Microsoft Word final-current Developments at the Intersection of British Children-online-version doc

5.4.8
 
Gender 
Gender is an interesting feature of the contemporary hero. Whereas the traditional 
fantasy hero used to be mainly male, this imbalance has since shifted in favour of a more 
balanced
distribution, so that in current British fantasy novels for children there are various 
possibilities for the hero-constellation. In the course of emancipation, female heroes were 
admitted into the ranks of potential heroes and considered fit to set out on quests as well. Seen 
as girls are physically weaker than boys, the traditional, external, male and often dangerous 
quests with swords and beasts are out of the question. Rather, the female quest’s main focus 
lies on an internal, intellectual and physically less demanding content. At first, instead of 
being the sole heroine of a novel, girls were admitted into a group of male fantasy heroes. 
Such mixed groups – typical of Blyton’s adventure stories of the Famous Five – also feature 
in Nesbit’s Five Children and It or Garner’s Owl Service. Other authors, for example Pearce 
in Tom’s Midnight Garden, prefer a balanced hero duo of both girl and boy.
Current British fantasy novels for children cannot be accused of discrimination against 
one or the other gender.
Even though there are still a number of fantasy novels with 
exclusively male heroes, more and more often the hero is complemented with a female 
counterpart. Paolini’s Inheritance cycle does not only introduce a female main character but 
also pairs the male hero off with the female dragon Saphira. Nix’ Abhorsen trilogy connects 
Sabríel with Touchstone and Lirael with Mogget, thus ensuring that the gender of the duos is 
balanced. Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy sets out as a fantasy epic with the heroine 

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Lyra, before the second volume introduces her male counterpart Will. However, Lyra is 
inseparably linked to her male soul daemon Pantalaimon, who again ensures the balance of 
the duo girl-daemon.
Pairs of siblings, particularly twins, represent a special case of this counterbalance of 
gender. Kestrel and Bo, the twins of The Wind on Fire trilogy, and Philippa and John, the 
twins from The Children of the Lamp, are good examples of the close connection of both 
sexes. In their quality as twins, these heroes and heroines are immune against falling in love 
with each other. At the same time, they share a strong bond that frequently works without 
words. Despite the fact that their personalities differ, their familiarity often causes them to be 
regarded as an entity.
Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy introduces the reluctant twosome of the wizard Nathaniel 
and the djinn Bartimaeus. Their volatile relation is slightly defused by the fact that 
Bartimaeus, even though he is presented as male, is a djinn and not a human. Consequently, 
like an arbitrator, he stands in the middle between Nathaniel and the heroine Kitty.
Whereas traditionally male heroes appeal to male readers and heroines to females, 
their balance in a duo or at least mixed in a trio as in Harry Potter appeals to readers of both 
sexes. By combining the gender of the heroes, the respective novel can cover the various 
interests and thus double or at least enlarge the readership.
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It is true that for the most part heroines are not engaged in any direct, physical battle 
with enemies. Rather, like Hermione, they investigate, do intellectual work and contribute 
their knowledge, whereas Harry as the male hero directly faces the basilisk.
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Another 
example is the Abhorsen, who may have to bind the dead and their spirits, yet does so with 
the help of bells and Charter magic. This does not necessarily require physical strength but 
rather the intellectually demanding task of selecting the appropriate tools. Thus the gender-
related distribution of theoretical and hands-on approaches manifests itself
in the equipment 
of the heroes. In His Dark Materials for example, Lyra is the only person able to read the 
alethiometer with her natural intuition. By contrast, Will becomes the bearer of the Subtle 
Knife. Mutilated by the sharp blade, the hero is physically marked and fully aware of its 
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This phenomenon also holds true for the name of the author. Since boys are said to prefer novels by male 
authors and girls by female ones, writers who simply put their initials on the cover attempt to reach a larger 
readership. Joanne Rowling therefore published the first Harry Potter novel as J.K. Rowling, thus trying to 
appealing to more readers.
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Every now and again, fantasy heroines are engaging in direct battle, but then their adversaries tend to be 
female, too. In Doomspell, the heroine fights an evil girl and the witches.

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dangerousness. While Lyra’s alethiometer is an indirect, theoretical and intellectual device 
which requires interpretation, Will’s knife is a direct, practically oriented tool for immediate 
action. Both devices are as important and demanding as each other – each in their own way.
An interesting subject for further investigation which cannot be undertaken within the 
scope of the present study is a comparative analysis of the gender in respect of author and 
hero. How often does the gender of the hero comply with or differ from that of the author? 
What does the result reveal about the current social roles of girls and boys, men and 
women?
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