I am huge fan of the Anne of Green Gables books, and reread the series every year growing up. My favorite of the novels, Anne of the Island, is about Anne in college.
Yes, it’s more than a little inspirational for my own work.
This year is the hundredth anniversary of the Anne books, and celebrations are happening everywhere. There are “Anne” musicals and “Anne” parties, and “Anne articles every time you turn around. There are discussions about why Anne Shirley is not held up like Huck Finn (even though Mark Twain was also a fan of the Canadian proto-feminist) and NPR shows that pick Anne of Green Gables as their book of the month. There’s even an authorized Anne prequel coming out.
I am a fan of all of this. What I am not a fan of is the recent Newsweek article claiming that she’s the last interesting female character in children’s literature.
It’s rare to find a best seller with a strong heroine anymore, in large part because, although girls will read books about boys, boys won’t go near a girl’s book, no matter how cool she is. Even in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, the strong, grounded Bella is willing to chuck it all for the love of her vampire boyfriend. “The literary smart girl is still showing up in literature, but she’s often the sidekick,” says Trinna Frever, an “Anne of Green Gables” scholar. “It is a reflection of a culture that’s placing less value on intelligence, and also treating intelligence as a stigmatized quality.”
Wow, really? I wonder how many YA novels the author or Frever have read? You know, other than Twilight. Have they gone near bestselling trilogies like Scott Westerfeld’s UGLIES books, which are not only beloved by both boys and girls, but also features a heroine so strong she single-handedly brings down her dystopian government? Or what about Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy, in which Gemma fights a patriarchal conspiracy while railing against the restrictions of Victorian England? How about the NYT bestselling I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have To Kill You and it’s similarly long-titled sequel, a series by Ally Carter about a school for genius girls training to be spies? That’s right, a whole SCHOOL of genius girls.
New York Times bestsellers all.
How about the novels of Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, E Lockhart, Jenny O’Connell? The list goes on and on.
I’ve written three books about a smart twenty-something girl fighting the patriarchy at an Ivy League college and next summer, I’ve got a book coming out about a smart teenage girl hunting unicorns. I have gleefully managed to avoid most YA novels that feature “weak” women, and think that strong female role models are out there in spades for anyone who cares to look.
Speaking of strong women, I really enjoyed this Salon article/love letter to the character of Dana Scully.
In this summer of Dark Knights and Hellboys and Iron Men, it’s refreshing to be reminded — as we will be this weekend, with the opening of “The-X-Files: I Want to Believe” — that not so long ago, there was a science fiction series with a woman at its core, a heroine whose major goals were more about disproving the existence of extraterrestrial life than marrying Big, a chick who spent more time chasing fluke worms down toilets than trying on shoes.
Like the writer of this article, I was similarly enthralled with The X-Files in its heyday (and have been diligently avoiding it ever since so as not to taint my memory). The skeptical Doctor Scully and her level-headed approach to life is very similar to my practical, science-minded Astrid.
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In other news, the winner of the RUMORS contest is Amy W. My mouth dropped open when I read that rumor.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:39 am
The author of the newsweek article is a putz. I just read a few other articles by that writer… PUTZ!
I admit to being surprised at Bella as a protagonist, but, Twilight is a Romance.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I admit to being surprised at Bella as a protagonist, but, Twilight is a Romance.
What does that signify?
July 28th, 2008 at 8:19 am
The author of the Newsweek article doesn’t read YA books if she thinks that Anne Shirley is the last of the strong female characters. I love Anne Shirley and still read Anne of Green Gables every year, but there are so many great YA books out right now with strong female characters(you named some of my favorites). I know that Hermione Granger wasn’t the lead of the Harry Potter books, but she is one of the strongest females to be in a book series in many years. I know the article is more about the lead character, but Harry Potter wouldn’t be the same without Hermione.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Which part? The statement that it is a Romance or that I was surprised by Bella?
Bella originally struck me as a character that things happened to, not really through any choices of her own. As a character, I really didn’t like Bella, though there was a mystery about her through out the books. I read the entire first book thinking that Bella was going to turn out to be some sort of legend. Maybe a vampire killer or a werewolf. I was surprised when she just turned out to be a girl in love.
I still loved the book.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Oh uh, signifying I expected her to be more kickass/badass.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Patrick, my point is that the fact that it’s Romance doesn’t signify what the character is like. Rampant is also a romance, and I assure you that Astrid is INCREDIBLY kickass. Bella just doesn’t have that personality — which is the case whether the book is a romance, a mystery, what-have-you.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Liza, I agree! I almost talked about Hermione in the post, but I thought she might fall under the “sidekick” category the author is talking about.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Agreed. Because it is a Romance doesn’t mean your protag can’t be Badass and I didn’t mean to imply that. I meant it in that it is acceptable in a Romance, since the primary focus is the relationship.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:53 am
I see Hermione as a lead. I always saw HP as an ensemble, like Seinfeld.
July 28th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I have no memories of the Anne books growing up. Don’t remember ever being introduced to them in school at all. Sad, huh?
And Scully was a strong heroine in this weekend’s XF2 movie. (Loved that Salon article, too.)
July 28th, 2008 at 9:19 am
SQUEEE!!! I’m a lucky girl! (Must be something in the name!)
As for Newsweek, the quality of writing has sunk to tabloid levels lately. Did you read the article about the young gay man who was shot (I think the same issue) – the writing in that smacked of horrible cliche – which made me sad. Basically, take anything written in it with a big ‘ole grain of salt.
I think in cases like that article, it’s just an easy pitch playing to the lowest common denominator. Stereotypes are a lot easier to write about than to actually do serious research. I didn’t read the article, but I wonder if the journalist interviewed a single YA librarian. I’ve got a slew of YA librarian friends who would have given them a list of strong female characters so fast their head would have spun.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
And in middle-grade books as well as YA books, there have been SO many great heroines since Anne!
In addition to the books already stated, how about the heroines in…
Robin McKinley’s THE BLUE SWORD
Diana Wynne Jones’s HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
Megan Whalen Turner’s ATTOLIA series
E L Konigsburg’s MRS BASIL E FRANKWEILER
And it’s just not worth going on because I’ve read about fifty great heroines every YEAR since I can’t remember when…
Sigh… Why do they let people who don’t know a subject write an article???
Cara
July 28th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
“Even in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, the strong, grounded Bella is willing to chuck it all for the love of her vampire boyfriend.”
I find that statement in the Newsweek article the most disappointing of all — because what the author is saying is that a character cannot be strong and at the same time be willing to make a monumental sacrifice for love. Bella has to give up life as she knows it if she wants to be with the person she loves — she has to change for him, not because of any antifeminist leanings, but because he CANNOT change for her.
Is Bella heroic? IMO, it is the ordinary person placed in extraordinary situations who is heroic, and Bella’s lack of special powers makes her more so. Bella walks into Edward’s home, well aware of the dangers that await her. And when Bella learns she’s been targetted for death by a ‘tracker,’ her first thought is not her own safety, but by what means she can protect her father. And when she believes a killer has her mom, she evades her protectors and goes alone without hesitation to a certain death to save someone she loves. And she offers to endure pain beyond her imagining if that is the price to spend eternity with Edward. Anne of Green Gables is more heroic than Bella? With all due respect to Anne, I don’t think so.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Man, that’s weak sauce. What about every female character Tamora Pierce has ever written? And as others have noted, McKinley’s Blue Sword. Hermione may be a supporting character, but she was still interesting. This lady is clueless AND lazy if she couldn’t come up with a better hero than Bella–and if she claims nobody’s been interesting since. Even if she doesn’t want to take the last two decades into account, there were still interesting female characters in classics like Witch of Blackbird Pond or Elizabeth Pope’s The Perilous Gard.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
There’s tons, you guys are right. There’s tons in YA novels all over the place, and tons in YA novels that DO grace the bestseller lists.
I was just thinking about Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, too.
July 28th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
That’s right, Diana — Scout’s a great example. Which reminds me of all the middle grade books that were required reading for my kids a few years ago — Newbery Award books by authors like Sharon Creech and Lois Lowry, featuring strong female protagonists. And heavens, what about Judy Blume? Interesting female characters anyone?
The whole premise of the Newsweek story is just so . . . ridiculous.
July 28th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Lyra from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is an amazingly strong heroine AND all the 9 years old in my class have loved those books boys and girls. I think Newsweek needs to do some better research.
Also I take issue with the Bella thing why is it chucking it all to choose to be with the person you love? Would it have been more grounded to have walked away from him?
July 29th, 2008 at 1:41 am
I’m shocked that no one has mentioned the late, great Madeleine L’Engle and the strength of Meg Murry in “A Wrinkle in Time” and the other Time Quartet books. Or the lesser known, but no less strong Vicky Austin of “A Ring of Endless Light.” Growing up, Vicky was an inspiration to me for her incredible writing talent, ability to stick to her principles, and kick some awesome corrupt business/government ass in “Troubling A Star.” I even wrote a college essay about her.
As for Anne, while she may not be the last great female heroine, she is certainly a beloved one by people who don’t read contemporary YA novels, which is why they don’t know any better. It’s seen as a children’s book, not as YA, and for some reason, children’s lit is seen to be more valid than YA these days.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Anne + Gilbert Forever. Anne of the Island is the best out of all 8 and I still re-read it. Lol!
I can’t believe how prejudice the world has become towards YA, Romance and Chick-Lit. So what if the cover is pretty and eye-catching. Why do people think that the only books with merit have to talk about some sort of emotional tragedy or be recomended by Oprah? Personally, I always thought Kelly Ripa had better taste in literature. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is that happy books have gotten such a bad rep from self-righteous pricks in the media, who really, if they can’t see the awesome female strenght in Nancy Drew, The All American Girls, the Princess Diaries and The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, then I don’t know what. Anne Shirley would have totally been bff with Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bee.
And what’s more, these books actually show what it’s really like to deal with human relationships. They are our generation’s versions of Jane Austen’s social commentaries about the world around her. Those of us who don’t live in caves all deal with the messy, sticky emotions that come from being involved with other people.
I mean, maybe all of this prejudice is residual from the 80’s where granted, the maurading cherry poppin scoundrels made off with all the duke’s virgin daughters, but seriously, contemporary romance is so far removed from that. Anyone who still believes that girls are waiting to be rescued and tamed obviously hasn’t picked up a Jennifer Crusie or a Nora Roberts. For shame and for sooth! Romance (using the word as a blanket here guys) has erradicated so many gender/social boundaries, women in these books are firefighters, spies, police officers, lawyers and sports agents not to mention, they can plan to get the guy and kick the bad guy’s ass. Heck yes, I’m proud to admit I want to be a romance novel heroine!
September 7th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Wow, I just like you a little more because you like Anne of the Island, which I recently reread and forgot how much I loved. Unfortunately, it’s the last good book in the Anne series. L.M. Montgomery is one of my favorite female authors ever. I like the Emily series a bit more, however (writers can connect to her I guess), and it’s a pity Emily Starr is underappreciated, though I love Anne to pieces. I always suspected you might be an Anne fan though because of Clarissa’s last name.
Anyhow, strong heroines are scattered about everywhere-there’s no question about that. I just finished reading Under the Rose and I enjoyed it even more than the first book. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!
September 8th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Thanks, Sarah!
Yes, Clarissa and Marilla have the same last name. Sadly, I think I may have been inspired by Elisha Cuthbert, of 24. I know. I know. All that new-won respect right out the window.
I also do like Anne’s House of Dreams, but mostly because I totally loved her neighbor’s love story, and the lighthouse keeper, and “the race that knows Joseph.”
But I could pretty much live without Ingleside, which is all about the kids, anyway, and then Anne acting like some kind of jealous child in the last chapter. You always think that their relationship is so much healthier than that, and then she turns into a shrew. and since it’s the only time you see them really interacting in the book, it makes you wonder what kind of marriage they have.
I never read the Emily series, but I’ve been hearing a lot about it!
September 8th, 2008 at 12:09 am
PS: Have you read A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST? I *love* it. Very “anne” feel.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
24 is awesome as well.
You’ll definitely like Emily because the second books, Emily Climbs is very similar in feel to Anne of the Island, and the third book (with Emily’s literary aspirations) will hit a familiar chord with female writers, I feel. Anne is more lovable, but Emily is more relatable in my opinion.
Thanks for the recommendation–I will definitely check it out! On a side note, maybe it’s my my fanciful imagination, but I feel like Amy and Poe has some sexual tension going on. He really grew on me in Under the Rose. I guess I’ll have to see what happens in the third book. But I’d love to see more interaction between the two, anyhow. Anyhow, best wishes on all you projects!