Yes, that fantasy in general is very pro-monarchy. ETA: Sci-fi too! /ETA Despite the fact that monarchy is bollocks. I read and enjoy such stories; I have written such stories. But I have decided to stop writing them as best I can. This will probably only succeed partially.
Also, about the princess comment--in Neal Stephenson's Baroque trilogy the observation is made several times that a princess' only value is that she can produce more royalty, and I think a lot of fantasy books don't actually get beyond this essential fact--they tend to valorize women who aren't princesses, or to make princesses queens. I think of Thayet in Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, for example, and though she's a princess when she's introduced the narrative makes it clear immediately that she's going to be a queen. Now granted some of this is due to the essentially patriarchal nature of royalty, aristocracy and hereditary titles, but I think it should be possible to valorize princesses qua princesses. Though even in my own #4, the three princess characters do all take on additional roles by the end of the story. This too is a process.
Hah, #3 is 80K words, and I wrote it in about 6 weeks. So 150K in a year is completely doable, at least for me. I have other weaknesses to wrangle.
I think Mary is going to be pretty awesome. The movie made Irene awesome, so there's not much for me to do there, and though Mary was great in the movie, she will be awesome in a different way in my fic. She is interesting, against all the Hollywood odds.
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regna
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Date: 2010-01-18 03:22 (UTC)Also, about the princess comment--in Neal Stephenson's Baroque trilogy the observation is made several times that a princess' only value is that she can produce more royalty, and I think a lot of fantasy books don't actually get beyond this essential fact--they tend to valorize women who aren't princesses, or to make princesses queens. I think of Thayet in Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, for example, and though she's a princess when she's introduced the narrative makes it clear immediately that she's going to be a queen. Now granted some of this is due to the essentially patriarchal nature of royalty, aristocracy and hereditary titles, but I think it should be possible to valorize princesses qua princesses. Though even in my own #4, the three princess characters do all take on additional roles by the end of the story. This too is a process.
Hah, #3 is 80K words, and I wrote it in about 6 weeks. So 150K in a year is completely doable, at least for me. I have other weaknesses to wrangle.
I think Mary is going to be pretty awesome. The movie made Irene awesome, so there's not much for me to do there, and though Mary was great in the movie, she will be awesome in a different way in my fic. She is interesting, against all the Hollywood odds.