I just reviewed a book in which I commented that I’d assumed the lead character—in whose head we’d been placed—was female. Their name was non-specific and so when they were addressed by their full name I was astounded. “Oh, I’m a boy!” I thought in a completely guileless way.
But it gave me pause. I pondered. Why did I assume ‘Jamie’ was female? Because the author was female? Because I’m female? Because I read so many books featuring a female protagonist?
I wasn’t sure.
Further pondering made me realise I also read a lot of books in which the lead character is male. And I really don’t care either way. I’m not sure I’ve read too many books featuring love scenes written from a male point of view but otherwise… particularly given my penchant for mysteries, crime fiction and novels of suspense and the like, it’s not uncommon to have a male lead.
What I did wonder (however) is whether men (most men / any men) are comfortable reading books in which the lead is a female? I’m not insinuating their masculinity is threatened…. more that I don’t know and have none handy to ask.
Ages ago I commented on the fact that a lot of authors use pseudonyms or initials so readers—who DO care about authors’ gender appropriation—don’t pre-judge. In fact I asked that question of a panel last year at the Sydney (BAD) Crime Writers’ Festival.
Cultural appropriation has often been discussed in the literary world and of course at the moment we’re conscious that (most of us) are very singular or narrow in our reading choices. I’m certainly guilty of that. This is something I’ve also pondered… is it easier to read a book from the point of view of the opposite gender versus one from someone of another culture?
I don’t know. I know I like to be able to relate to my lead characters, but that doesn’t mean they need to be ‘like’ me. And thankfully it’s not usually the case given I so often read about psychopathic serial killers.
Anyway, this post has become entirely pointless (though reminds me of another I want to write about the way genres are allocated) but did make me stop and think about the assumptions we make and our ability to relate to our the characters we’re expected to inhabit.
Do you care whether the lead in a book you’re reading is male or female?
*** I realise I’m being glib about ‘gender’ for the purposes of this post and that gender identity falls on a spectrum ***
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
June 22, 2020
Yo answer your question Deb, no it doesn’t worry me at all what the gender is of the lead character. I really haven’t given it much thought to be honest, which probably tells you how much it worries me!! Interesting to read your thoughts though. #lifethisweek
June 23, 2020
You know me… always focussed on the important stuff! 😉
June 22, 2020
It doesn’t worry me about a lead character’s gender, but I do like them to have similar values to mine (not that I realized that until I just thought about it!) I prefer upbeat stories or fantasy etc and I do tend to lean towards female authors – because male authors tend to spend way too much time in the battle scenes and murder details – I prefer good character development and their motivations and interactions.
June 23, 2020
I would normally say the same re the character having similar values but unreliable narrators – those we can’t trust / or we discover have been lying to us – are increasing popular and I actually don’t mind them.
June 24, 2020
Interesting – I’ll keep my eyes open and see if I like being tricked or not!
#MSLTL and shared on my SM x
June 22, 2020
I don’ think I’ve noticed a pattern in what I read but I also have never really been one to stick to a genre. Hmm. Interesting thoughts. Will keep it in mind.
June 22, 2020
What an interesting post! Now that I think of it, I probably read more books with female main characters but I’m not opposed to reading books with male main characters either.
June 23, 2020
I wonder if it depends on the genre Bella….
June 23, 2020
Yes, I’ll write something re genres next but given I read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, it’s common to have male or female leads (or least books written from their point of view).
June 22, 2020
Interesting because I never really thought about it but now that I have, for me the gender is not important but what matters is that I can connect with, relate to and can empathise with the character. That said, chick lit is my preferred genre and usually there is a principal male and female character so that balances things out too!
June 23, 2020
I wonder though if there are many romance books written from the male perspective. I was thinking later about the fact that the fourth (fifth?) Twilight book is about to be released. I read the chapters from Midnight Sun when they were leaked a decade or more ago, and it’s essentially Twilight from Edward’s perspective.
I don’t want to revisit those books though!
June 22, 2020
It has been a while since I sat down and read a good book. I just love a good book and the main characters does not bother me too much as long as it is a good story to get into 🙂
June 23, 2020
Ah yes, I’ve had a little reading break myself but for me that was only a week or two!
June 22, 2020
Gender doesn’t bother me in terms of lead characters but I do find that if there are things/personality traits or behaviours of the characters I can identify with more, it can hit home a lot harder. An example is Normal People where there were a lot of things about both the protagonists – male and female – that hit close to home and consequently I loved the book so much because of how it shattered me and made me feel uncomfortable
June 23, 2020
Ah yes, and same if the leads are unlikeable… it can make the book less enjoyable if you really don’t care what happens to anyone!
June 22, 2020
Hmmm… I think it would bother me if I’d already connected to the character thinking it was a girl and then it turned out to be a boy! That would throw me out of the connection zone a bit maybe.
When choosing a book to read I don’t mind if the lead character is male or female as long as long as it’s a good read and I’m keen to invest my time in the story. 🙂
Great question Deb!
June 23, 2020
That’s exactly what happened Sandra. I don’t care either way but it was more that I was reading it as if ‘I’ was the lead and I was female. And then suddenly I wasn’t.
June 24, 2020
It doesn’t bother me and I don’t choose books based on the gender of the lead character. I try to read more widely using some of the proposed guidelines by Toronto Public Library reading challenge and I enjoy the wider range of books more than I thought. #MLSTL
June 24, 2020
I need to read more books set in other cultures. I suspect I don’t for the same reason I don’t like historical fiction… I like to be able to relate to the setting!
June 24, 2020
What a good question. I’ve never thought about it before. I would say that it doesn’t matter to me. I have favorite series with both male and female characters. I would also guess that I read more books with female characters. Now I will have to watch myself and see!
June 24, 2020
I know…. it’s easy to overthink. Or underthink. It’s not something I’d really pondered until I was caught out with this book – making a wrong assumption.
June 24, 2020
Mmmmm. So whilst I have no expectation of gender, I do get horribly confused by characters names. I admit, I get impatient, if I have to look back and see if this is the one whose name starts with J but is a girl yet sounds like a boy’s name and then there is another J…I shall explain further. Too many names and people in Grown Ups by Marion Keyes when I was listening via Audible meant I stopped…and I bought the physical book because I wanted to try and remember “who was who”. I still haven’t finished. Sigh.
Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek and I look forward to seeing you again next Monday when the optional prompt is 26/51 Best Time Of Day. 29.6.2020 Take care, Denyse.
June 24, 2020
Oh I hate books with too many characters Denyse. Particularly if they’re later redundant. Because I do reviews I take notes and sometimes have a huge list of names and ages or details and sometimes find they’re never mentioned again!
June 24, 2020
Hadn’t actually thought about it but now that I have reading this post I think I prefer women lead rolls in the books I read. I know 99% of my books I read are written by women and Australian at that.
June 25, 2020
Yay for books by Australian female authors!
June 24, 2020
oops forgot to put #mlstl
June 25, 2020
I think the gender of the character matters. It changes the frame of reference for the story and therefore, changes the story. Male characters and female characters bring different perspectives, experiences, physical traits, and other characteristics that shape how they view the world. If we see a story through a character’s eyes – which we often do – then the framing shapes what we see.
Granted, there are also many other characteristics that vary from one character to another and matter just as much as gender. Every person is unique and their uniqueness impacts their perspective – what they see, what they believe and what they want/need. All of these things shape story and therefore matter to me.
This was a thoughtful article. Thanks for making me think 🙂
June 27, 2020
You’re welcome Debra. I’ve just read a book (that I absolutely loved, called The Sight of You) that offered a romance from both the male and female perspective and I was interested in how the author was able to adjust her point of view in that respect.
June 26, 2020
A great, thought-provoking post, Deb. (Do you have a preference? Deb? Debbie? Deborah?) I don’t know if you are familiar with the author “Wally Lamb”. I think an example was “She’s come undone.” A man writing a detailed story with the main character, a teenage girl. I had not thought about the concept of using pseudonyms or initials. I do admire male authors that ‘get it’ when they write about female characters and also the other way round. For me, it shows how they listen and pay attention. Thank you for sharing an interesting post, Deb!
June 27, 2020
I’ve read a few interviews with authors Erica whose publishers prefer they use initials if writing something that could supposedly appeal to the opposite gender. There was an Australian movie (a long time ago) called Paperback Hero (with Hugh Jackman from memory) that featured a male romance writer who used his best (female) friend’s name to write the books.
June 26, 2020
Hi Deb, I don’t care about what gender the lead character is as long as they are interesting and I can get to know them. I’m more interested in whether the story line grabs me or not. I hadn’t thought about it from a male’s perspective though although i think my husband has the same view as me. Like Erica said, I admire authors who have a character from the opposite sex to them as their lead. Thanks for sharing at #MLSTL Deb and I’ve been enjoying your book reviews.
June 27, 2020
Thanks Sue. The reviews have slowed a bit lately but I still try to aim for two or three each week!