why I’m loving Erikson more by the page

celesticides:

tigerofsummer:

Something completely and utterly unique about the Malazan fantasy series is that sexism and racism in Genabackis seem to be completely nonexistent, as if Erikson refuses to even hint at any such stupid and ignorant problems such as cultural inequality between the sexes and peoples due to their biology in his fantastical world that he created. In Erikson’s world, the people are smart enough to realize the ignorance of sexism and racism to the point where they don’t even address such things in anyway because they are nonexistent.For example, the armies are made up of as much women as men, and it’s not uncommon for a woman to be Commander of the Claw or Empress or Adjunct. Erikson is a genius in this way because he portrays all of these women and people in general with all these different phenotypes working in high-ranking, respected positions and making it not a problem at all by anyone around them. It’s the norm in Genabackis and what a beautiful example that sets for it’s readers.

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totally old stuff but whatever, I am digging through the Malazan tag here and ahhh, this is one of those huge things I love about this series.

And I’m going to go one further to say another thing that doesn’t seem to exist in Wu is homo/bi-phobia — nor are characters stunted emotionally by ‘no homo’ mindsets.  I was pretty sure Mappo and Icarium Were A Thing the first time through because the magic four-letter ‘l’ word was dropped, but that was before I realized I could really trust SE in a way I really don’t feel I can with just about any author.

But seriously, there are quite a number of powerful — mentally, physically and politically — LGBTQ characters in this series, and no one is looked down on for it.  Sexuality, in all its forms, just isn’t a thing.  Strong, manly men make the occasional joke about cross-dressing and drunken fooling around and no fucks are given — no christian side-hugs, no excuses for moments of emotion and love on a deep platonic level.  Lead characters are identified and nothing is made for it — in fact, I can only remember one particular instance of a man looking at a lesbian and making any sort of jab at men missing out, and he ends up being such a massive asshole that it’s just one more drop in the douche bucket.  The only even remotely notably ‘flamboyant’ character that gets joked about has a surprisingly compelling story, and the joke isn’t so much on him as the clueless lady that wants in his pants.  (I’d really love to elaborate on some of these, but I have people new to the series and I’m trying hard to keep them spoiler-free ♥)

SE handles the complexities of sexuality with the same grace, wit, and love that he handles many other sensitive topics often done poorly — take Beak.  Take Chaur.  When was the last time you read a take on mental illness in a fantasy novel that wasn’t condescending or cliche?  ’They are not broken, only different’ has never been so heart-wrenching or eye-opening; I cried myself sick over Beak, and still do every time I read that book.  

But for all this gushing, it’s never a sole identifier, or even an important one.  You will never hear these characters referred to as ‘the lesbian general’ or ‘the flaming marine with the scimitars’ or anything of that nature — no fanfare is announced.  SE doesn’t lay out these characters like he should be patted on the back for being so ~liberal and open-minded~ in a traditionally-conservative genre.  It’s not man-kink lesbian action; both the men and the ladies get comparable numbers on the board.  Sometimes, you’ll miss it completely; it took me three times through to catch the line about Deryg, because SE holds to the same standards in his work as in his world: these are not the important things. Characters — people — are not, and should not be defined by the shapes of the bodies they like rubbing against, if they’re into that sort of thing at all.

And that’s awesome.

Reason #98509 to read the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.  He’ll curb-stomp your feelings into a million teeny unrecoverable pieces, but he will neverpiss you off with the usual array of -isms.

/ollies out

reblogging again as I see more and more people criticizing and questioning GRRM’s writing when it comes to female characters and a friendly reminder that this is what i’ve been trying to say all along ok pce

why I’m loving Erikson more by the page

Something completely and utterly unique about the Malazan fantasy series is that sexism and racism in Genabackis seem to be completely nonexistent, as if Erikson refuses to even hint at any such stupid and ignorant problems such as cultural inequality between the sexes and peoples due to their biology in his fantastical world that he created. In Erikson’s world, the people are smart enough to realize the ignorance of sexism and racism to the point where they don’t even address such things in anyway because they are nonexistent.For example, the armies are made up of as much women as men, and it’s not uncommon for a woman to be Commander of the Claw or Empress or Adjunct. Erikson is a genius in this way because he portrays all of these women and people in general with all these different phenotypes working in high-ranking, respected positions and making it not a problem at all by anyone around them. It’s the norm in Genabackis and what a beautiful example that sets for it’s readers.

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Some criticisms on George R. R. Martin’s use of sexism in Westeros under the cut. And yes, I think the Malazan is better than ASoIaF.

why I’m loving Erikson more by the page

Something completely and utterly unique about the Malazan fantasy series is that sexism and racism in Genabackis seem to be completely nonexistent, as if Erikson refuses to even hint at any such stupid and ignorant problems such as cultural inequality between the sexes and peoples due to their biology in his fantastical world that he created. In Erikson’s world, the people are smart enough to realize the ignorance of sexism and racism to the point where they don’t even address such things in anyway because they are nonexistent.For example, the armies are made up of as much women as men, and it’s not uncommon for a woman to be Commander of the Claw or Empress or Adjunct. Erikson is a genius in this way because he portrays all of these women and people in general with all these different phenotypes working in high-ranking, respected positions and making it not a problem at all by anyone around them. It’s the norm in Genabackis and what a beautiful example that sets for it’s readers.

Having almost finished ‘Gardens of the Moon,’ I have yet to encounter any male character that is blatantly sexist or racist. I feel so amazed; no, actually, I feel so relieved. Here is one fantasy series where I don’t have to feel obligated to root for a character just because of his or her gender or race, because they might be fighting some sexist or racist ideal in their society that I should identify with. Because, while reading the ASoIaF series, how could I ever not root for Sansa in Westoros when she is struggling with what society expects of her or Cersei when she can’t fight with a sword as she’d wish just because of her anatomy, something she can’t control, or Dany having to comply to an unwanted marriage so she can properly rule as a queen. With the Malazan, I am forced to assess someone’s character regardless of his or her anatomy and it is so relieving that I just want to kiss him.

What I understand from authors who use these sexist and racist motifs in their stories is that it helps create drama. It’s been used over and over again, worn to it’s bone, and analyzed in every which way it could possibly be analyzed. It’s been exhausted, and to be quite honest, I’m getting tired of fucking reading about it. All these stories are doing to us is making us revisit our dreadful pasts, not moving us forward in any way, and giving people more excuses to oppress women. These authors try to make it seem like they’re doing women a favor by putting a sword in one of their hands and making her fight back in world ridden with sexism, but it’s actually doing the opposite of helping us get over it in real life. More and more I encounter misogynistic remarks by people reading other fantasy series, using excuses such as “it’s a fantasy world based in medieval era” or “the society is sexist” to justify themselves. But I don’t blame them; the author is to blame for even making it possible to make such excuses, and to me, authors who do this are sexist, whether they are aware of it or not.

In cases like George R. R. Martin’s ASoIaF and even Tolkien’s LoTR, people are seeing the oppression of women as the norm and the one woman that goes against it as the social deviant. They’re making it so that women who fight back are not normal, and in my opinion, that does more to hurt society’s image of women than help it. If a writer wants to create a strong female character, he or she should not create her so that she is almost by herself. The writer should create her so that she is one amongst many, create her so that she is normal, and seek his or her drama somewhere else.

Now I know that this is only a fantasy series, but looking back on all other fantasies I’ve read, no other author has done something like this. While reading Erikson I kind of started to get angry with some other fantasy authors because they refused to create a world like this when it was completely under their own control, and instead went along with the usual sexist tropes. Erikson is practically throwing our mistakes back at us by refusing to even mention them in his own world. Even though Genabackis is ridden with war and death and sorcery, at least I don’t have to worry about people of different races and genders being oppressed because of something beyond their control. Erikson is setting a beautiful example for us (excluding the assassinations and mass murders) where we can strive to make the acceptance of women and people of different races all over as equal when it comes to their chances of success and happiness.

As I mentioned before with the wars and killings, Genabackis is not a Utopia. Erikson was able to do what many writers of fantasy have failed to do, find drama and conflict in something other than misogyny and racism. There are economic and class differences for sure in Darujhistan, but they are completely heterogeneous in a way that makes it so you, as the reader, have one less thing to worry about. Erikson knows what you have to worry about, and its not gender inequality and racism: its motherfucking Shadowthrone and motherfucking Tayshrenn and Sorry, Sorry, Sorry.

(Source: tigerofsummer)