A review of Before They Are Hanged accuses author Joe Abercrombie of being misogynist. Joe responded on his blog last week, but somehow I missed that post.Check out his take on the matter and the interesting discussion which ensued. . .
I'm a bit surprised by this, I must admit. When such claims are made concerning R. Scott Bakker, while I don't necessarily agree with them, I can see where they're coming from. I'm a bit confused as to why Bakker's explanations that he doesn't endorse what he's writing about have failed to satisfy those who give him such a hard time about how women are portrayed in The Prince of Nothing.
Having read all three volumes of The First Law, while it's true that female characters don't play a major role in the various plotlines(other than Ferro), I find it hard to believe that such a label could be attributed to Joe Abercrombie.
10 commentaires:
The world that Abercrombie/Bakker et al is probably sexist--women are either whores or nuns. Is the author sexist for concieving such a world? Impossible to tell. Readers (of all genders) do get tired of the whole whore/nun stereotypes. I see both sides.
Face it--the world is sexist, still yet, though in Western society it's a bit more hidden.
Medieval fantasy was even worse for women (as Richard Morgan reminded me!).
Sci-fi and TV cop shows are about the only place you truly see strong female characters.
BTW I'm a female sci-fi reader (and a little bit of fantasy).
Lol, I'm a female historical fiction and fantasy writer who has only male MCs, and most of the few women I have are manipulative bitches.
Maybe Abercrombie's, Bakker's, and my - future - books should come with a warning: Not Recommended for Feminists. :)
I had no problem with Abercrombie's women (haven't read Bakker) For me, fiction is not a place where I want to be confronted with political correctness. If your world is male-dominated, don't give me an alibi Strong And Equal female.
I'm with Gabriel. I don't think an author should censor their writing to be PC. Write about your world in any way you see fit. People will like it or they won't. But an author shouldn't adjust the story just to avoid offending anyone.
I don't think Joe's a misogynist either.
Its his own goddamn world, how he sees fit to present it is up to him and him only.
Dont like it?
Dont read it!
I actually thought Joe did a good job providing strong female characters while still remaining faithful to the historical periods that he was basing his world on. I can see how some might see it as sexist (as he said, those were patriarchal times), but how anyone can think that he was being malicious in his approach and single that aspect out of everything else that was going on is beyond me.
Joe has strong female characters. Ardee has way more spine and actual real pride than Jezal, which is obvious. No matter who circumstances place in the "hero" role.
Too many people who complain about this don't seem to grasp what actually makes a 'strong' character.
[Gabriele C.: Lol, I'm a female historical fiction and fantasy writer who has only male MCs, and most of the few women I have are manipulative bitches.]
And I've seen other female authors do the same. No one ever wants to complain about them.
And I missed this post!
I didn't call Mr. Abercrombie a misogynist. I called the writing in Before They Are Hanged misogynistic. It is. He wrote a woman-hating world, and I still fail to see the point of it, despite his defense. "historical accuracy" ? Hard to be a good justification when one is making history out of whole cloth. "a better story" ? Perhaps, but the ravaged whore character has been done to death and with far more nuance and care than Mr. Abercrombie put into the characters I complained about. Others may disagree, or feel the pluses of his work (of which there are many) outweigh the minuses. In fact, I do think the pluses outweigh the minuses, but I still think the criticism is a fair one to bring up.
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