Happy 30th Birthday, Star Wars!

[matril]

Hooray! I don't have too much to say other than I'm obviously glad that the first movie got made all those years ago (and being in the middle of reading The Making of Star Wars, I'm well reminded that its successful making was far from a sure thing). I wasn't quite born in 1977, so I can't offer memories of its first appearing in theaters or anything. But I was born right in the middle of the whole original craze, and I remember that everyone knew what Star Wars was, and could reference Vader and Artoo and Chewbacca without batting an eye. What a great and lasting contribution to our culture. Also, it's just good old fun. I can enjoy it on an intelluctual level and explore all the deep meanings, but my two-year-old can imitate Vader's breathing and shout out characters' names with great gusto. Its appeal is so universal. Again, hooray for Star Wars!

So I read a journal entry the other day about the absence of Queens and Mothers in fantasy, how the Warrior Maiden pretty much disappears as soon as she gets older or has children, which is really a shame. I pondered this for a while, and then realized with some satisfaction that the first novel of my original series flies directly in the face of this stereotype. My main female character, as soon as she is introduced, is just discovering that she's pregnant. She spends the book dealing with her pregnancy (and a sinister person who is trying to steal her baby before birth) and comes out a much stronger, self-assured character as she arrives into motherhood. She's not defined merely by being the mother or wife, but nor do those roles diminish what she is. I'm really rather proud of what I've done with her, at least in the first book. The later books focus on her child, which means she does often get shunted to the background. That's probably why I'm not as pleased with the later books. Ah well. I also blast apart some other stereotypes - the woman who is traveling along with the male main character does not become his love interest, and is defined by other traits of an entirely non-romantic sort. Of course I realize that these cliches show up so much because they work, and if I deliberately avoid everything that's been done before, it'll come off as bizarre and almost parody-ish. I still use plenty of the typical conventions, but hopefully in a fresh way. I just need to get that kick in the pants to go ahead and submit that first book. I could keep revising it endlessly and never be fully satisfied. It doesn't have to be the Next Great Fantasy Novel; it's okay if it's just a fun, likable book! That's what I keep telling myself...

Comments

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I guess I was alive in 1977, but I was definitely too young to go to a movie then. Still, I suppose I was lucky enough to be able to go to a post-TESB re-release of Star Wars, and I remember things like being jealous of the action figure vehicles my friends had... although I'm pretty well convinced "Vader and Artoo and Chewbacca" are far from unknown right now as well. (Although people might "bat an eye" nowadays... I suppose that Star Wars is now embedded among many more "fantastic" stories than it was from 1977 to 1983.)

I think I noticed that entry as well, and found it thought-provoking myself. I suppose it's possible that protagonists tend to be young so as to let them establish themselves in the midst of action as opposed to being ready for everything, and that the Absent Mother is a familiar figure that makes it that much easier for protagonists to start on their journeys... although of course that's far from an all-encompassing excuse. Your book sounds interesting enough to me, although I suppose I can understand being reluctant to submit it...

[matril.livejournal.com]

Star Wars is still pretty much universally familiar today (although I had a college roommate who had never seen any of the original trilogy, and was therefore altogether baffled by Episode I) but now there's a bit more dubiousness attached to avid fans, particularly those who dare to like anything that Lucas has done since 1980. Of course I'm sure my perception is clouded by the fact that I was a child during the original era and blissfully unaware of adult criticisms, but I'm still pretty sure that Star Wars fandom has changed a great deal, and not generally for the better.

Young heroes are important in fantasy and all stories, but it's equally important that they grow up. The boy is usually allowed to achieve manhood without diminishing his heroism, but the same can't generally be said of girls. I think that's the main problem I see in the absence of older female figures. The Absent Mother is still an important archetype, but it doesn't have to be the only form a mother takes.

[krpalmer.livejournal.com]

I guess I can't deny the references used as weapons and the loud claims to innocence lost, as much as I'd like to... although sometimes I'm convinced the cliche of the "fans" who don't actually like what they're supposed to be so obsessively interested in is just about universal. As much as I wonder about every fandom seeming to have a "real world villain," I can also wonder if the secret is to have some sort of uncomprehending executive as opposed to the actual creator... but maybe, of course, my "real world villains" are the "fans" I've just referred to.

Maybe I was thinking of heroes who accomplish their great mission in the process of growing up, but to the point where their "further adventures" feel a little forced... but I can agree with your point. It's a lot easier for me to start counting up "heroic fathers alone" than "heroic mothers alone..."