tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post3413496973191138646..comments2023-07-30T04:02:45.477-07:00Comments on Jenny Kaczorowski | In Somnis Veritas: Bella vs. Buffy or Why I Hate YA HeroinesJenny Kaczorowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00289053983485597342noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-38420663132792406672013-08-07T08:14:11.492-07:002013-08-07T08:14:11.492-07:00Mini-stalked your blog. HUGE congrats, by the way!...Mini-stalked your blog. HUGE congrats, by the way! :)<br /><br />Anyhoo, I was thinking about this a bit, and it occurred to me that there's one character that might fit the profile you're talking about, though she is not a written one. Have you seen Veronica Mars? The character Kristen Bell plays seems similar to the balance between strong/vulnerable that is mentioned.<br /><br />Thoughts?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07938476655128760828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-45449711749566097552012-01-06T23:24:44.872-08:002012-01-06T23:24:44.872-08:00@ Katy - I supposed I should give Graceling and Th...@ Katy - I supposed I should give Graceling and The Hunger Games a pass since they at least had valid reasons for not wanting children, but it's a weird theme I've been seeing and I think it says more about the writers than their audience. But one of the reasons I posted is because I want to find books with better heroines so I'd love any recs you might have!<br /><br />@ Crystal - I think just being aware of the balance is a good start :)<br /><br />@ Ladonna - to paraphrase director Danny Boyle "It's not like you've got to ban the bad films (books). You've just got to make better films (books) more entertaining." I think you're absolutely right and we will see better stories coming.Jenny Kaczorowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00289053983485597342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-38049671449349122592012-01-04T16:38:50.584-08:002012-01-04T16:38:50.584-08:00Great post. It is a tough balance. But I think the...Great post. It is a tough balance. But I think the problem is no one wants average(when they read) they want to see someone different from them. They want to live vicariously through someone else. I do think it can be done if you have a good story line, and we will probably see more of that.<br /><br />I could not finish Twilight. I made it to 147, and then put it down. Maybe another time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-37118104713849414682012-01-04T12:26:26.966-08:002012-01-04T12:26:26.966-08:00I completely agree! It's tough when it comes t...I completely agree! It's tough when it comes to creating female teens because there is so much going on with them. In my current manuscript I tried to create a balanced heroine. Hopefully I pulled it off :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03335427276116292574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-13702763988729390722012-01-04T12:15:07.029-08:002012-01-04T12:15:07.029-08:00Ah, that makes more sense. I can see how there wou...Ah, that makes more sense. I can see how there would be a difference between not wanting children and considering pregnancy a weakness. I have absolutely no desire to get pregnant now, but I certainly want kids and a family in the future once I make it through grad school. I haven't read any YA books in which the heroine is vehemently against pregnancy (I never made it through Twilight). So I guess we're just reading different books!Kate Courseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00800553702363940973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-6000400868431373862012-01-04T11:58:06.379-08:002012-01-04T11:58:06.379-08:00@ Scribbling Scarlet - Good point about balance be...@ Scribbling Scarlet - Good point about balance being boring. We like our flawed characters, don't we? There were things I loved & hated about Twilight :) Hourglass is on my list. I'll have to move it up!<br /><br />@ Katy - Thanks for the post! I love getting a teen perspective. I didn't regularly watch Buffy past the first few season, so I never saw that growth. Glad to know it happened!<br /><br />The marriage/pregnancy issue is one I bring up only because I see it so often (Twilight, Hunger Games, Graceling). I didn't particularly want children as a teen but I wasn't vehemently opposed to the idea like so many YA heroines. I think a lot of girls put marriage/kids out there as something they'd like later in life. I certainly don't advocate teen marriage or pregnancy but I think framing them in such negative terms (especially when the character has a radical change of heart at the end of the series) does a disservice to women. Not wanting children as a teen is not the same as thinking the desire to have children is a weakness.<br /><br />But then again, that's just me :) I love hearing other people's thoughts!Jenny Kaczorowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00289053983485597342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-43961333208981041942012-01-04T11:29:33.782-08:002012-01-04T11:29:33.782-08:00This is a very interesting post. I agree about Bel...This is a very interesting post. I agree about Bella, and although I do get tired of the ass-kicking heroine who, in the end, still needs her man, I don't think Buffy's the best example. Sure, Buffy falls in love with Angel. Like a lot of teenage girls she angsts and obsesses over him for much of the first few seasons. Then Angel breaks up with her. She cries, she gets mad, etc, but in the end, she moves on. I think this is the exact opposite of what you're complaining about....Buffy wants love, but she doesn't need Angel to feel complete. She's also expressly vulnerable, such as when her mother dies. <br /><br />However, I do get bored with the tough-as-nails protagonists who eventually realize they can't live without a boy. It's overdone, and anyone who's completely dependent upon their significant other is not in a healthy relationship. <br /><br />As for pregnancy/bearing children, I don't really get that complaint, probably because I'm a teenager. Most teenage girls realistically think of pregnancy as a weakness because we're not yet emotionally ready to give up our bodies and minds to a child. I think it's just part of YA fiction....your protagonist is a teenager, so odds are they aren't going to be like, "Pregnancy is beautiful and wonderful and strong women get pregnant." No. Teenagers don't think that way. A 17-year-old is going to think, "Dear god, if I get pregnant, my parents will kill me." <br /><br />Idk. That's just me :).Kate Courseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00800553702363940973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627214116764692432.post-78308145866937878772012-01-04T11:24:57.131-08:002012-01-04T11:24:57.131-08:00It's so true. They're usually one extreme ...It's so true. They're usually one extreme or the other. I guess because a balanced, average person might be considered boring by some. <br /><br />I enjoyed the twilight series and I thought they made Bella appear stronger in the films than the books. <br /><br />If I remember correctly, Emerson Cole of Hourglass by Myra McEntire was a pretty good balance. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9182478-hourglassScribbling Scarlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014828055977050503noreply@blogger.com