Wright’s Writing Corner: Heroines and Monsters
Today’s guest blog is an excerpt from an academic paper by a YA author
who, amazingly, quotes–of all people–me. ;-)
Are Kick-Ass Heroines Always Also Monsters?
by Margo Bond Collins
One of the things that I’ve always loved about the use of the term “kick-ass” is that it indicates approval of heroines’ tendency to move from more traditionally feminine roles into behaviors more usually associated with the male heroes of action movies and literature; these women carry weapons and aren’t afraid to use them.
But the shift of heroines’ roles in urban fantasy from passive recipient of romantic love to active participants in violence and killing also carries a certain amount of anxiety in our culture. L. Jagi Lamplighter (my fabulous host today!) notes that “today’s audiences have welcomed this golden age of butt-kicking heroines with great relish,” but also claims that these heroines face a “fundamental conflict between modern culture and drama”: