I look forward to ArmadilloCon every year and I love taking part in my hometown convention. This year’s event was a great, intimate con, and I had the chance to hang out at the bar and visit with friends new and old a lot more than I usually do. My panels were great. The Mars panel was amazing and wonderful. More science fiction conventions should put actual scientists on the panels. It was so much Read more…
A discussion on Facebook with Sarah Zettel about Victorian literature led to a discussion of Jane Eyre, and I was reminded once again how the iconic character is the very first Mary Sue. This much-maligned cliche, usually found in fanfiction, is the name for the process by which the author puts herself in a story as both the love interest and the hero’s redeemer/healer. We usually mock the Mary Sue character and deride the author Read more…
Patrice’s note: This is a repeat of one of my favorite posts from past years. In this discussion of the orphan as redeemer, I talk about the particular role of girl orphans in Victorian literature. Ann of Green Gables Emily of New Moon Sarah Crewe Mary Lennox What do all of these famous orphans have in common? They all bring redemption to the families that bring them into their homes. The trope of orphan as Read more…