This list will focus mainly on classic works in these genres, i.e. what everyone should read if they are interested in how SFF deal with questions of gender. It's a good place to start!
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The rules are simple and not very restrictive:
- It's a 2012 challenge, so it starts on 1st January and ends on 31st December 2012. Join anytime!
- The goal should be 6 to 12 books (feel free to do them in any order/format/way you like). If you're tired at 6 books, consider it done. If you want more, go ahead.
- If it's an omnibus, count it as one book or as many as it includes - it's your call, really.
- The list might include multiple books from the same author. We think that it would be best if you read no more than one book from a particular author, so that you can diversify your reading, but feel free to read anything you like, as long as it's on the list.
- If you've already read one/some of these, great! Feel free to re-read them or choose something new. Whichever the case, we would like to see your reviews/comments.
- This list includes comics. Just keep in mind that all volumes of a comic will equal one book in this challenge, so that a balance is kept.
Friendly Reminder: if you consider reflecting on gender totally useless or think that feminism = man-hating, please refrain from patronizing critique. Unfortunately, ignorance is opinion, but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it.
If you are a smart, open-minded, curious person, we'd love to have you around.
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The list
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
Marion Zimmer Bradley - The Mists of Avalon
Octavia Butler - Kindred
Octavia Butler - Wild Seed
Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber
Suzy McKee Charnas - The Holdfast Chronicles
Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Herland
Nicola Griffith - Ammonite
Ursula K. Le Guin - Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed
Anne McCaffrey - The Ship Who Sang
Vonda McIntyre - Dreamsnake
Marge Piercy - Woman on the Edge of Time
Joanna Russ - The Female Man
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
Sheri Tepper - Beauty
Sheri Tepper - The Gate to Women's Country
James Tiptree Jr - anything you can find, actually
Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra - Y the Last Man (comic series)
Monique Wittig - Les Guerrilleres
Virginia Woolf - Orlando
Yoshinaga Fumi - Oooku (comic series)
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Don't forget to sign up and grab the banner!
For any questions, feedback and kind words please contact me.
13 comments:
I love this list! I'm not sure if I'll be joining challenges next year, but even if I don't 'officially' join, I'm sure I'll be popping here for inspiration. Thanks for putting it together! :)
Me too! I've got a couple of the books on my shelf so it's tempting. Btw, I love your button! Waterhouse is one of my favourite artists.
Oh, good list :) I don't read nearly enough SciFi, so this might be a good one for me! Will have to see how much work I have in the New Year, so will drop in before then and decide.
Such a great list! Some I've read and others I've wanted to read. Like others, not sure if I will join the challenge, but I'll be stopping in for inspiration and discussion. Glad you included James Tiptree Jr. There is a bio on her that I really want to read.
This sounds SO good!
Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! I'm glad you're interested, these books deserve more attention!
Just to let you know, if you want to read anything else that's not included here, go ahead. I tried to keep this list at a minimum and as a guide for the confused, so feel free to share all kinds of lovely books you read and found interesting :)
If you're participating don't forget to sign up here, so we can have a list of participants and make acess to their blogs and reviews on the books easier. I'm looking forward to your reads!
p.s. I had a hard time choosing a banner but a witch by Waterhouse was very tempting ;)
Count me in! Do I need to link to a post or can I just link to my blog's homepage?
Preferably to a post, but homepage would be fine, as long as there's some visible tag and/or banner to link us to any posts you make about the books :)
I signed up! Hopefully I'll be able to find some of the books. Thanks for hosting!
You should definitely try to read Sword Dancer by Jennifer Roberson! Not only is it one of the most refreshing, hilariously funny, yet still touching Fantasy novels I've ever read, it also focuses a lot on sexism and feminism.
I think it's enough if I say that the author (a woman) writes from the point of view of the male main character who is the incarnation of a macho...
There are several books on this list I've been meaning to read so I'm in. What a better way to read these books.
I must admit it: my opinion of Jennifer Roberson is not very high. There were some really good elements in Shapechangers, but she disappointed me. I've heard lots of interesting comments though so I don't want to condemn her, I just hope she improves!
pleased to see we can read outside the list - it's not that I dont like the list - I do - I just fail from not likeing constraints:) am old lady and have never in decades of life liked lists!!!! I do have quite a few of these on my shelves not read and a couple that have been so will enjoy tucking in and will prob. read the whole list without a murmur because I don't have too:)
looking foward to the challenge
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