http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2011/04/26/the-soul-mirror/ A School Library Journal Blog Fri, 17 May 2013 18:07:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2011/04/26/the-soul-mirror/#comment-12771 Karyn Fri, 13 May 2011 23:29:20 +0000 http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/?p=2078#comment-12771 There is a quote I love, which I am almost sure is from Neil Gaiman although I can't find a source, that basically said, It's not Tolkien that's the problem, it's what came after. When I was a teen, it was hard to find fantasy that wasn't big fat epic fantasy, and epic fantasy was for boys-- because everyone said so, and I think they said so because when they were kids/teens, Lord of the Rings came out and it was full of guys, which somehow turned into FOR guys. And D&D was for boys too, for the same reason. Girls in the 80s were shafted, frankly, or (like me) hopelessly nerdy (but very popular with a certain subset of boys). And even though none of those stereotypes were ever really true, they were mythologized in books and movies and popular culture, and now they perpetuate themselves endlessly with less and less basis in reality. It's like popularity and football players-- there may be places where it's true that they go together, but not everywhere, all the time, to the exclusion of any other model of high school hierarchy. So yeah, I blame Tolkien. There is a quote I love, which I am almost sure is from Neil Gaiman although I can’t find a source, that basically said, It’s not Tolkien that’s the problem, it’s what came after. When I was a teen, it was hard to find fantasy that wasn’t big fat epic fantasy, and epic fantasy was for boys– because everyone said so, and I think they said so because when they were kids/teens, Lord of the Rings came out and it was full of guys, which somehow turned into FOR guys. And D&D was for boys too, for the same reason. Girls in the 80s were shafted, frankly, or (like me) hopelessly nerdy (but very popular with a certain subset of boys). And even though none of those stereotypes were ever really true, they were mythologized in books and movies and popular culture, and now they perpetuate themselves endlessly with less and less basis in reality. It’s like popularity and football players– there may be places where it’s true that they go together, but not everywhere, all the time, to the exclusion of any other model of high school hierarchy.
So yeah, I blame Tolkien.

]]> http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2011/04/26/the-soul-mirror/#comment-12690 Ann Perrigo Wed, 04 May 2011 17:44:25 +0000 http://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/?p=2078#comment-12690 Thanks, Karyn! I love fantasy, as does daughter Penni! Where do these stereotypes come from, anyway? Thanks, Karyn! I love fantasy, as does daughter Penni! Where do these stereotypes come from, anyway?

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