thread: 2005-08-30 : Coming-of-age Fantasy for Adults
On 2005-08-31, Tom wrote:
"...so I took a baseball bat to him, and he never laid a hand on me or my mother again"? That story is about manhood.
Man...I hope that's not the only story. In fact, I think it's a pretty horrible story. I really don't think it's the core story either.
Hmmm...I'm about to go out on a limb here. I'd say that if there was a core story that was being about womanhood it'd be "...and then she had a child". I'm not saying that this is all that there is to womanhood, but being able to have children is a pretty fundamental definition of female. Does it define you? Well, probably not, but it certainly is a force that shapes and directs you.
I have no idea what the core story is for a guy. Protecting others? Well....perhaps. Self-sacrifice? Seeing beyond your needs and acting in the interests of others? Maybe. Being a father? Perhaps. I'm not sure.
Also, I wonder if a lot of this doesn't collapse down into what it means to be a human being.
This makes XP go "Agreed"
Manhood is not about being violent. If anything, I agree that the biological difference only plays out in parenthood. Of course, I'm a total egalitarian to a fault who thinks that 95% of all gender differences are socially manufactured. Women can be highly protective and violent as well.
This makes MB go "Um, no."
I'm glad you mentioned the limb, 'cause motherhood != womanhood, except in the most shallow, backward ideas of womanhood. Female != womanhood too. That's like saying the core story about manhood is "..and then he had sex." It's vomit.
This makes MB go "A story != THE story"
Might there be multiple core stories? Certainly people reach adulthood through different personal ways.
This makes JL go "Too specific"
Seems to me the core story for a coming of age fantisy is: character (of either gender) is unsure of own abilities, is tested through hardship and finds comfort with self. I don't think it has to be much more granular than that.
This makes JBR go "Sex & Gender again"
You conflated 'woman' (implied 'straight woman') with 'female'.
This makes VB go "this is all play fodder!"
I say: "what does it mean to be a man? a woman?" You answer: "fatherhood, motherhood." Or you answer: "adulthood." Or you answer: "violence, seduction." Or you answer: "moral maturity." Or you answer: "NOT violence, NOT seduction." And I say: "prove it!" That's the game!
This makes TLR go "When the bough breaks..."
I don't think that "having babies" is the only story. Only that it's the one which belongs uniquely to females (asusming we're talking about human stories and human reproductive technology doesn't take a huge leap forward). But if I can have a "womanhood" story and Meg can have a "manhood" story, then these terms are meaningless. We're all having "human" stories. Huh...this is going to be a fun game.
This makes NInJ go "Stop talking about it and play the game!"
... oh, wait, we can't play the game.
Hey, look, this stuff is moot. You're pre-playing, and that leads to suck. The story of your character's relationship with childhood, adolescence, and adulthood is your character's story. Also, I think the "core story" for this game is, "A character grows up and/or comes to term with hir adulthood." You're putting too much into it, Tom.
