Representation in Fantasy Novels
okay, as this is my first post, i don’t want to come on too strong here but
REPRESENTATION IN FANTASY NOVELS BY FANTASY AUTHORS SUCKS AND NEEDS TO IMPROVE !
I get it. Fantasy is a tricky genre to write in, and if you've created your own universe, it wont have many of the things we have in this universe. It will have its own versions of everything, its own transport, cultures etc. But the thing is, I keep seeing fantasy authors and/or their readers justifying pitiful representation by claiming their world doesn't have real life races, sexual orientations, countries etc. But just remember: LGBT+ people exist no matter what they're called, and what labels they have. Just because your world doesn't have a name for bisexuality, or transgenderism etc, it does not have to be erased completely. And just because races aren’t the same as ours, doesn't mean you have to whitewash your cast and culture like so many fantasy authors do. If you can include straight white cis boys into your fiction then why cant you include LGBT+ trans women of colour? Why cant there be characters that look like your readers, characters with braids, monolids, dark skin, afros? Why cant we have a badass, realistic woman as our chosen one, instead of the lonely, perfect elf with about as much depth as a thimble, who has to sit down and be a helpless love interest for our boring male protagonist? Let Prince Arius Shadowhynter of Dragonville check out another guy. Let him be dark skinned, let him have braids. Of course you don’t have to state he’s asexual. But you can tell your readers he’s the legendary warrior who lusts for no one, who no one can ever seduce. I’m sick and tired of Tolkien rip offs creating the same basic all white cast to save the day. And before you claim that this is defiling the essence of fantasy: JRR Tolkiens books are classics, yes, and well written, but they were also incredibly misogynist, and featured almost no POC, let alone any LGBT+ folks. Most early, ‘classic’ fantasy novels are the same. Fantasy was created in a time of racism, sexism, homophobia etc, but we don’t have to perpetuate this.
So, to all my young fantasy authors, please give us diversity. Fantasy is a genre based on creativity, imagination and originality. You don’t have any of that if you cant include proper representation.