The book involves only a few female characters: Is it justified?

Vivian Umunakwe · Post by **Vivian Umunakwe** » 14 Oct 2020, 07:09

I must say that I haven't really given the lack of strong female presence much thought with regards to the book. I also do not think that the author purposefully omitted their importance in his book. I just feel that like many other authors, Matthew may have unconsciously written a book with characters that he connects to and considering the fact that he is a man, it's only natural for his characters to mostly be guys.

Arite Seki · Post by **Arite Seki** » 14 Oct 2020, 14:00

There were few characters in the series, but there were also few minorities in the book. From the descriptions in the series, I got the impression that Voulhire is generally not necessarily an accepting place for diversity. I would have preferred more main female characters in the book but I think this was a choice on the author's part

HannahsReads · Post by **HannahsReads** » 14 Oct 2020, 14:38

What an interesting point! I agree that fantasy has a bad reputation for lack of strong female characters, though I think this trend has changed in the past decade. I appreciated the comments about the later books in the series (which I have not read yet) including stronger female characters, but I do think launching one of those characters in book one would have given the series a richer opening.

Worship peer · Post by **Worship peer** » 15 Oct 2020, 00:22

This book is an introduction of other series,so i would not rush to make rush conclusions.Being an introduction of a nine book series,i think Mathew purposed for the book to start off like that,with no active female characters-it was his choice.
However,as at the latter end of the book,a female character by the name Beth is introduced hence she did not have a great impact on the book.Beth is a very interesting character in that she is not human but is an entity from Coromentis.There is also another female character who happens to be the housekeeper of Lord Eldus.She has a character if a very secretive person and a survivor who pretended not to know many evil things of her Master's household.
In the fourth series of this book, there is an inclusion of amazing active female characters.
That is my take.

Harty Muli · Post by **Harty Muli** » 15 Oct 2020, 06:01

I think its because the setting of the book is the medieval period and then women were subjugated.

Leyla Ann · Post by **Leyla Ann** » 15 Oct 2020, 07:48

Truth be told, I didn't pay any attention to that nor do I think that it affects the story in any way. I think the fact that this book series had gay characters included was far more intriguing though.

theskillsgirl · Post by **theskillsgirl** » 15 Oct 2020, 13:20

Even though they aren’t many main female characters. And the females that are mentioned seem like they are brushed aside, and sexualized. I really like how Beth is portrayed. A strong mysterious woman coming from a place where she was in control and free. I feel like her description and personality make up for the lack of female characters. Because she is such a strong female. The fact that the author added her into this time period, where men ruled and did what ever they wanted, is refreshing.

Katherine Smith · Post by **Katherine Smith** » 15 Oct 2020, 16:33

It is a common belief that in the Middles Ages women had smaller roles in society, but this is not the case. We only believe that because of Christian monks and theologians that led us to believe that this was the case due to their own beliefs about the societal roles of each gender. Women were very involved in medieval society because these were hard times so every one needed to pitch in. It is unfortunately more common for authors to make background characters female and foreground characters male.

KipMilly3 · Post by **KipMilly3** » 16 Oct 2020, 13:37

Although there are few female characters, they have played critical roles in the story. I would say it is very justified to use just a few of them to accomplish the mission. I guess the author wanted us to understand the strength of women regardless of their numbers. I agree with Lady Angela that power has nothing to do with gender.

Nikolas Farmakis · Post by **Nikolas Farmakis** » 17 Oct 2020, 00:54

Yes, I think it justifies it because the author is trying to create a sense of medieval times and male oppression. There are some female roles present in the text, even though they are very little.

Pamela Bianca Mas · Post by **Pamela Bianca Mas** » 17 Oct 2020, 09:34

In my opinion, it’s not the quantity that matters but the quality. There can be only one female character in a story yet she may still overpower all other characters in the end. So, I think having few female characters in tis case is pretty justified.

[jade] · Post by **[jade]** » 17 Oct 2020, 11:43

After reading the book, it seems like the only role that women play in this are traditional roles that don't have any major influence in the storyline. I was honestly disappointed that there wasn't a single strong, multidimensional female character that plays a significant role. While Beverly, Lord Eldus' housekeeper, seems to play a slightly pivotal role, she still exists in the book as a spectator.

Thea Frederick · Post by **Thea Frederick** » 17 Oct 2020, 21:06

I think that the author is completely justified in how few female characters there are for several reasons:
a) Writing is a personal thing. It is up to the writer who they do and don’t want in their novel, and that is fine. Just because others don't approve does not mean the author has to follow their opinions.
b) Perhaps the author wanted to be historically accurate.
c) Who are we to tell the author they did it wrong? If this story is the way the author imagined it, why would we change that! Why would we force our opinions upon their creativity and force them to constrain themselves to what is ”politically correct?” This pressure defeats the purpose of creative writing.

Therefore, I believe the author was perfectly justified in not having many female characters.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 17 Oct 2020, 22:27

I was not disappointed with the lack of female characters since it is still early in the series. Beverly is a key character connecting the present events with her knowledge of the past. I was sad when Isla died. She was so vibrant and just starting to make friends.

monicamu · Post by **monicamu** » 17 Oct 2020, 23:37

I agree that female characters are noticeable by their absence.
However, I couldn't help asking myself what we're coming to if we have to be so pC that an author is restricted in their creativity. Next thing you know, it will be compulsory to include all the LGBTQ+ genders as well as people with varying levels of disability, not to mention different races, in a work of fiction. I would wait and see how the series develops. It's not unusual for additionalcharacters to be introduced along the way.