What is American fantasy?
This question left me wanting. Who writes American fantasy? The names mentioned in class were not listed in the websites I found, but apparently Stephanie Meyer is American fantasy.
I find issue with this. I mean, are there other fantasies where a female is the main character? Has that story been well-received like the Twilight Saga? Why is it that only Americans produce a female first person novel, yet she is still disregarded as foolish, stubborn, and weak? Will females always carry this stigma of needing an Edward Cullen to make them immortal (or Jacob to make them strong)? Have we ever really moved past the Victorian expectancies of women in this genre?
The only fantasy literature we read that seem to break away from this is the Harry Potter series and Stardust. Yet in both the females are more flat characters and not the mainline of the story. Hermione has the most diversity, but does she really surprise us? I think she just says what every girl has wanted a girl to say in a book. At least Rowling gives her females a little spitfire. Whereas Stardust seems to make us as one dimensional floozies.
Also, it seems that fantasy is synonymous with science fiction (sci-fi for the true nerds) genre. Are they distinguishable? Are they separable?
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