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The Hatchery

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The Hatchery

Monthly Archives: October 2011

Fantasy Genre Weigh-In: The Princess Debate

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by Elizabeth Hirst in Con Reading

≈ Leave a comment

Princesses: you either love ’em or you hate ’em. Some say that they promote the class
system, dependence on men and passivity in young women…and others just
really, really love fantasizing about balls and poofy dresses. As a fantasy
writer, I find this debate fascinating, both because it impacts how we see
fantasy as a genre, and because it tends to place a lot of cultural
significance on princesses that I’m not sure we can universally pin on them.

So for those of you just tuning in,who don’t read a lot of literature on women’s issues or have little girls, I’ll
just spend a moment re-capping the debate, as I understand it. In the
anti-princess camp, we have a lot of very well-meaning people who want to stick
up for women and teach young girls to be independent and not rely on men or
marriage to achieve success (a worthy goal in and of itself), and so they
attack much of ‘princess culture’ as they have dubbed it, as just another brainwashing
tool of our society to make girls fit into a pink plastic mold. And I get it. I
don’t really like the sea of pink in the ‘girls” toy aisle either. It is
limiting that boys have a world of colors and activities thrown at them and
marketed to them, and girls have one color only.

And that brings me to the other (extreme) side of the debate… people who use the word princess as a term that
only gives worth to women and girls who behave a certain way, conform to
societal expectations and act in a passive manner, waiting for a man to come
and save them. Since this is usually a PG blog, I won’t get too much into
purity balls here, but you’ll get pretty much all you need with a Google
search. The word princess is thrown around a lot in these circles, too, which,
I believe, is really more of an attempt to cash in on Disney culture for their
own ends rather than Disney or fantasy works really promoting this view.
Naturally, I don’t condone these types of views. In all relationships, it takes
two to tango, and if the people running these events are so concerned about the
behaviour of their daughters, shouldn’t they have a similar event for their
sons?

As is often the case, I think that the truth about princesses and what they mean to us lies somewhere in the
middle of these two polarizations.  I don’t agree that being a princess or playing princess or writing princesses
always has to be limiting. After all, princesses eventually become Queens,
don’t they? I think, in some ways, little girls play princess because they’re
trying to own their own power as a woman. They’re trying to negotiate just what
makes them special, and how their femininity intersects with power. They’re
trying to learn how to be who they are (a young woman) and be powerful and
strong. That’s what I think girls playing princess are searching for.

And, I suppose where you stand in the debate depends on how you see princesses and their narratives. Some people
would look at, say, Disney’s Cinderella, and say that she never does anything
for herself, she always submits to the abuse that is heaped upon her, and in
the end her reward is getting married to a rich man that she doesn’t know,
which is supposed to solve all of her problems. I can see where people are
coming from with this argument, it’s just that… well, like most other fairy
tales, I have always seen them more as unrealistic metaphors that serve to
teach people about virtue and vice, rather than something we should be directly
emulating. What I always got from Cinderella, even as a kid, was that she is a
really, really nice person who dreams of the freedom to choose her own
relationships and get out of her abusive family situation. I think the point of
her being as sweet, kind and longsuffering as she is, is to point out that she
hasn’t been tainted by the cruelty that’s been shown to her, but rather lives
in the memory of her kind father and the hope of something better in
future.  Her story is more about the divine reward of virtue and eventual punishment of vanity and cruelty rather
than a brainwashing text about how I need a husband. In fact, I would say that
the villains of the piece are the ones who are desperate for a husband at any
cost. Because Cinderella is kind and unblemished by the world, she deserves the
best things in life and divine help (in the person of the fairy godmother) even
if she never stops being a servant girl. Yes, the fact that she gets this
through marriage is dated. But this story was written in… what, the
seventeenth century? And at least the Disney version shows Cinderella talking
to the Prince all night and hitting it off with him… it’s not like he just
appears as a random stranger and wants to whisk her away to his palace. They
meet, they talk, they fall in love. I guess, as far as the ‘classic’ Disney
movies go, I think we should leave the debate where it is. They were made fifty
plus years ago, and for the time they were made, they really weren’t all that
horrible with the gender stereotypes. As long as we contextualize the movies
for our daughters, and explain that society has changed since then, what’s the
harm? Most of the message is about being a good person, not about being
dependent on a man. And. let’s face it: they’re well made and fun to watch.

That being said, there are obviously many new movies and products being produced now with the ‘princess’ label
which, I believe, are far more pertinent to critique, as they reflect how
society feels now about princesses and the agency of girls and young
women. There are many products out there that I just can’t stand with the
super-pink labeling, and I won’t lie about that (those horrible Barbie
direct-to-video movies, anyone?), but there are also subversive things going on
in the world of princesses that I think are worth looking at and pursuing. The latest
two Disney princess movies, The Princess and the Frog, and Tangled, in my
opinion, provide great role models for young women. Tiana is a hard-working
African-American woman who is determined to open her own restaurant, even in
the face of racism and poverty, and she is not impressed by the overtures of
the lazy ‘prince’ until he learns to do things for himself and grows some
character. At the end of the movie, instead of ascending to some lofty perch as
an ornamental figurehead, the prince joins Tiana in starting an exciting
upscale restaurant on the waterfront using his inheritance as the start-up
cash. Rapunzel of Tangled  is a strong-willed young woman with the hereditary creativity and strength to rule a
nation, but who must first overcome something many, many young girls must deal
with: a belittling, selfish parent who wants to lock them away rather than let
them spread their wings. I not only enjoyed these movies, but I identified with
these characters as people, real women, not just a stereotype in a pink dress.
They’re princesses too.

In the world of books, I was also inspired by Rob St. Martin’s Princess Smith and the Clockwork Knight. What
makes this book great is that the lead character, Britt, comes into her own as
a princess not by being graceful or beautiful or well-mannered, but by being a
rough-and-tumble smith’s daughter who can pilot a mech suit with ease and forge
her own iron crown. These traits serve her better as a ruler than being
mannerly or pretty, but she is still very much a princess. I think the key here
is that good princess stories look at the title of princess as being about
power and responsibility, about using what you’ve got to fight for your people,
rather than being (all) about the manners and dresses and tea. If we run with
these themes of princess-hood, I don’t see why princess stories can’t be all
that we want them to be for our girls, and much, much more.

So, in conclusion, by all means, let’s not fall prey to tacky marketing campaigns that want to define our daughters
by the colour pink. Let’s encourage them to be their own people, and not be
defined by societal expectations of who they are. But, conversely, let’s not
blame all of these problems and pressures that they face on princesses as a
whole. Princesses are only as flexible as we, as active participants in the
art-making process and engaged citizens, make them, and I don’t think we’re
done with them yet. I’m still going to write princesses into my stories, and,
like many of the young women and girls I admire, they’re going to be as bad (or
as good) as they want to be.

And Now For A Bit Of Fun…

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by Elizabeth Hirst in Animation

≈ Leave a comment

I just thought this might brighten up your week. I may have mentioned before that I am in school to be an animator, as well as being an indie publisher. Well, this semester, I get to do something totally wicked cool. I get to do stop motion animation. And my teacher, Mr. Chris Walsh, rocks the house. Here we have a few tests I’ve been doing to prepare for an assignment. It was pretty open-ended, but I decided my puppet was a Shakespearean. So, he’s all dramatic and junk.

SFContario Schedule and Autograph Times

15 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by Elizabeth Hirst in Announcements

≈ Leave a comment

In my last post, I promised more information on my upcoming SFContario appearance, and now that I’ve got my tentative schedule, I thought I would share it with the blogosphere.  But first, some notes:

1) I know my more thoughtful, article-style posts have been a little sparse of late, and so, with an eye to remedying the situation, I have been putting together a post which comprises my take on the whole princess debate. You know, the one where people argue about whether they are good or bad role models, and whether or not they teach girls to be passive/heteronormative/bitchy etc. As a fantasy author, I think I have a substantially different take on this debate than some of the other people who have engaged with it, but you’ll have to wait for the post for more details.

2) I’m so excited to be doing my first autograph session ever! I can’t wait! You can bet I’ll be practicing my signature and thinking of cool stuff to write. I think the best part about it will be that I’ll get to meet people and talk about the book. I love doing that. Love it.

And now… the schedule.

SFContario 2011

Non-traditional relationships in Science Fiction and Fantasy –Sat 10 AM Solarium
How are alternative relationships depicted in SF/F? How can we create a more inclusive community for fans and writers who identify as GLTBQ?
Is the genre of Urban Fantasy particularly well-suited for exploring these identities?

Criticism and Critique: Critics in the 21st Century – Sat. 11 AM, Gardenview
Developments in social media and web 2.0 technology continue to blur the line between amateur and professional critics.  As North American
colleges and universities produce record numbers of graduates, themedia consuming public is transforming itself into something that
feels it ought to be included in larger critical conversations.  Our panelists explore how professionals and amateurs work together to
evaluate genre media.
Natural Stupidity Beats Artificial Intelligence (Every Time)(M)– Sun 11 AM, Solarium
What are the limits, promise and progress of AI research, and how close has SF come in our predictions? When you curse at your laptop,
does it answer? From proud robots to cosmic thinking platforms, Science Fiction used to re-assure us that humans could outwit any
artificial intelligence that managed to temporarily get the upper hand. While a great trope, is it logical to assume that we
can’t outsmart ourselves?

It’s my baby and you can’t touch it – Sun 12 AM Ballroom A
At some point most writers will come across criticism they don’t like. Our panel of writers will discuss tricks for getting over it
quickly. What things should you never say to a critiquer and what should you never say in a critique?  Learn to spot the symptoms and learn
when it’s not you, it’s them and how to ignore the bad advice while accepting the good.

Autograph Session- Sunday 1pm

Be there or be square!

Pop Seagull at SFContario 2!

03 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by Elizabeth Hirst in Announcements

≈ Leave a comment

What are you doing November 18-20? If you’re anything like I normally am, you’re probably going to be lamenting the onset of winter weather, and wishing it was still con season. Well, as the good people at SFContario have discovered, it doesn’t have to be con season for folks to throw a great con!

For the first time ever, I and my lovely assistants will be attending SFContario, doing panels and, of course, populating the dealers’ room. I’ll have more details such as panel times etc. once they’re announced, but for now, let me just say that the slated programming looks a-ma-zing and I’m super stoked that John Scalzi is the guest of honour. I’ve been following his blog for many years now, and I’m super-stoked to possibly get the chance to meet him *crosses fingers*. I consider his online writing to be a major source of inspiration to the way I do things.

I’m also excited just to be getting out to a promising new con… I was slated to appear last year, but due to illness and an overwhelming amount of schoolwork resulting from time missed in class, I wasn’t able to attend. I can’t wait to see what SFContario is all about.

So, if you haven’t got anything going on that weekend, why not come down and see us, in the heart of downtown Toronto? I think it’s gonna be good.

One Big Announcement…

03 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by Elizabeth Hirst in Announcements, Flood Waters Rising

≈ Leave a comment

Hi everyone! I need to take a moment to catch my breath, because these last couple of weeks have been insane. As in, sixteen hours of constant toil and then a very deep sleep insane. The animation progam is just kicking into high gear, and, of course, we’re also gearing up for Halloween at The Undisclosed Dayjob of Mystery. I’m going to try to be more accountable about posting here at least once a week now that I’m in the groove again, but if posts are scarce for a week or two, just know that I’m still here, still alive, still planning more wierd and wonderful things from Pop Seagull Publishing… I’m just doing so while trying to animate a kid fighting with a goose to get a bag of bread and negotiating a film plot with ten other people who disagree with me.

But, these are mere details compared to the wonderful announcement that I have prepared for today!

As of this week, Flood Waters Rising is now available in a traditional, paper format! That’s right, you too can have your very own physical copy of our epic novel, for the low, low price of $17.00. I’ve recieved my own copy of the trade paperback already, and it is beautiful. Notorious’s artwork looks so much better up close and personal, and I was actually surprised by how thick the book was when it went to press. I know I shouldn’t be surprised about such things, as I designed it myself, but… sometimes you just have to see a thing and hold it in your hands to be able to understand it properly.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled. After all the trouble, all the proofs, all the software issues… it’s finally here. Pop Seagull’s first novel. So, without further ado, the buy link.

Buy Flood Waters Rising! Buy two!

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