My office gets The New York Times every morning. I usually glance at it first thing before starting work. I start with the editorials, glance at the business news, and skim the headlines for the Arts, Science, Dining, and Home sections so I'll know what to read at lunch.
Yesterday I saw the Times' review of the upcoming HBO miniseries A Game of Thrones. The reviewer, one Ginia Bellafante, didn't like it much, which is of course her privilege. I haven't seen AGOT (or even, to my shame, read the book) so for all I know, she's right.
What really shucked my corn was the following paragraph:
The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.
That's right, ladies: fantasy isn't for you. It's "boy fiction" unless there's lots and lots of illicit sex, preferably involving siblings.
To say that this is ridiculous goes without saying; I know literally dozens of women who love fantasy, quite a few who write it, and one who is practically drooling at the prospect of watching AGOT because of the political intrigue and the characters. That's why I wrote the following letter to Ginia Bellafante, who not only clearly doesn't know squat about heroic fantasy, but really, really needs to have her reading horizons extended:
Dear Ms. Bellafante:
I was appalled by your review of HBO's upcoming miniseries "A Game of Thrones." This is not, as you might expect, because of your assessment of the miniseries. I obviously haven't seen it, so for all I know you're spot-on in your critique.
The paragraph that had me choking over my morning coffee was this one toward the end:
"The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half."
Perhaps you haven't met any women who has asked her book club to read a fantasy novel, but that says considerably more about your circle of acquaintances (and your book club) than it does about fantasy readers. I've been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was 13, co-founded the science fiction and fantasy society at Smith College, and regularly attend SF and fantasy conventions. Despite the stereotype of only socially maladjusted boys and young men reading such works, the attendance at conventions is at least half female, including a great many women and girls.
And a lot of these women, perhaps the majority, read fantasy novels. If anything, fantasy is may be more popular among women than straight science fiction, possibly because more men than women train as scientists and engineers. And despite your assertion that "A Game of Thrones" is "boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half," many, many women write fantasy novels, often dealing with serious themes such as gender identity, LGBT relationships, the role of religion, and discrimination against women cleverly cast as fun stories about elves and quests.
Perhaps you might suggest one or more of the following to your book club. You might be surprised at the reaction from your fellow Lorrie Moore fans:
- The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold.
- Princess of Flames, Ru Emerson.
- War for the Oaks, Emma Bull.
- The Bone Doll's Twin, Lynn Flewelling.
- The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley.
- Magic's Pawn, Mercedes Lackey.
- Kushiel's Dart, Jacqueline Carey.
- The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley.
- Witch World, Andre Norton.
- The Dancers of Arun, Elizabeth Lynn.
- The Gate of Ivrel, CJ Cherryh.
- Cards of Grief, Jane Yolen.
May this list enlighten you.
Ellid
The Last Homely Shack
There's evidently a backlash starting among female SF and fantasy fans, which probably means that Ginia Bellafante's e-mail will be flooded by letters of protest. I tried to keep it polite, short, and informative, and trust anyone who's tempted to e-mail her will do likewise.
*And before anyone says that I left out such-and-such wonderful book: I know I missed a lot. I wrote that letter at 7:45 am on Saturday morning, pre-caffeine, and basically listed whatever I could remember. Forgive me.