At 10:40 7/29/97 -0500, you wrote:
>On 25 July, 1997, Ildney Cavalcanti wrote:
>
>>I agree that the concept of the hero monomyth *is* simplistic and maybe too
>>formalist. On the other hand, it appears to be very useful in order to
>>stress one of the gender differences in quest narratives. Collective
>>protagonists (as opposed to *one* female hero - or heroine - I still have
>>not chosen which term to use...) abound in feminist sf.
>
>That's one of the patterns that has struck me about feminist fantasy and SF
>too, the idea of more than one protagonist, all equal, working together and
>pooling strengths so that all reach the end of the quest, rather than
>having one protagonist with an obvious support group. Do you think that
>this kind of pattern holds true, or is it something I've just seen in the
>books I've read? I'd be curious to know, and most of you on this list are
>a lot more well-read than I am! =->
>
>Elizabeth
>
>
Well, I can think of some counter-arguments. Cordelia Naismith, in
Lois McMaster Bujold's _Vorkosigan_ series, definitely behaves like
the traditional hero, with an obvious support group. And a number
of stories have the young woman leave home (often to escape incest,
or having experienced it) to find themselves thrown into a quest
situation, without much support. (Oddly enough, quite a few
of these young women wind up with dragons as helpers. Pat Wrede's
_Enchanted Forest_ series, for example.)
The major differences I find between the male and female quests
sums up this way:
The young man usually doesn't know much about his parentage or
history. The young woman usually does; she's often the child of
an important or ruling family. Neither of them have a mother,
in most of the stories.
The young man's daily activities and abilities turn out to be
just what he needs to know for his quest. The girl is often
taught the "proper" things for her gender; she frequently
rebels against this, and learns to fight, use magic, or
whatever, which also turns out useful.
The Call to Adventure is usually brought to a young man by
a mysterious, magical, or otherworldly messenger. The Call
comes to a girl out of some situation, her status, or by
chance.
The young man goes on quest because some deed needs doing, or
because he can't avoid it. The young woman often gets driven
out -- by family or by invasion of some sort, and the quest
motif follows.
Both young men and young women usually have companions.
The young man is less apt to use magic than the young women.
Accompanied by his companions, the young man must journey
into danger. He leaves an uncertain and (usually) unsatisfactory
situation for a new life of action. The young woman usually
must cross some significant threshhold, leaving an apparently
safe home (or garden) for the wider world, adventure, learning.
The Threat for the young man often includes evil magic or
conquest; the stakes are high, to gain freedom for his
country or his world, or to avert some universal, horrible
threat. The young woman usually faces a danger that at
first seems to threaten herself alone, but soon expands
to involve far more than her personal well-being.
During the Adventure stage: the young man often must overcome
his enemies in battle, either physical or political, using
the weapons he has become skilled at using. The young woman
often wins by wit, intelligence, and moral superiority. If
she has to fight, however, she usually does so quite well.
Both of them enjoy very good luck.
The young man usually must overcome 1) physical danger; and
2) psychological danger, often presented as emotional undermining
or uncertainty as to the wisdom of his course of action; and
3) trickery and deceit, often from a Delilah figure.
The young woman must overcome 1) physical danger (often sexual),
2) psychological danger (often presented as gender-linked: women
can't -- or shouldn't -- do this); and 3) trickery and deceit,
often from a villain disguised as a hero.
The success of the quest also differs. The young man returns to
recognition of 1) his true name and family; 2) his true status;
3) the value of his contribution; 4) a celebration (sometimes a
wedding). On a social level, the "proper" form of government is
restored, and the hero may be named ruler or at least important
in the government.
The young woman returns to 1) a united family; 2) a stabilized
society; 3) an appropriate mate (often collected on the journey).
Her society will benefit from the leadership of the newly
established ruling family, although the woman may play a role
secondary to her mate's. The form of government may seem much
improved, and the new society much more utopian than before.
I developed this list of contrasts for my Fantasy class, and so
far we've found that many (NOT all) books follow it pretty well.
Martha Bartter
Truman State University
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