Women in Literature: The Impact of Feminism on Fantasy Literature, 1950–1990

Abstract

The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s directly impacted the evolution of the Fantasy Literature genre, changing it from a genre dominated by male authors and characters to one filled with many strong-willed, intelligent female characters that were written by female authors. Historians have often studied the impact of the First Women’s Right’s Movement on society but have often overlooked the impact the second wave of feminism had on society and have completely overlooked its tremendous impact on the Fantasy Literature genre. The works of authors writing before the Second Women’s Right’s Movement, T.H. White and J.RR. Tolkien, were compared to works written during and after the movement by authors such as William Goldman, Ursula K. Le Guinn, Patricia A. McKillip, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist. Fantasy Literature went from a genre solely dominated by male authors with powerful male characters and foolish or evil female characters to a genre with many female authors creating entire works centered on the adventures and abilities of strong-willed and intelligent women.