Female as main character

[Feanuonn]

OK.... this subject was suggested as a possible thread to start but no-one else started it so I guess I will.
Personally, I don't care if the main is male or female as long as the story of their travels (ever notice how the main is always traveling from one bad situation to one even worse) is interesting. I love to read Eddings because everyone is always interacting in the most humorous ways.
The only times I have not enjoyed a female main were when the author seemed to be trying to promote a militant feminist credo. As far as I'm concerned, I would be just as happy reading about some lusty tavern wench turned heroine....or even a nice female werecat out exploreing after she gets turned (it occurs to me that the humor of a prudish Kimmie-type after the instincts kick in might be rather funny.....and we thought human puberty was trying).
I have to ask, for those who don't like female mains, what is it you don't like?

[Lochar]

or even a nice female werecat out exploreing after she gets turned (it occurs to me that the humor of a prudish Kimmie-type after the instincts kick in might be rather funny.....and we thought human puberty was trying).

There won't BE a exploring werecat after being turned, unless it's by drinking a werecats blood.  If a were knowingly turns a human, they're damned sure gonna make sure they know everything about it.  A prudish werecat ain't gonna last long.  Remember what Mist did to Kimmie to get her over that?  Had a druid summon another male and he has his way with her.  LOL

[kenposey]

The reason I dont much care for female main character is
I find it hard to identify with there point of view being male

[Feanuonn]

I find it hard to identify with there point of view being male

I think that why I like it sometimes, because it is an alien viewpoint to me. I can pretend to understand what drives a woman or just more readily suspend disbelief. I'm not a werecat but I think I'm getting a pretty good idea of how one thinks now.

[Wildcat]

The interesting thing about that "point of view" issue is that in some books, it's not really an issue at all. I'm thinking mainly of books labeled young adult for their teenaged leads (like Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, or nearly anything by Diana Wynne Jones), although I'd be willing to argue a few adult ones as well.  The girls deal with issues that I feel guys can sympathize with, because it's not about being female---it's about being HUMAN.

I agree with disliking female leads when the point is to promote an author's issue, but I'll dislike any lead if I feel he or she has fallen into that trap. Personally, I don't care if the lead is male or female, just as long as he or she was the right person to carry an interesting story.

[Feanuonn]

There won't BE a exploring werecat after being turned, unless it's by drinking a werecats blood. If a were knowingly turns a human, they're damned sure gonna make sure they know everything about it. A prudish werecat ain't gonna last long. Remember what Mist did to Kimmie to get her over that? Had a druid summon another male and he has his way with her. LOL

The exploreing part could be what they do after being accepted by the Hierarchs. After all, a turned were would be taught everything to be accepted, but they might never before left the safety of where they were born and might be very curious to see the world now. As for the way Mist broke Kimmie's prudishness, that is exactly my point. Not everyone would have someone as straight forward as Mist for a bond-mother and even if they did, the fun would be in them trying to fight the issue for a while and then with acceptance of their instincts they would go out and terrorize the unfortunate men who wouldn't approve of werecat morals. I realize that this isn't a story in and of itself, but it makes for humorous side notes along the way. Angst is always a good spice to the atmosphere of a story and anyone who has been through puberty can identify with sexual angst for the most part.
But that may just be my opinion.

[Feanuonn]

I agree with disliking female leads when the point is to promote an author's issue, but I'll dislike any lead if I feel he or she has fallen into that trap. Personally, I don't care if the lead is male or female, just as long as he or she was the right person to carry an interesting story.

I think the reason I have that particular comment about militant femanist ideology staining the main is that when an author has done it, they usually make the female in question less than human. What I mean by that is they will take everything that they think men do women to make them less and remove it from that character. A good example would be our favorite Amazon. As Fel writes her, she uses her every advantage to its utmost including showcaseing her charms knowing that men who fight her will be distracted by the bouncing to say the least. Now if she were written by one of these militant viewpoints, she might be clad completely from head to toe in some outfit that binds her breasts down to make them flat and completely removes all traces of female indicitive contours, maybe even to the point of shaving her head. This would make her neutral at best and maybe even male looking at it's extreme. Then she would end up losing a tactical advantage and would be forced to work that much harder to win any battle. The other way I have seen militant authors ruin it is they will have their heroine hate, despise and ridicule any men or male dominant (in their eyes) thinking. The reader ends up with a character that spends every moment acting as if men are no good for anything except making babies (which may be a male plot anyway because of all the pain and attending liabilities that come with pregnancy and birth).
Mind you, I have no problem with a strong female lead who gives as good as she gets. I just have a problem with a female that makes me feel bad because I happen to be that other worthless gender.

I would like to add an apology for my rambleing posting style. I sometimes forget where I was going halfway through my sentence and completly change the meaning of the paragraph I was planning to write. Hopefully you will still understand where I was going.

[Weresmilodon]

Yeah, i know where your comming from. I personally stop reading those books as soon as it starts getting like that, mostly because i can't stand peaple who can't/refuses to accept that people can think/be different without them being bad. The kind of books that contains what you described usually aren't worth the time required to read them anyway, so it's better to just stop reading them and pick something better instead. Or atleast, that's what i do.

I would like to add an apology for my rambleing posting style. I sometimes forget where I was going halfway through my sentence and completly change the meaning of the paragraph I was planning to write. Hopefully you will still understand where I was going.

I tend to do the same thing from time to time, usually when i'm tired. And, no worries, i can understand you just fine. I think everyone else can as well.

[riduan]

I don't really enjoy reading story that has female as the main character.

One reason I can think of is that I could have been MCP (somebody suggest that before).

But I believe that it is also difficult to relate myself with what the main character experiencing if IT is a SHE - with me being a snobish macho man (I always thought I am) most of the time. I had this preference since young - when all boys play macho man while girls tend to play lady like.

[Wildcat]

What girls tend to play isn't what all girls play, although I'm sure you weren't meaning this to be an all-inclusive statement. For example, I was as big a sports nut as my brothers, and hated dolls. I certainly fit tomboy better than lady-like. I've found characters in books to be the same way: some female leads ARE as girly as they come, but some are different enough for me to like and sympathize with.

[rick]

I`ve never had a problem with Female/Male lead Charatures. Fo me it weither or not the person is beliviable on not.Of Course my favorite authors are A .Norton .Mercadies Lacky.Ann McCaffery,Peirs Anthony,The Person who writes the 'Darkover" Series (sorry guys, my mom just started talking to me and the name flew out of my mind) These author will have a Female lead as often as a Male one .As long as the Story is good what does it matter is the lead player is male or female?

[Shadowhawk]

There are some books that there are really not very much difference if the lead character is Male or Female. Certainly, there are some differences regarding social standing of men/women and the relationships with other characters... but one could replace lead Female character with Male character without rewriting book from scratch. The fantasy books by Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey, Ann MacCaffrey or Piers Anthony, and SF books David Weber or Luis McMaster Bujold are good examples. Yes, in some cases the "change of gender" would be quite difficult...

On the other hand we have books like Ursula K. Le Guin "Four Ways to Forgiveness" or short stories and novels by Connie Willis, where the female way of thinking is presented. Me, being male, cannot say if it is characteristic for all women (i.e. is it true)... but they are truly enchanting.

[Taltos]

The Person who writes the 'Darkover" Series (sorry guys, my mom just started talking to me and the name flew out of my mind)

marion zimmer bradley..
i just started this series..but i don't know if i like it yet...there's so little connection between subsequent books.. in contrast to firestaff.. *g*