Fairest of Them All: Yvaine

I have found Yvaine to be the roundest character in Stardust. In many ways, her character defies the traditional images of women in Faërie. Yet at the same time, her character seems to reinforce those stereotypes tenfold.

Tristran sets off on his quest for the sake of winning a woman's affections. Victoria Forester is a beautiful woman of the town and seems to capture the hearts of many men. Tristran easily falls prey to her beauty and sets off from the town in search of a fallen star. After spending some time with the fallen star, who also turns out to be a beautiful woman, Tristran remains determined to take her back to Victoria Forester and claim her affections.

After finally returning to Victoria, however, Tristran finds that he does not desire her affection anymore. In fact, he has fallen in love with Yvaine instead. I find this extremely problematic, for as we discussed in class, Tristran trades a mortal woman for an immortal one. More than this, however, Tristran trades in a beautiful woman for a more beautiful woman. She is immortal, beautiful, young, spunky, and (perhaps most importantly) unable to bear children.

"'Whatever you are,' she said, 'I just wanted to point out that we can never have children. That's all.'

Tristran looked at the star, then, and he began to smile, and he said nothing at all. His hands were on her upper arms. He was standing in front of her, and looking down at her. 

'Just so you know, that's all,' said the star, and she leaned forward.'" (Gaiman 234)

I argue that Yvaine's inability to bear children is one thing that makes her more appealing to Tristran. She is more beautiful than Victoria Forester because of this, as both Tristran and the narrator seem to show us. Yvaine, therefore, defies many of the stereotypes made against women in novels like this, (such as speaking politely and always behaving in obedience) yet she simultaneously worsens the image made against women, for woman that can behave as lovers and not as mothers are much more beautiful than women that can behave as both.