The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers

The way male writers describe women

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Mr. Death:

--- Quote from: Snark Knight on April 12, 2018, 06:47:40 PM ---Thomas can't very well afford to dwell on beautiful women being beautiful, given his situation. But Molly's POV in Bombshells and Cold Case didn't seem objectifying (some people might have problems with the portrayal of Winter ramping up her sex drive in the latter, but it still beats Harry's personality change in CD). I think it really is a character issue rather than the author's actual outlook leaking through into the writing.

--- End quote ---
Yeah, if you read Codex Alera or Cinder Spires in particular (both written from the third person), it has very little, if any, of the horny gushing that Dresden puts in.

It also varies from book to book within Dresden -- basically, the longer it's been since Harry has gotten laid, the more he, ahem, focuses on the females he meets. Compare his description of Lara in Blood Rites, when he's been separated from Susan for several years...:


--- Quote ---The newcomer was the real thing. She was grace. Beauty. Art.
As such, she was not so easily quantified.
She would have been tall, even without the heeled faux-Victorian
boots of Italian leather. Her hair was so dark that its highlights
were nearly blue, a torrent of glossy curls held partially in check
with a pair of milky ivory combs. She had eyes of dark grey with
hints of violet twilight at their centers. Her clothes were all effortless
style: natural fabrics, black skirt and jacket embroidered with
abstract dark crimson roses with a white blouse.
Thinking back later, I couldn't clearly remember her facial
features or her body, beyond a notion that they were superb. Her
looks were almost extraneous. They weren't any more important to
her appeal than a glass was to wine. It was at its best when
invisible and showing the spirit contained within. Beyond mere
physical presence, I could sense the nature of the woman—
strength of will, intelligence, blended with a sardonic wit and
edged with a lazy, sensuous hunger.
--- End quote ---

...to descriptions of her in Turn Coat, when he and Luccio are regularly bumping uglies:

--- Quote ---Lara Raith, de facto ruler of the White Court, sat behind the
desk. She wore a silk business suit of purest white, cut close to
the flawless lines of her body. The cut of the suit elegantly
displayed her figure, and contrasted sharply with the long blueblack
hair, which hung in waves past her shoulders. Her features
had the classically immortal beauty of Greek statues, balancing
sheer beauty with strength, intelligence, and perception. Her eyes
were a deep, warm grey, framed by thick sooty lashes, and just
looking at her full soft mouth made my lips twitch and tingle as they
demanded an introduction to Lara’s.
--- End quote ---

Yes, he's still kinda gushing, because it's Lara. But all the fantastical, flowery description is toned down to more dryly describing her outfit and her actual features.

Dina:
Again, I agree. Lara is a sexual vampire, so her descriptions are over the top, but that is normal because the person talking is Harry. Same happens with the famous rapey thoughts. It's the mantle talking.

Mira:


  The thing is, the story is being told from a male's point of view, i.e. Harry's point of view.  We know from his own description of himself that while he does respect women for things besides their bodies, he is, by his own admission, sexually frustrated.   Not sure if that is the right word for it,  but Harry hasn't had much experience with women..  So even at this point in his forty year life, which includes fathering a child, he physically reacts to the female body like a very young teenager.   In other words it is all about breasts and curves etc., yet Harry also goes out of his way to say how much intelligence in a woman attracts him.... However so far we haven't seen Harry in a relationship with an intelligent woman with average or below average looks.   

wardenferry419:
While I am not going to explore the comparative attractiveness of the female characters (although Lea has alot of appeal with me); I think a point to consider is the forementioned description of women by Harry when he is in a relationship and when he is not. Guys in a relationship will notice other women's sex appeal; but guys not in a relationship will NOTICE and NOTICE again a woman's sex appeal. It works very similar to when a guy last ate and what he had at the last meal. Many guys, me included, are like dogs. Pet me and feed me and I am yours for life; don't do those things and some dogs might stray.
As for men writing women characters, I agree that Butcher did a good job on the several female POV short stories. Though, I think Murphy has alot of masculine qualities. But, hey, I am guy. I know as much about women as many women know about men. Recently, my wife made some observations about my behavior that seemed obvious to me but surprising and confusing to her. Women often give men more complexity than we have. Guys are often simple, not stupid, just simple.

Dina:
Yes, I always quite the same part of Harry Potter, when Hermione explains Ron and Harry what Cho is feeling. It was obvious for me and for Hermione, but Ron and Harry said that was impossible, it was too complex.

That said, I don't believe in masculine and feminine qualities.

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