A tour of fantasy and how it's changed (my summary)
Introduction by a student who said that Daja helped her realize she was a lesbian and gave her courage to come out. Tears, hugs, applause.
We are offered a choice between a speech or questions! I can't decide. Questions is a surprisingly small minority.
Starts with Cinderella . . . as rebel who uses fairy godmother's gifts to establish constitutional monarchy . . . !
"Things change. Fantasy has changed. Let's review."
princess = staple of fantasy since someone decided "we were safer sleeping and fertile"
Robin McKinley, _The Hero and the Crown_, great princess hero, kills dragon
Patricia Wrede, _Dealing with Dragons_, doesn't want to kill dragons or be rescued from dragons
Shannon Hale, _The Princess Academy_, learn values of cooperating rather than back-biting as nobility "should" to get husbands
Lloyd Alexander, Westmark books, princess lived both streets & palace
Cashore, _Bitterblue_, likewise
Margaret Peterson Haddix, _Just Ella_, abandons palace for refugee camps
(some other books, missed) -- divine gem in bellybutton? trilogy, learns politics (though sadly loses weight and becomes sexy)
_The Two Princesses of Bamarre_ -- shy princess goes on quest to rescue family
Pierce's own princesses, "spotty" because doesn't much write them: Thayet learning to wield actual power; Thayet's daughter, Kalasin, trapped in role, hating to be prize and wanting to be knight (which she won't get to be, see below); faux-Japanese princess in Kel's series, deceptively deadly
expects her princesses to recognize their social powers and obligations, privileges have a price
(skips some of prepared talk because short of time)
magic as equalizer
_Great and Terrible Beauty_, magic gives more power than otherwise available to women in Victorian setting (faux Victorian? not sure), very subversive
His Dark Materials, Lyra's becoming device and not girl, "Shame on you, Mr. Pullman."
(back to her books)
Alanna--first books, put everything in because didn't know whether would get to do it again. Then found that she had to put limits on her, otherwise too powerful ("I think the Mary Sue panel is later.").
next, a mage, Daine
three girl mages, Circle books, only one had spectacular magic
likes mages, warriors who work, learned that there's as much interest in occupations that once scorned as girly
Beka's magic, very subtle and small
fantasy also deals with women warriors; cross-dressing historical examples; present-day women in combat not that strange
women don't take on male souls with male clothes, most authors understand that and examine what drives those women
_The Blue Sword_--same year as first Alanna book, which surprises me for some reason (but bothered that magic helps her becomes good fighter)
Voight, _Jackaroo_ (wow, there's a blast from my childhood, unlike the rest of these books which are from my teen/later years)
Durst, _Into the Wild_ -- Rapunzel as revolutionary general, mother, whose daughter frees her
(Hey, Mark Reads folks, she said she should've called it a naginata in Kel's books!)
her own warriors: Alanna, one of the boys; Kel, "deals with it by dealing." (I so, so want to re-read Kel's books now, between and Mark Reads, but I think I may have over-read them in law school and should let them rest, also the faux-Japanese stuff is likely to grate more. But gosh, I love Kel.)
expectation of hazing, thinking of Shannon Faulkner & Nancy Mace @ Citadel
writing own stories, learning to deal. examples of books I missed. _Howl's Moving Castle_, finds that fate of third daughter isn't that bad.
Coville, _Song of the Wanderer_, being shoved into fantasy world, becomes ambassador.
Lucy Dove, book??, gets Aphrodite's love charm and has to learn not to be shy (I assume this is not awful in context? 'net connection very slow so Google isn't helpful)
Ally (Trickster duology), best at dealing, takes everything as it comes
nature of courage: not always running after bad guy with big sword
Jennifer Murdley (sp?), Bruce Coville, bravest she knows after (one of the ones in Little Women, missed which one); turns into toad after kisses frog to free him, gets told that curse gets transferred that way; would rather risk being stuck than pass on
?? _Scorpio Races_, girl trying something unprecedented, women of island support but still racing on her own
Mieville, _Un Lun Dun_, Promised One flees with erased memory, best friend sidekick goes back to tell truth and fight
going back to Cinderella, through class lens--signals of upper-class wealth, trap her man--"that was then. this, for which I thank the gods, is now."
audience questions:
how would Beka react if she could meet George & Ally? A--remember Beka's friendship with Rosco; would scratch her head, look away, "don't know won't hurt me, but if I catch you . . . " She's very practical.
any plans to write character with disability? A--probably will, already begun, _Tortall and Other Lands_, in a story there, dwarf/small person; like the non-cis-sexuality thing, will be doing more, just don't know what or when
publishing field changed? A--lot more sexuality in YA field, ditto overt violence, never gotten that published in 1970s when Cormier, Blum were making the category YA; lot more series, "I know I shouldn't be saying this, but really, knock it off. Not every story has to be a trilogy." Quartets because strict length limits until _Squire_ (advent of Harry Potter--other big change, YA pre-HP and post-, golden age of YA publishing, realized market for fantasy). e-publishing, self-publishing: "not so good." Self-publishers need to fork out $ for real editing.
--and now I have to run to my panel!
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