Quote:
Originally Posted by Xanthe
Any book becomes gender specific as soon as the author decides what the gender of the main character will be. Male readers will identify more closely with a male character on a personal level, female readers with a female character. It's the situations the characters find themselves involved in, and the way the opposing genders that are portrayed, that determines the universality of the appeal of the book.
For example, Weber & Ringo's "March Upcountry". The primary character is male, and the surrounding characters (with the exception of his valet and the planet's natives) are all members of a military squad, basically battling nature and the planet to achieve their goal. So the main appeal would seem be to men - on the surface. But the female characters in the book are not written as being weaker or less intelligent or as sex objects, all hot-button items for female readers. And the situations the characters find themselves in could happen to either males or females. The emphasis is kept on who the characters are, not what they are, and that for me, as a woman, is what keeps me interested in the story.
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I still think its a 'lil silly to read a book because of the protagonists gender, but if you all want to call me wrong thats ok, and I won't say anything about it because, I got in trouble by two different mods for calling someone a "troll" in jest. Which I am of the opinion that is extremely superfluous. But needless to say I have learnt my lesson because I don't know what I would do with my life if I had a "temporary ban" from posting on this forum (*Sarcasm*). And I'm sorry in advance Xanthe but the last 3/4 of my rant has nothing to do with you.