Post by wordy on Mar 4, 2010 7:46:37 GMT 10
Feminism in Tortall
by cassandra
Tamora Pierce's Tortall is a world based off of medieval history and social structure, yet her female characters enjoy rights and opportunities that wouldn't be possible or even exist in the Middle Ages. While it was forbidden for women to be knights previous to the Song of the Lioness quartet, the women of Tortall lived in a society where they could make their own reproductive choices, be protected from abusive husbands, and be educated, both as mages of equal standing with their peers or at the Royal University in Corus.
As time passes in the universe, women gain more rights and opportunities. King Jonathan passes laws that allow girls to try for their knighthood and inherit land and titles, Queen Thayet forms the Queen's Riders, a fighting force that allows women. Before that, the only other opportunity for girls to take up arms was to join up with the Shang.
One thing that has always been abundantly clear in the books is that women have the right to equality. Tamora Pierce's characters fight for it, and there have been characters that want to deny rights to women, but overall the protagonists and the powerful male supporting characters such as King Jonathan, Myles of Olau, George Cooper, and Raoul of Goldenlake are supporters of equality. Even villain characters like Duke Roger accept that the female leads are their equals and their nemeses. Characters like Wyldon of Cavall, who aren't quite villains but aren't quite heroes either, start out doubting the "sheroe", in that particular case Kel. By the end of Page, even though Wyldon states that he wishes Kel was born a boy, he tells her that she has every right to try for her knighthood, that she's proven herself to him. Earlier in the quartet, at the beginning of First Test, his wanting to put Kel on probation is presented in a negative lights.
As these books are written for girls, at an age range of anywhere from 10 to 25, the view of feminism is a much friendlier view than current situations in the world. In Tortall there is a birth control charm that all women have easy access to, in the United States Margaret Sanger was arrested in 1916 for maintaining the first birth control clinic in the United States. A law making contraception legal wasn't passed until over 20 years later, in 1938. Emergency contraception wasn't widely and readily available in the US until 1992, and it took until 2006 for it to become over-the-counter, which could be equated to Kel or Alanna's getting their charms from a healer.
The Western world doesn't have as varied fighting forces as Tortall, but women were not allowed to become knights or go on Crusades, Joan of Arc and Eleanor of Aquitaine excepted. In the militaries over the world, many countries allow women to serve in some capacity. However, in countries such as Australia, Denmark, Sri Lanka, and the United States women are not officially allowed to serve in 'direct combat' positions.
One thing that Tortall does not seem to have is a widespread feminist movement. While the most powerful deity, equal to Mithros, is the Mother Goddess, and her priestesses champion women's rights and protection, we have not yet seen a movement spread through the entire realm. There have also been implications of a movement against feminism that readers don't yet know much about, the Cult of the Gentle Mother.
Overall, the books are written with a strong feminist slant and events that occasionally parallel those found in the United States. However, the world of Tortall seems to be more advanced than ours, and could possibly be presented as an ideal world.
Resources: Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3 | Link 4