Aspiring author Lisa Paitz Spindler, a.k.a. Danger Gal, knows how to mix sci-fi with romance. You can read an excerpt of her science fiction romance THE KINSHIP at Authonomy. She’s a member of Writers At Play as well as a book reviewer for SF Signal. Is there anything this super sister can’t do?
When Heather asked me to contribute to her Parallel Universe coverage of the RWA Conference coming up in two weeks, I had to ask myself what exactly is the allure of Science Fiction Romance for me? What is it about SFR that initially drew me in and keeps me reading (and writing)? I have to admit it was Athena Andreadis' review of Star Wars over at Strange Horizons that helped me sync all the elements together, specifically this quote:
"In Mary Renault's The King Must Die, the Amazon Hippolyta agrees to a parley with Theseus, 'one king to another.' You are a queen, he corrects her. No, she replies, I'm a king like you . . . a woman king. Hippolyta becomes the irreplaceable center of Theseus' life because she is his equal. Would that Mr. Lucas had been 'radical' enough to make Padmé as powerful as Buffy, the slayer and lover of vampires. . ."
Anyone who reads my own blog probably will not be surprised that the ultimate answer to what draws me to SFR is a strong heroine on a particular kind of journey, one that includes the usual adventure plus some kind of love story. Here's why the mingling of Romance with other genres like Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror has created an atmosphere where the genre's already female-focused attitude enables heroines to take on new, even more imaginative, roles and to engage in a broader journey than many other heroines. 
Nearly every Friday I profile such strong heroines, female characters in books and TV whose depiction subverts our common stereotypes of women. Many of these women come from Science Fiction Romances such as Soz Valdoria in Catherine Asaro's PRIMARY INVERSION, Cordelia Naismith from Lois McMaster Bujold's CORDELIA'S HONOR, Chaz Bergren in Linnea Sinclair's GABRIEL'S GHOST, and Banzai Maguire in Susan Grant's THE LEGEND OF BANZAI MAGUIRE. While it's tempting to label many of these kinds of characters just as "kick-ass chicks," because of this broader journey they are much more than that. They are a new archetype that I refer to as "Artemis Unbound."
In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. In my modern interpretation, Artemis is therefore daughter of the ultimate king of the gods, and holds equal footing with her brother in the family birth order. The story of Artemis goes as so: At the age of three, Artemis asked her father, Zeus, for six wishes and he granted all of them: (1) that she remain chaste for eternity never to be confined by marriage, (2) that she have lop-eared hounds, (3) stags to lead her chariot, (4) nymphs to be her hunting companions, (5) those nymphs comprised of 60 from the river and 20 from the ocean, and (6) a silver bow and arrow like her brother's.
This paints a very interesting picture of Artemis: She wanted the freedom equal to that of her brother, as well as pretty puppies, a posse of BFFs, and cool-ass weapons to boot. This depiction of the archetypal Artemis shows up all over Science Fiction, Fantasy, and even Horror. We also recognize it as an Amazonian archetype. The merging of the treatment of this archetypal kick-ass female figure with Romance, though, liberates Artemis and her Amazonian counterparts from their chastity restrictions. Artemis chose chastity because it was the only avenue available for her to gain independence, and the Amazon legend bears some similarities to her story in that they lived apart from men, only mingling with them for childbearing purposes. 
Artemis Unbound is free to engage in true intimacy, which often includes sex, in addition to all of her other freedoms. Romance, with its focus on ultimate personal actualization through emotional and physical intimacy, enables female characters to find a level of profound freedom not necessarily evident in other genres. Also, Artemis' and the Amazonian preference for the company of their girlfriends had much more to do with tickling the male fantasy of "girls gone wild" than anything else. Artemis eschewed males completely, thus taking herself out of the mating game, but Amazons oddly held up the status quo by maintaining their place as mothers. Both are defined by their relationships, or lack thereof, to men.
The new, unbound, heroines of Science Fiction Romance and Paranormal Romance get to have all the kicking-ass fun and they still get the guy or girl in the end. If it's the girl they want to partner with, it's not out of some male fantasy, but a real connection. Also, as Jennifer Crusie has pointed out about the genre in general, Romance heroines aren't made to wear giant letters on their chests, die under trains, or, in the case of Amazon Queen Penthesilea, aren't raped after death and dragged behind chariots. Historically and mythologically, the price for female empowerment has been a high one, but heroines in Romance aren't rendered that fine. Instead, they achieve a Happily Ever After.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Artemis Unbound
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16 comments:
Thanks for letting me guest post, Heather. I'm proud to be part of the SFR Parallel Universe.
>>Artemis Unbound is free to engage in true intimacy, which often includes sex, in addition to all of her other freedoms. Romance, with its focus on ultimate personal actualization through emotional and physical intimacy, enables female characters to find a level of profound freedom not necessarily evident in other genres.<<
YES! Exactly the reason why I love reading SFR. And your Danger Gal Fridays always rock. Great article, Lisa! Good luck with your writing.
Thanks, Leslie. Romance is the rare place where what women want is validated.
Oooh! This is exactly what I was playing with when I wrote Beyond the Rain!
It's like you read my thoughts. I set up the Azralen culture to address what was confining about the Amazon archetype, and the new embodiment of that archetype in the Kick-ass heroine.
I had so much fun breaking the ties of chastity (in order to be honorable in the eyes of society) and coldness (in order to present the war capable woman as masculine and therefore acceptable)
Great blog topic!
Ah, THE KING MUST DIE - one of my all-time favorites, and still on my keeper shelf. It was the only book I've ever stolen from the library, because I couldn't bear to return it (what a bad-ass I am, hm? LOL). I've always found the concept of a matriarchal society to be the nearly perfect ideal - at a very basic level, nature designed women to bear children and be their main caregivers, while men were assigned the job of sperm donors, hunter/gatherers and protectors. Matriarchal societies still exist in nature - elephants, chimps, and some species of birds. Clever creatures, all. :-)
I'll be very honest and say that while I love the idea of BEING a strong woman, I don't necessarily want to be the one who physically kicks someone's butt - I'd rather send the man to do it. :-)
Great blog, Lisa!
Great post, Lisa. I'd always loved SF, Fantasy and Horror as a kid but something usually felt "off" about them. No Artemis! Then a friend recommended SFR. Thank goodness or I would have totally missed some amazing characters and stories.
Good luck with your writing.
Great article, Lisa. I agree on many counts. Most of my work puts the female MC either in a role reversal situation or a position of power, although they don't always realize they have the upper hand at the start. One of the reasons I love the SFR subgenre is that it allows me to push the envelope a bit with what female characters can be and do, where it probably wouldn't fly in other romance genres.
BTW, I loved Cordelia Naismith's character. Now there's a woman who, when pushed, makes good on a threat...much to everyone's surprise.
I haven't yet read Susan Grant's THE LEGEND OF BANZAI MAGUIRE. I must add that one to my Leaning Tower of TBR.
Great article Lisa! I went wild several years ago when it was conclusively proven that there REALLY were Amazons. I would have loved to have known some of those women. They have genetic descendents in Central Asia and the culture is still matriarcal. Seemes there might be more truth in myth than we ever dreamed. :-)
"Artemis Unbound"--what an excellent way to conceptualize the SFR heroine.
SFR, for many of the reasons you mention, Lisa, allows for so much more gender equality than we typically encounter in romance *or* SF in my humble (and slightly biased) opinion. There are some very innovative heroines being created for the genre and it's a trend I'd love to see continue.
I also wouldn't mind a healthy selection of books where the heroine teams up with another heroine. SFR is a great vehicle to explore f/f romances.
Upon further reflection, it occurs to me that the Artemis Unbound archetype really bucks the trend as far as romance heroines go. Frequently, the AU heroine engages in unexpected, atypical, or even amoral behavior. She often has qualities or abilities usually attributed to heroes. Which is to say, she gets to have a lot of fun!
All of my favorite SFRs have strong female leads. Rhere's something about the genre that tends to give us our Artemis Unbound. Maybe it's that we need a strong female MC to ground us in the SF setting, to meet the other MCs head on, or maybe it's to see ourselves in her position.
Whatever the reason, I love the Artemis-type heroines like Chaz, or my favorite, Sass, from Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair. Strong as she is, Sass is a perfect example of why a strong female lead can allow the hero to show vulnerability and still remain strong and believable.
Wonderful post, Lisa!
Artemis is a lot of fun, and this Artemis Unbound seems like even more fun.
That said, I wouldn't mind seeing a few more Athenas among the Artemises. Artemis, as one of the foremost of the younger generation, is always keeping an eye out for chances to prove that she deserves her power. (So is Apollo for the same reason. Athena seems more comfortable in her power. If you don't realize how tough she is, that's your problem. {chuckle, Smile}
Great article, Lisa.
"I went wild several years ago when it was conclusively proven that there REALLY were Amazons. I would have loved to have known some of those women."
Did you also know there were female gladiators and that Spartan women were required to train in hand to hand combat, study gymnastics and stay fit by running and exercising? It's why they wore shorter tunicas than the other Greek women of the time. They also participated in the Olympics.
It seems like a lot about the strong women from history, is buried. You don't hear much about them and when you do, they're fictionalized to the point that people question if they really existed.
It's nice to see the stronger heroine is making a comeback. I love a female charcter with spine that is still feminine and sexy.
Great post, Lisa! This is precisely what draws me to science fiction romance, as opposed to straight sci-fi, although female sci-fi writers have gotten this all along. It was the years of reading those female written stories, that made me to want to craft one of my own, with a strong heroine, who doesn't need a man, but when she meets the hero, she comes to realize he's the one for her, equal all the way.
The mixture of science fiction and romance is a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned.
Indeed! *smiles*
Athena Andreadis
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