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The
flame appeared
suddenly, casting a
dim light around the
room as the wick
caught
and began to burn.
The glow of
saidar winked out
around Delhanha as
she
sat at her writing
desk and carefully
unrolled the blank
parchment
before
her. Dipping
her pen into the
inkwell, she began
writing, her hand
elegant
and precise...
"The
role of women in
contemporary fantasy
fiction has changed
dramatically
over
the years. At
first, women held
the roles of queens
and maidens, often
in
positions of power,
but rarely becoming
anything more than a
secondary
character.
As modern
fantasy has evolved,
however, we see
women more often
taking
an active role in
the stories as main
characters in
ongoing epic
adventures.
"Modern
fantasy has its
roots deep in
Tolkien's world.
The Lord of
the
Rings is
undeniably the seed
from which the
modern fantasy
fiction genre has
sprouted,
and the medium from
which many authors
gain inspiration,
often
from
childhood daydreams
spawned by the
stories of Frodo and
Bilbo, of orcs
and
hobbits.
Unfortunately,
the Lord of the
Rings has a
characteristically
1950's
feel to it with
respect to the roles
of female characters
in the
story.
Only one
character really
stands out as a
memorable female
figure in
the
books, the elf queen
Galadriel. Her
role in the story,
while obviously
important,
is quite brief, and
as the Fellowship
moves on, she
elegantly
helps
them on their way,
but stays behind.
While becoming
an itegral part
of
the story, she is
nonetheless stuck in
the role of
"housewife",
a common
perspective
of women in that
decade.
"Hundreds
of stories have
sprung from Tolkiens
fertile seeds,a nd
with them,
the
role of female
characters has
become more and more
pronounced, often
following
trends in the
sociopolitical
beliefs of the time.
The Dune
series
is a prime
example of women
taking on a more
dominant part in the
storyline.
However,
even the powerful
Ben Jesserite (sp?)
still maintain a
powerful
mother-figure
role, despite their
authority, and the
main character parts
are
still reserved for
the men. In
the 1980's, things
continued to change.
The Conan
and Red Sonja
stories saw the
advent of the
sword-weilding
female
warrior,
in those days
referred to as
Amazons, taking a
dominant role in the
adventure.
Although these
characters portray
strong-willed,
powerful main
characters,
they often lost
their femininity and
simply became men
with
breasts.
"While
many current novels
still maintain these
stereotypical
fantasy women
as
characters, there
are a few authors
who have broken away
from the
mainstream
consciousness.
Robert Jordan
and George R.R.
Martin are two
excellent
examples.
Martin's
series, 'A Song of
Fire and Ice',
contains
several
dominant female
characters who,
while maintaining
their feminine
characteristics,
have become dominant
forces in the
evolution of the
story,
including
a widowed
queen-mother trying
to guide her
headstrong son;
another
queen,
ambitious and
ruthless in her
desires for power; a
young princess
warrior,
who is leading her
people to their
salvation, and many
others.
Jordan
goes even farther,
creating a
sisterhood of
powerful leaders,
the Aes
Sedai
(*grin*), women who
can make thrones
dance, and yet are
as regal as
any
queen and ageless in
their grace and
poise.
"Women's
roles have changed
in our society over
the last fifty
years, echoed
in
the pages of the top
fantasy novels.
Powerful,
active female
characters
add an
element of realism
and contrasts to a
stereotypically
male-dominated
realm.
While many
stories will
continue to trudge
the waters of
stereotypes,
the truly great
authors will
recognize the
importance and value
the
women can play in
their novels."
Setting
her pen down,
Delhanha carefully
sprinkled sand over
the wet ink
before
gently rolling the
parchments.
Setting them
aside, she rubbed
her
eyes and
knuckled her back
before standing up,
grabbing her cloak
and
hurrying out
the door, essay in
hand.
Delhanha
Cyneos
Accepted
Aspiring
Red
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