Voices of the Lioness : representation of female characters in selected YA Fantasy series by Ursula K Le Guin and Tamora Pierce

Abstract

Traditionally the hero of any story in the Fantasy genre has been decidedly and overwhelmingly male, with female representation being limited to that of sidekicks and damsels in distress. With the rise of the Second Wave Feminist movement, the call for more active and diverse female representation increased as young women attempted to find ways to assert their autonomy and break free of the gender roles imposed on them by patriarchal society. This dissertation aims to investigate the ways in which the female heroines in selected novels by Tamora Pierce and Ursula K. Le Guin, both of whom were shaped by second-wave feminism, have contributed to changing these conventions. In examining the female protagonists from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series as well as Ursula Le Guin’s Annals of the Western Shore and Earthsea series, this dissertation compares both authors’ brands of female heroism and considers the effect they may have had on the young women reading them. In its conclusion, the dissertation also suggests that the representation of the female hero in Young Adult Fantasy fiction has evolved over time with Pierce’s Alanna paving the way for others to extend the boundaries set by conventional gender roles in this genre. This dissertation thus compares the experiences of Alanna from Song of the Lioness and Memer from Voices to the traditional hero’s journey as established by Joseph Campbell. In so doing, the classic narrative of the male hero is seen to have been revised and adapted in recent Fantasy fiction in which women take on heroic roles. It is argued too that Pierce’s brand of heroism is more typically masculine, and closer to the mould of the “male hero’s journey” than Le Guin’s. Le Guin’s brand of heroism is seen to have expanded on the concept of what it means to be a female hero, and given voice instead to a potentially more inclusive female experience. Despite their differences, it is recognised that both authors have had an impact on contemporary works of Young Adult Fantasy by authors such as Holly Black and Naomi Novik, who have been able to construct strong female protagonists on the foundations laid by Pierce and Le Guin. The research is also significant in that it highlights the importance of representation for the identity formation of young adult readers. Using the work of Allison Waller, it is argued that it is through access to strong, authentic girl characters who wholeheartedly embrace their identities and confidently subvert the gender status quo, that these readers may be encouraged to make changes in their own lives and break free from restrictive cultural expectations.