is a special case in which the human resists the wanderer. There is a secret resistance of humans who live in a network of desert caves and have faked scars from the operation. Anyway, it's a generic sort of love story with a strange twist. The soul loves (I don't remember his name, I think it's Ian, but I'm not sure), and the human loves someone else. I won't spoil the ending, because it's a decent book, and even if you have a dislike of her for Twilight, this is a less fairy tale-y book.

 

 

 

In Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (which I highly recommend), you've got the same sort of story. A girl is put into a place where they are generally not welcome. She has been crippled to hide the fact that she's a girl. I don't want to spoil the story, but this is probably the best book next to Tamora Pierce's.

 

 

 

Generally books which involve female main characters are written by women... Hmm... :roll: No, my thoughts on the matter are that many women authors feel the need to write about girls/women overcoming things because historically they've been repressed. I'd like to hear your take on this though. Hopefully this spurs some discussion.

 

 

 

So I planned this to be about female characters in literature, but I couldn't come up with any main characters written by males. I know there is a book that I recently came across, but I can't remember the name. So on to supporting characters.

 

 

 

WOMEN IN SUPPORTING ROLES

 

Hopefully you've all read Harry Potter. If you haven't you need to now. We'll be discussing the two most important characters, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley (arguably Luna Lovegood could also be included, as could Molly Weasley). Throughout the books both have important roles. Ginny and Hermione continually feature in the adventures as Harry tries to defeat Voldemort. Hermione must solve the poison puzzle at the end of Sorceror's (Philospher's (sp)) Stone. Ginny is possessed by Riddle's Diary in Chamber of Secrets. Both remain by Harry's side; Ginny due to the fact that her brother is his best friend, and that she likes him; and Hermione because she's been friends with Harry from the beginning. (and to quote Hagrid, 'We're all a bunch 'o misfits').

 

 

 

In Graceling, the book is written in respect to Katsa, although I don't really believe she is the main character. Po is a prince from another land and he convinces her to help with a quest to save his grandfather. Katsa grows up a lot throughout the book, but the main focus, I believe, is on the quest. It's a very interesting book about adolesence and all that lovely stuff... But a very good and highly recommended read.

 

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTION

 

Your thoughts on women in literature, use whatever examples you happen to be thinking of now. I'd be interested to see everyone's take on this.

 

 

 

TODAY'S LITERATURE

 

Is an interesting poetry like object by Ratchet.

 

 

 

The Evolution of Fruit Punch

 

How were we created? Was it by a god who just thought us up and made us appear? Was it by a giant explosion that would create the Earth, as well as the molecules necessary for human life? Was it by a giant floating spaghetti who hates us because we killed off the pirates?

 

It has always been a matter of debate, a matter many lives have been lost over. But, one thing is certain, we still have fruit punch.

 

Think of that red juice, combining various fruits like apples and oranges together in a blend of fruity goodness that any god would drink heartily.

 

Fruit Punch is simply a way for whoever created us to tell us "Hey, you all are different fruits, why not come together in a bottle packaged by Haiwaiin Punch until you are in sweet harmony?" Of course, their are many bad fruits that get stuck in the fruit punch, and they ruin the most perfect punch the world has to offer.

 

It is difficult to grasp my meaning, but I am pretty sure you can understand this much:

 

 

 

Americans are Apples

 

Brits are Grapes

 

The Chinese are Mangos

 

Let's sing the song of fate!

 

The Earth was started long ago

 

By a celestial being, I don't know!

 

But if there was a god he had one thing in mind

 

He wanted us to be a fruit punch so divine!

 

Japanese are cherries

 

Russians are plums

 

The Spanish are Oranges

 

God wanted us to be a drink better than rum!

 

We may all be different in our unique ways

 

But so are the flavors of that drink

 

If we work together, and start to love each other

 

We would be a most fantastic drink!

 

So let's all get together

 

we know what to do

 

Let's make friends with each other

 

and make the finest brew

 

Let's all sit together, tell stores to each other

 

And make that most amazing red drink!

 

I do not mean blood, which seems to keep being shed

 

When we get together, we all seem to be dead

 

Let's all sit together, and hold each others hands

 

By the power of the diversity in each of us fruits

 

We will not kill each other and steal each others loot.

 

God will look down at us and grab our bottle

 

dump a bit in a cup over some ice

 

He will drink us down and will start to shine

 

"The best drink in the world is actually mine!"

 

He'll chug the rest of us fruits and start to sing

 

"I can't believe those humans have stopped fighting!

 

I'll go to Earth and surprise them all!"

 

That's when he'll relize that he just drank us all

 

And then he will say:

 

"What a fantastic fruit punch they are!"

 

 

 

NEXT ISSUE

 

Whatever goes...

 

 

 

And I could use some feedback on how I've written this, as it's the most major thing I've written in a long time, but typed completely in the post new topic thing (not really a good idea)

Very Good "Guest" Issue, I need Archi next for a guest issue, might need to write a couple more, get us to issue ten for a big issue.

 

 

 

Anywho, answering your question, women are usually (at least from a lot of things I read) either the sex objects or a major part of the story. I have not read much where women are the main characters, and I don't know why authors don't write many stories about women. They can do pretty much everything a man can do. There was a series I read a couple months back about a woman assassin who was obsessed with sex. I don't know, women could get more time of the page, and less time as an object to play with after the man gets back from a bloody battle.

 

'

I've read several books with strong female leads. William Nicholson's Wind on Fire trilogy stands out; the two main characters are twin brother and sister. The sister is the more interesting of the two. As an offhand comment those books give me more of a sense of surrealism than The Dark Tower for some reason.

 

 

 

Speaking of Stephen King, Frannie and Nadine from The Stand are pretty prominent. Although they both have their links to sex (Nadine's who plot revolves around losing her virginity . . .) they aren't badly done. And there's the 100+year-old Mother Abigail. I never liked her but still.

I completely forgot about William Nicholson. That triliogy is amazing, I ought to read it again...