When I originally asked for recommendations of strong female characters in sci-fi/fantasy/action books, movies and video games, I wasn’t expecting quite such an enthusiastic response! Within the week, I had well over 100 suggestions and links to sites that contained hundreds more.
As there is clearly deep interest in this topic, I contacted the proprietresses of Bookish Dark and proposed we launch a cross media gender discussion group in the spring of 2009. They enthusiastically agreed and we’re now faced with the challenge of reducing this list to 3 titles from each media group. We’re going to try and find themes that connect the diverse media so that each month has a central topic or focus. This is obviously no small task and we’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions.
The list below is broken into three sections. The Short List is media we’re highly considering for inclusion. The Under Consideration list is media we’ve not officially reviewed as yet. The Deferred list is media we don’t feel fit within the scope of our initial three month plan. Should the group grow beyond the original scope, we will likely reconsider many of these titles. As a reminder, here are the absolute parameters for media to be considered for the current Short list:
- No Damsel in Distress syndrome.
- No co-star/ensemble leads.
- No anime/manga characters.
- No comic book characters.
- No children.
The current short list is obviously being built on very narrow parameters. We are looking for clear female leads in titles that have an action component.
At some point in the future, we will likely reverse rules 2-5, one at a time, and build new short lists to focus on each of the themes they represent exclusively over the course of a month or more. As we approve, or defer, titles we welcome your thoughts. Arguments for inclusion, or exclusion, that cite specific and detailed examples of why a particular title ought to moved back into consideration would be very helpful. Your feedback will have an impact on our decisions. In particular, if you can suggest specific episodes from the suggested television shows that highlight a compelling issue surrounding the central character being a strong female, it will help us greatly.
And without any further ado, we present The List:
Short List
Literature
- Susan Sto Helit, Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
Film/Television
- Ellen Ripley, Alien, Ridley Scott
Video Games
Under Consideration
Literature
- Candy Quackenbush, Abarat, Clive Barker
- Cirroco Jones, The Gaia Trilogy, John Varley
- Shori, Fledgling, Octavia Butler
- Beauty, Beauty, Sheri S. Tepper
- Offred, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
- Cayce Pollard, Pattern Recognition, William Gibson
- Polly Perks, Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett
- Delphi, The Girl Who Was Plugged In, Alice Sheldon (James Tiptree Jr.)
- Sethe, Beloved, Toni Morrison
- Ista, Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
- Honor Harrington, On Basilisk Station, David Weber
- Cordelia Naismith, Cordelia’s Honor, Luis McMaster Bujold
- Kate Daniels, Magic Bites and Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews
- Dante Valentine, Working for the Devil, Lilith Saintcrow
- Aerin, The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley
- Alanna, The Lioness Quartet, Tamora Pierce
- Mrs. Frisby, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O’Brien
- Sabriel, Sabriel, Garth Nix
- Lirael, Lirael and Abhorsen, Garth Nix
- Sonea, The Magicians’ Guild, Trudi Canavan
- Viola, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare
- Taizu, Paladin, C.J. Cherryh
- Kivrin, Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
- Jamethial, God Stalk, P C Hodgell
- Bella Lind & Svetlana Borghesian, Pushing Ice, Alastair Reynolds
- Moreta, Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, Anne McCaffrey
- Elena Michaels, Bitten, Kelley Armstrong
- Talia, Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey
- Imogene Yeck, The Blue Girl, Charles De Lint
- Sunshine, Sunshine, Robin McKinley
- Chrysoberyl, Brain Plague, Joan Slonczewski
- Periwinkle, The Changeling Sea, Patricia McKillip
- Shan Frankland, City of Pearl, Karen Traviss
- Val, Dangerous Notes, Gillian Bradshaw
- Festina Ramos, Expendable, James Alan Gardner
- Thursday Next, The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
- Sophie, Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
- Lythande, Lythande, Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Yelana, Poison Study, Maria V Snyder
- Maria Halley, Time Future, Maxine McArthur
- Kylara Vatta, Trading in Danger, Elizabeth Moon
- Jill, Like a Hole in the Head, Jen Banbury
- Eddi McCandry, War for the Oaks, Emma Bull
Film/Television
- The Bride, Kill BIll I & II, Quentin Tarrentino
- Ryoko, Taxing Woman, Juzo Itami
- Mahiru Inoue, Minbo, Juzo Itami
- Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon et al.
- Eden, Doomsday, Neil Marshall
- Domino Harvey, Domino, Tony Scott
- Ellen, The Quick and the Dead, Sam Raimi
- Kendra Shaw, BSG: Razor, Ronald D. Moore
- Sydney Fox, Relic Hunter,
- Xena, Xena Warrior Princess, Sam Raimi
- Veronica Mars, Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas
- Max, Dark Angel, James Cameron
- Captain Kathryn Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager,
- Sydney Bristow, ALIAS, J.J. Abrams
- Sarah Connor, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, James Cameron
- Cassie Hughes, Hex, Julian Jones and Lucy Watkins
- Jaime Sommers, Bionic Woman (2007), David Eick
- Sydney, VR.5, Jeannine Renshaw
Video Games
- Jade, Beyond Good & Evil, Michel Ancel
- Cate Archer, No One Lives Forever, Monolith
- Joanna Dark, Perfect Dark, Rare
- April Ryan, The Longest Journey, Funcom (Ragnar Tørnquist)
- Bayonetta, Bayonetta, Platinum Games
- Rubi, Wet, A2M
- Nariko, Heavenly Sword, Ninja Theory
- Chel, Portal, Valve
- Ms. Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Midway
- Kya, Kya: Dark Lineage, Eden Games
- Tron Bonne, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Capcom
- Jill, Drill Dozer, Game Freak
- Nina Kalenkov, Secret Files: Tunguska, Fusionsphere Systems
- Lea Nichols, Experience 112, Lexis Numérique
- Alexandra Roivas, Eternal Darkness, Silicon Knights
- Samus Aran, Metroid, Nintendo (Makoto Kanou)
- Rosella, King’s Quest IV, Sierra
- Kate Walker, Syberia, Benoît Sokal
- Laura Bow, Colonel’s Bequest, Sierra (Roberta Williams)
- Princess Katia, Lost Kingdoms, From Software
- Hana; Fear Effect, Kronos
- Lennith Vlakyrie; Valkyrie Profile, Tri-Ace
- Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, Toby Gard
- Amaterasu, Okami, Clover Studios
Deferred
Literature
- Joanna Eberhart, The Stepford Wives, Ira Levin
- Rosemary, Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski
- Y.T., Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
- Alice, Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
- Smilla Qaaviqaaq Jaspersen, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg
- Orlando, Orlando: a Biography, Virginia Woolf
- Margarita, The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
- Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick; Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
Film/Television
- Cleo, Rose and Hel, Cleopatra 2525, R.J. Stewart
- Evey Hammond, V for Vendetta, Alan Moore
- Dana Scully, X-Files, Chris Carter
- Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell, Masamune Shirow
- Nikita, La Femme Nikita, Luc Besson
- Kim Possible, Kim Possible , Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley
- Pepper Ann, Pepper Ann , Sue Rose
- Sabrina, Sabrina: the Teenage Witch, Nell Lovell
- Clarissa, Clarissa Explains It All, Mitchell Kriegman
- Aki Ross, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Square
- Aeon Flux, Aeon Flux, Karyn Kusama
- Zoe Bell, Death Proof, Quentin Tarrentino
- Samantha Caine/Charlie Baltimore, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Renny Harlin
- Angela Chase, My So-Called Life, Winnie Holzman
Video Games
- Terra Branford, Final Fantasy VI, Yoshinori Kitase
- Victoria McPherson, Still Life, Microids
- Heather, Silent Hill 3, Konami
- Aya Brea, Parasite Eve, Square
- Carmen Sandiego, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Broderbund
- Sarah Kerrigan, Starcraft, Blizzard
- Elhaym Van Houten, Xenogears, Square
- Alis Landale, Phantasy Star, Sega (Rieko Kodama)
- Yuna, Final Fantasy X-2, Tetsuya Nomura
- Jill Valentine, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Shinji Mikami
- Rose Da Silva, Silent Hill, Konami (Christophe Gans)
- Alice, American McGee’s Alice, American McGee
- Yu Shu-lien, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee
- Konoko, Oni, Bungie
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:51 am
How about Amaterasu, the sun goddess from Okami (you know the main character).
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
What an oversight! Added, thanks Vincent.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I’m curious about the characters excluded because of ‘horror’. Why exclude Heather Graham and Jill Valentine while accepting Alex Roivas and Ellen Ripley?
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Alien, particularly when the franchise is viewed as a whole, does not rely exclusively a horror movie memes in the same way that we feel Silent Hill does.
As far as anything on the Under Consideration list–we haven’t reviewed every title yet. When we get to Eternal Darkness, it’ll be dropped to the Declined list.
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I really hope Alex Roivas makes the list, she’s the very definition of a strong female video game character in my books.
You also have Aya Brea listed twice under “Declined Video Games.”
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I’ll delete that duplicate entry when I get home. Thanks for brining it to my attention.
Specific brief examples of why a character is strong will add a lot of weight to your suggestions!
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
What do you folks think–does the inclusion of Ellen Ripley open the door to more typical horror fair? In other words–do we put Silent Hill back in the running? Make your case!
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
“Alice, American McGee’s Alice, American McGee, too young”
Erm, isn’t she 30 or something in this? The story of the game is that she’s a grown woman in an insane asylum, embarking on this fantastical journey (which may or may not be entirely within her own head).
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I guess I just missed the reason why horror tropes are a reason to exclude a character. In my opinion, though, if you’re trying to make a list of strong female characters, genre doesn’t seem like a compelling reason for exclusion. Let me ask this question: if we came to a consensus that the Alien series is horror, would you therefore be willing to exclude Ripley from the list? If not, then I would suggest that parsing along genre lines is a way of getting too hung up about something that’s not really important.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hm. I’d forgotten that detail about AMcG’s Alice. The argument could be made that for the majority of the game you’re seeing the world through the eyes of her younger self.
Regardless, I think I’ll set it aside for a special focus on coming of age stories for a future date.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
@Sparky I think Ripley is pretty pivitol to the initial action heroine focus of this discussion, so no.
The genre lines are there to keep things from spiraling out of control and the horror genre typically treats its heroines very differently than action/sc-fi/fantasy and therefore deserves a separate focus.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I wouldn’t say you should include characters from *any* horror game or movie, but in cases where the work could just as easily fall into the categories of fantasy or science fiction I think the characters should be fair game. Otherwise I think you’re in the unpleasant position of excluding characters that may resemble Ripley in important ways, on the basis of a distinction you don’t use to decide her case.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
We aren’t permanently ruling any good suggestions out, which is why we’re having a transparent, public, and open discussion during which you may provide compelling arguments for the inclusion of specific titles.
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
What about Yu Shu-lien, Michelle Yeoh’s character from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? She’s a physically capable character who due to her loyalty to the cultural mores of the time has refrained from acting on her feelings for Li Mu-bai. Or would she be considered a co-star? Or does the film itself not fit within the guidelines?
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:05 pm
The movie would likely fit, but I’m thinking that’s more of an ensemble piece, yes? I’ve added it to the newly renamed “Deferred” list.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Also technically Konoko from Oni is an anime character, at least as much of one as Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2.
Also Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is an animted film but does that automatically qualify it as Anime? As Kim Possible is also an animated character as is Aeon Flux.
When it comes to characters from book series does the specific book matter? It’s being petty I know but Honor Among Thieves isn’t actually a Honor Harrington book the title is Honor Among Enemies. Which itself wasn’t actually the first book in the series, that was On Basilisk Station.
And well I’m nitpicking Zoe Bell technically played herself in Death Proof, allbeit in a fictional setting. That was also very much and ensemble piece.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I don’t believe Konoko will make the cut for the current short list, no. Nor, most likely, will Kim Possible.
I am adamant that FF: SW will not be a part of the current short list. I just noticed that I incorrectly dropped it into the video game list and will move that as well.
Thanks for the clarifications on Honor Harrington. I based the entry off the original suggestion. I’ll clear it up soon.
Zoe Bell is definitely part of an ensemble and won’t be in the current short list.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Well, it’s been a while since I played Silent Hill 3, but I recall being impressed by Heather as a character who reacted to the events of the game with believable emotion while not degenerating into a weepy mess.
As much as I like Alexandra Roivas as a character, Eternal Darkness is an ensemble piece. However, it’s unusual in that none of the members of the ensemble really interact with each other. She probably wouldn’t fit very well in any discussion of ensembles, but (regardless of the horror thing) you might not find her appropriate for your main list either.
August 24th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Hi Corvus,
This is a great project, and a formidable list. I’d tend to agree with Sparky, however, that the genre/category restrictions seem to shift the considerations to less interesting climes… I spent a lot of my time wondering whether X was "horror", "ensemble", or even "anime", whereas it seems like the rich conversations come from your implied question: what really constitutes a strong female character (and, ultimately, a Strong Character full stop)?
I think we can all agree that most genre definitions are not bold prescriptive lines that separate immutable "species" of content, but rough descriptive categories we use to make the analysis of sprawling, complex works easier on ourselves. Games, books and movies cross blur and marry these categories all the time (often through their awareness of the genre conventions and a DESIRE to mix them).
I’m not saying you don’t have the right to pick and choose what interests you and what you want to include in the discussion… FF:SW is a terrible sci-fi movie, and Eternal Darkness, while certainly both an ensemble and a horror piece, has excellent characterization. You’re within your rights to be subjective about your selections, because ultimately this is your research. It just seems that, by imposing and debating rules of genre, we lose track of the real issue.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Also, two suggestions (don’t worry, I’m playing by the rules despite my comment):
Literature:
Margarita, The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
Film/Television:
Angela Chase, My So-Called Life, Winnie Holzman et al
Also, a question… where does Erin Esurance fit into all this?
August 24th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Thanks for your thoughts, Jamie. To be honest, with the exception of a hard and fast “no anime” rule for the current short list, I’m not that hung up on genre. I simply needed big and easy filters to reduce the list and “horror” is one of those filters. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but simply a convenient way to remove bulk from the suggestions.
Additionally, we’re wanting to start the project by focusing on strong female characters that are clear leads in their respective titles. The reason for this is that it will lend a clarity to the initial conversations we have and help build a strong base for the project upon which to build future conversations in which we examine gender roles within ensemble casts, horror movies, anime and manga, comic books, romantic co-leads, male leads, homosexual leads, coming of age stories (male and female), etc.
Imagine starting a film class where the professor started with “in today’s class we’re going to talk about all the comedies in film history.” Yikes! Better by far to break down the conversation into bite sized focuses and work your way through romantic comedies, buddy comedies, parodies, dark comedies, etc. Even within that structure, it’d probably help to follow each sub-genre by time period.
Anime is being left out of the current short list because there are enormous issues about cross cultural perceptions of gender roles that need to be addressed. It would benefit the discussion of anime more to be able to focus on that quite heavily at some point. And, we feel, that discussion will benefit from first having a slightly simpler discussion about strong female leads within genres that feature action.
So, the real issue immediately at hand is picking 9 specific pieces of media that will be conducive to having a very focused discussion. I sincerely believe this is imperative to the success of the project and the eventual widening of the scope.
I hope I’m being clear. Please feel free to ask follow up questions if I’m not.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I think the horror genre is such that it would make an interesting case study in it’s own right, which is what I think Corvus intended.
Specifically I think when it comes to horror the “rules” regarding what defines a strong character seem subtle changed depending on the type of horror itself, be it slasher, psychologically, or body horror. That would potentially make it difficult to generalise.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hmm, you said no anime, not no animation before. Odd choice, but fair enough. You won’t exactly find much western animation involving adult characters with a female protagonist in an action environment.
A few clarifications however, since I did pick out these shows:
Clarissa Explains It All is not animation, it’s a live action sitcom. Admittedly, the character is now too young according to the new rules (mid-teenager), so make it “child” instead of “animation” as the reason.
However, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is basically an adult. Hardly a kid (are late teenagers “children”?). She goes to University it’s that long a series. I suppose, however, Comedy in general is out. Not enough action as your “secondary” reasons come into play in the end – so at least alter it to “no action”.
Can’t really comment much more. My breadth of literature is rather limited compared to the amount of games I play. I do wonder what you’d think about including gender-neutral roles (ie; ones the player gets to choose the gender of the main character) such as Bioware RPG’s, Deus Ex 2, and other roleplaying games etc. etc. – saying the character has no personality is probably your goal in these cases however, which is the entire problem with the videogame angle in this situation, since the player “plays” the character, for all intents you’re defining them by the non-interactive cutscenes (more akin to rating them as film characters) and not the interactive conversations/actions/choices in the game
But I’m nitpicking. I suppose I’ll do that here.
August 27th, 2008 at 6:27 am
Thanks Andrew, for your comments.
I think we may still be giving the wrong impression as to the “rules.” There are no rules. There is a selection process that uses big, sweeping filters.
It is no small task to sort through 100+ titles, many of which none of us are intimately familiar with, in order to settle on 9. So as we try to weed titles out, we find we’re using stronger filters as we go. “Let’s defer anime for another time” became, “let’s defer animation.” “Let’s defer kids,” became, “let’s defer pre-teens and younger,” became, “let’s defer 18 and under.”
This is not meant as a judgment against the excellent suggestions we’ve received. Many of the titles we’re deferring are ones we very much want to include in subsequent short lists (Snow Crash, V for Vendetta, and Death Proof to name three). Other are books at least one of us love (Master and the Margarita is one of my favorite novels), but we feel aren’t as well suited to the project because the predominate themes require considerable cultural knowledge outside the scope of this discussion… at least for now.
So in an effort to bring the focus back to where we really need it in this thread–we’re removing the reasons we’ve deferred titles. We don’t actually want to get hung up on genre, or age, or any of the other criteria. What we want is to select 9 titles that have a focuses thematic resonance with each other. Titles that, when contrasted and compared, will spark dynamic, passionate, and respectful conversations.
The help we most need at this point will take the form of arguments for or against individual titles that cite specific events within the story that make it ideal, or non-ideal for a focus on clear female leads in a title with an action component.
This isn’t so say we won’t also welcome other feedback in the comments! So please feel free to continue to challenge and discuss our selections.
September 8th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Literature:
Ayla, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
She begins the book too young (it follows her from childhood to adulthood), but by mid-book she’s grown up.
November 19th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
how about Wall-E?
nothing like Eve saving the day… no damsel in distress here, though possibly a hint of “robot in distress”
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Have to add Jane Eyre from…Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. She has flaws, she falls for a guy but the moment he tries to control her she leaves and doesn’t return until Rochester needs her and she doesn’t need him.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
It’s a bit of a stretch to consider Jane Eyre as sci-fi/fantasy/action.
March 1st, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Why is Eowyn not on this list? While not an extremely main character in the Lord of the Rings series, she is most certainly one of the strongest female characters to be written in the past 30 years! Eowyn deserves to be on this list. As a woman in medieval fashioned middle earth, she was not allowed to go to battle as a woman. Well, she did anyways, and she kicked ass. Beyond that – she killed the Witch King, the most bad-ass character in the series next to the major villian Sauran. Not even the white wizard could defeat this foe, but Eowyn kicked his ass. Yes, Eowyn most certainly deserves a spot on this list.
March 1st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Eowyn is not on this particular list because of this rule:
2. No co-star/ensemble leads.
March 5th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Zoe Bell is responsible for making The Bride, Kill Bill I & II, and Xena Warrior Princess look as good as they were.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:54 am
This post has become the target of pornographic spam, so I’m going to shut down the comments for a while.