celeste@ssc-bee.UUCP (Celeste A Strahl) (10/23/85)
When Ginger first posed this question, I too had a hard time spliting my reactions into feminine and masculine categories. I found some, which I'll mention later. But I don't agree with those people that seem to put down these feminine or masculine feelings (and recognizing them as such) instead of feeling normal. In reading sci-fi books with female protagonists, I can usually tell if the author is female or male. Does anyone else get this feeling? Are you men on the network able to determine if an author is male or female by the way the male protagonists is protrayed? I'm curious. What attributes are we picking up from these books? For example, 3 science fiction books C.J. Cherryh - 40000 in Gehenna F.M. Bussy - Rissa Kerguelen series Robert Heinlein - The Number of the Beast Each have a competent female protagonist. Heinlein's female is not real to me - instead she is obviously what HE would consider to be the perfect woman. C.J. Cherryh seems to capture the "feminine" feeling and relates it well. As I read it, I feel only a woman could know those feelings. F.M. Bussy - well I'm not sure here. The woman is too "macho". I think this is a female author, but she seems to have dropped the "feminine" side of this woman. I don't necessarily want to discuss these books in particular, they are just examples. Now - when do I feel fem/mas? The first thing that came to mind was when I was a good raquetball player (about 5 years ago), at least good enough to play mixed doubles with the resident pros (male). My female counterpart was my equal, but the our male partners were much better than us. Yet the ballet of playing with 4 of us on that small court, their reliance on us as partners, all of us playing our hardest - Well, I never felt so alive. There were shots of mine that could be categorized as "feminine" (not powerful but well executed); yet the whole scene was very aggressive (masculine). I don't know if I could put all this down as feeling feminine or masculine - maybe it was sensuous? A surprising "feminine" feeling to me has been wearing maternity clothes. Many blouces have lent to me and are frillier than I usually wear. It feels kind of nice. Having been in a male dominated profession for 10 years, I tended to downplay my feminine side. I've tried to change this in the past 4 years - it's nice to find another area for me to work on. -celeste
ariels@orca.UUCP (Ariel Shattan) (10/24/85)
Celeste: > In reading sci-fi books with female protagonists, I can usually tell if the > author is female or male. Does anyone else get this feeling? Are you men > on the network able to determine if an author is male or female by the way > the male protagonists is protrayed? I'm curious. > What attributes are we picking up from these books? > > For example, 3 science fiction books > C.J. Cherryh - 40000 in Gehenna > F.M. Bussy - Rissa Kerguelen series > Robert Heinlein - The Number of the Beast > Each have a competent female protagonist. > Heinlein's female is not real to me - instead she is obviously what HE > would consider to be the perfect woman. > C.J. Cherryh seems to capture the "feminine" feeling and relates it well. > As I read it, I feel only a woman could know those feelings. > F.M. Bussy - well I'm not sure here. The woman is too "macho". I think this > is a female author, but she seems to have dropped the "feminine" side of this > woman. F.M. Busby (not "Bussy") is distinctly male, as any young woman who meets up with him at a convention can tell you. He does write decent feminist fiction, though; "For a Daughter" in Amazons II for example. Don't forget that there are women who *are* very macho, and who don't often show a feminine side. Ariel (Hey, Buzz has got his lobster hat on again!) Shattan ..!tektronix!orca!ariels
flaps@utcs.uucp (Alan J Rosenthal) (10/29/85)
In article <406@ssc-bee.UUCP> celeste@ssc-bee.UUCP (Celeste A Strahl) writes: >In reading sci-fi books with female protagonists, I can usually tell if the >author is female or male. Does anyone else get this feeling? Are you men >on the network able to determine if an author is male or female by the way >the male protagonists is protrayed? I'm curious. Actually I find that often female authors portray the worse portrayals of men. It's odd... I remember being offended by many female authors' portrayals of men as if a man had written it and was being proud of being macho or a stud or whatever. I thought that this was surprising, that I would think to find this sort of thing from men, but actually, now that I think of it again, perhaps the women are overreacting in their desire to present an adequately macho man, or similarly, perhaps in their acceptance of unreasonably macho men they have accepted something even worse than the macho men themselves. Whaddya think??
michaelm@3comvax.UUCP (Michael McNeil) (11/01/85)
[this line staked out.] > In article <406@ssc-bee.UUCP> celeste@ssc-bee.UUCP (Celeste A Strahl) writes: > >In reading sci-fi books with female protagonists, I can usually tell if the > >author is female or male. Does anyone else get this feeling? Are you men > >on the network able to determine if an author is male or female by the way > >the male protagonists is protrayed? I'm curious. > > Actually I find that often female authors portray the worse portrayals > of men. It's odd... I remember being offended by many female authors' > portrayals of men as if a man had written it and was being proud of > being macho or a stud or whatever. I thought that this was surprising, > that I would think to find this sort of thing from men, but actually, > now that I think of it again, perhaps the women are overreacting in > their desire to present an adequately macho man, or similarly, perhaps > in their acceptance of unreasonably macho men they have accepted > something even worse than the macho men themselves. > > Whaddya think?? Perhaps women (authors) have as much trouble comprehending, and writing about, non-stereotypical males as men do about females? (I can hear numerous women in this newsgroup saying, "Naawww!") -- Michael McNeil 3Com Corporation "All disclaimers including this one apply" (415) 960-9367 ..!ucbvax!hplabs!oliveb!3comvax!michaelm Fool. The reason why the seven stars are no more than seven is a pretty reason. Lear. Because they are not eight? Fool. Yes, indeed. Thou wouldst make a good fool. William Shakespeare, *King Lear*, Act I, Scene 5