Perception of Masculinity within the Artemis Fowl series and ACOTAR Series.
Disclosures:
- Masculinity is nuanced, I simply want to map out how it is utilized (stereotypical masculinity, toxic masculinity, “Emasculation” ) between both books.
- I mention sexual assault but I do not go into detail.
- Spoilers for both series!
Misogyny:
I think it’s first important to address that both books utilize misogyny with their masculine characters, in different ways.
In Artemis Fowl, it is often a masculine character using the threat of seeming feminine as an insult. In Butler’s case, he utilized this in book one when provoking and defeating a group of dock workers. This is such an outlier in his character, especially as the series progresses, that I as a reader always took this to be Butler assessing the situation and assuming this threat would be the easiest way to provoke these workers into a fight. It is often that an Artemis Fowl scheme requires Artemis or Butler to portray a certain role, so it is not out of the question for this to be why Butler says what he says. Another case of misogyny is focused around a male character insulting another by calling them feminine. In some cases, like Mulch for example (book four), he takes offense to this comment. In Artemis’ case (book three and book four), it is always regarding his namesake, and he is always quick to consider being named after the goddess, an honor, something he has earned, an something he has inherited.
In ACOTAR, misogyny is an underlying theme. In the human world, men are the patriarchs of the household, but women are still blamed as if they have the responsibility of it. In Prythian, only high lords lead their courts. In both the human and fae world, there are women in power (human queens and Amarantha), but both are depicted as evil. Along with this, there are also specific brands of misogyny within their courts. Illyrians mutilate the wings of their women so they cannot fly, Hewn City women are treated as property and if they fail to comply, they can be thrown out and mutilated (Mor, Book…three I want to say?). What’s interesting to me is that these are such distinct parts of Night Court, and yet we don’t have these extreme examples in other courts, despite hearing that the misogyny is even worse there. In fact, while Feyre is in Spring Court, all fae are for the most part treated pretty equally. As addressed the beginning of this paragraph, there are only high lords, no high ladies. There was Amarantha, a self-proclaimed Queen, but no high lady. We first follow Feyre asking about this in book two, where she asks her current lover, Tamlin, who is High Lord of Spring. Tamlin mentions that there has never been a high lady. Feyre expresses relief, thankful that she would not have the burden of that responsibility. When Feyre end up in Night Court, her new lover, Rhysand, offers the concept of high lady ro Feyre, stripping the responsibility from her duties, and essentially giving her a title and power without repercussion. Suddenly, this is something Feyre wants, no longer wanting to be a “broodmare” for Tamlin. If you might have noted, Tamlin never mentions this. Feyre herself changes her perception of having power and what it would mean in order to fit her own narrative of what a wife vs. a high lady would be. Now, what is most curious to me, is that Feyre of course faces a bit of misogyny from a high lord or two. I say only one or two, because despite Rhysand telling Feyre and the reader that all the courts are worse off, Kallias, Thesan and Helion all welcome Feyre with open arms, at least regarding her power. Her main adversary otherwise becomes Beron and his family, Illyrian men, and Hewn City men. How does Feyre handle this, you may ask? Feyre, tends to use violence, a stereotypically masculine trait, in order to win favor with or shut up any man who insults her.
Also both series refer to fae as “male” an “female”, which makes me uncomfortable to no end. In SJM’s case, she is trying to differentiate from humans by making the term feel more primal. Instead Colfer’s case, he is using it to make the fae seem more scientifically based. Both still make me wildly uncomfortable given the use of “female” in today’s society, and while Colfer’s books were written far before this use, SJM has been writing during this usage.
Crying:
I think it’s important to note that in Artemis Fowl, there is nothing held against men or boys who cry. It isn’t treated as taboo or stereotypically feminine. In the same way, I believe it’s the same for Rhysand, but as far as I can remember, Rhysand is the only man who does, and only in privacy with the inner circle, so there is till this stigma around it in a way we just don’t see in the Artemis Fowl series.
In this next section, I’d like to compare the perception of masculinity/masculine traits regarding the characters of both series:
Artemis Vs. Rhysand:
As I mentioned before, both characters are cunning and cruel at the beginning of their series, and are notably “evil”, at least in their first books. Interestingly enough, both books go down the route to make these crucial characters morally grey, and eventually the heroes. (Though it is important to note that Artemis is at best morally grey in book one, not evil. The same cannot be said for Rhysand).
The most notable difference between these two characters besides human and fae, is at the beginning of the series, one is 500 years old, and one is 12. This is important, because it makes much more plausible sense that a twelve year old is struggling with morality, and learning how to be an empathetic, good person. This does not make sense for a 500 year old character, and more likely shows an emotional instability and insecurity by an adult man. That being said, we see Artemis’ moral struggle as the series goes on. With Rhysand, the narrative begs us to forget the unspeakable horrors that Rhysand commits in book one, to make the blanket statement that every evil thing Rhys does, is actually all for good.
This is especially important when you consider that both Artemis and Rhysand are the elite of their respective series. There is no getting around the fact that having this amass of wealth is already ridiculously evil. While both inherited it from the cruelty of their fathers’ criminal empires (Rhysand’s father’s criminal empire being tyranny), it is what they choose to do with this money that sets them apart. Artemis initially uses this money to fund various criminal ventures, but as the book progresses, we learn every criminal venture always had a personal pay off, often for the sake of keeping his family together and safe. In future books, his money is funneled into passion projects that will considerably help the world (beginning of book seven). Rhysand’s money, in contrast, goes to new mansions (I believe he and Feyre are on their fifth mansion?). Mor and Feyre even giggle about how Rhys has enough jewels to fill a bathtub (don’t get me started on Feyre’s descent into worshipping luxury). As far as I can remember, Rhys’ money doesn’t often go to good deeds, other than rebuilding Velaris during the one attack against it. The money never goes to the Illyrians, the money never goes to Hewn City, it stays in Velaris, and more importantly, the Inner Circle.
Masculinity:
Alright you may be thinking “Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the wealth gap, now when are we going to get to masculinity?” I wanted to start my thoughts by illustrating how different these two characters are, morally. Granted, a faerie’s morality should be different than a human’s and therefore of course Rhys should be a little more morally dubious, surely, but yet the world he is in still holds him to human morality. In Artemis Fowl, we see that faeries do have a difference in morality to most humans, often more empathetic towards life itself. (I’d be happy to compare humanity and faerie perceptions another time). All this to say we are already starting from a similar wealth stand point, but a difference in culture and societal viewpoints. Now how do these two characters exemplify masculinity?
Rhysand is the classic “shadow daddy”, and is allegedly designed as what all women want: tall, dark and handsome. He is smug, he’s vain, he’s witty, he’s muscular, he’s powerful, he is rich, and he is good when it comes to banter. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from romantasy readers, as their ideal man. That being said, he is very classically masculine both in his power as he is said to be the most powerfully high lord ever (yes, SJM claims this), and his treatment towards women. Ask any SJM fan and they will clamor to discuss Rhysand’s treatment towards Feyre as loving and ideal, especially once they’re together. Especially in sex, which they have often. (And by often, I mean I was skipping whole chapters, and then having to unwillingly go back because I missed the unnecessarily crucial plot points they would discuss while having sex). Yet, we also see in book one, before the two are together, how Rhysand continuously sexually harasses Feyre. Not only this, but the only other woman I can recall other than Feyre, Amren, and Mor, that we see him with is Cresseida and Amarantha. Cresseida, who he used as a pawn to make Feyre jealous, and Amarantha, his abuser. Now before I get comments about how Rhysand can’t be an abuser because he was abused, I want to mention that I don’t criticize what Rhysand went through as judgement of his character. I include it because of the author and her intent. What was supposed to be an illustration that men can be sexually abused as well, inevitably falls flat when that man turns around and does the exact same thing to a woman he can essentially have control over (Contrast this with Lucien who we’ll discuss later on). The narrative spends so much time excusing what he does because it happened to him, and never once explores the actual complexity with this. Most importantly, Rhysand’s masculinity remains in tact. He still fulfills traditional masculine norms, and is seen as the most powerful and most important. Feyre also constantly refers to Rhysand in more masculine ways, furthering the audience’s perception of how to view him.
Artemis is not blatantly masculine. His most important trait is his intelligence, his ability to strategize and scheme. Unlike Rhysand, he is not muscular. According to Colfer, Artemis can barely pick up anything heavier than his phone. Unlike Rhysand, Artemis is not a warrior and he is not all powerful. His physical feats can be described as being able to not trip over his feet, an jumping on a moving platform. He isn’t necessarily interested in sports. That being said, these traditional traits of masculinity are so unnecessary for his character. Being masculine doesn’t define Artemis the way it does Rhys. While this can be attributed to the age difference and difference in focus between the two series, I think it’s more important that a book for children in their more formative years is written to showcase that there doesn’t need to be such a cut and dry description of masculinity. Yes, you can argue that at the age of twelve, no boy is going to embody a ‘masculine man’, so why would Artemis depict this? Well, throughout the series, this stays consistent and doesn’t change. It’s noted that Artemis agrees to Butler requesting he works out, but he makes no actual effort to. The only reason it is suggested in the first place is not to ‘get buff’, but because the amount of near death experiences in their lives require a bit of physical endurance to survive. Along with this, Artemis holds no insecurity whatsoever regarding his masculinity, nor does he let bullies or threats get to him. As previously expressed, Artemis defends his namesake with reverence. He is also able to enjoy stereotypically feminine things, without feeling any sort of emasculation. He enjoys fashion, he enjoys writing romance novels. It’s a genuinely refreshing take.
As a side note regarding the empathy of these two characters (as apparently to the extreme right empathy is feminine), Rhysand is in charge of an entire court, but only cares about when Velaris is in danger. He sends Illyrians off to die, and regularly torments Hewn City folk. While Artemis runs his father’s criminal empire while he is away, we never see his corporate authority, unless you count how he orders Butler. That being said, when he is in charge of a plan, he is always quick to show his empathy when something goes wrong and someone gets hurt or trapped. While Rhys promotes himself to lead with his heart, it is often his cold logic that brings out his most vicious plans. While Artemis promotes himself to lead with his head, there are many moments where his heart becomes a motivation to change his plans.
“Feminist King”:
I’ve labeled this section “feminist king” as a joke based on the fandom’s perception of Rhysand. Within the ACOTAR community, Rhys is the epitome of a “feminist”, to his fans, because he treats women so well. But does he? When we look at the Night Court, there are three distinct locations: Velaris, Illyrian war camps, and Hewn City. In Velaris, we don’t really see enough of the common people to really know how they regard misogyny. Velaris is proclaimed as a Utopia, and the only big comparison we can see is the wealth inequality between the people and the Inner Circle, even when the narrative tries to state that there is no wealth inequality. (I mean, Rhys and Feyre supposedly hold an open forum in the House Of Wind for people to come to, but the House Of Wind is notorious for having like 50,000 steps and that’s the only real way up. So…I don’t know how they’re going to get there. And this means he’s only willing to hold open forum in Velaris). In Illyria, as previously mentioned, the men mutilate the wings of women. Rhysand boasts about how he put a declaration in place to stop this, but they still do it anyway. This is nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and he never does anything else to stop this. Not only is this the case, but women also are in traditionally subservient roles in the household. Rhysand’s solution to this, was demanding that they enroll in the military on top of this so that they can have the same military “rights” as the men…alright. In Hewn City, women are treated as livestock. Mor recounts how as a young girl, she wouldve been forced into marriage. I’m going to spare you the detail of how she tried to get out of this for the sake of your stomachs, but she essentially is disowned and beaten. Rhysand takes her in, because they are cousins, and gives her a position of power. Great, alright. What about the rest of the girls and women in Hewn City? Rhysand does absolutely nothing. In fact, as mentioned in my last post, Rhysand makes the blanket statement that all of Hewn City is evil. So…that solves that, I guess. Rhysand is given credit for not speaking down to women as well, often citing Tamlin for the sexual insult he makes towards Feyre in Book three’s High Lord Meeting. Which Rhys couldve been given credit for, had he not made a sexist joke in the newest Cresent City Book (allegedly, as I simply couldn’t force myself through the slop). Rhys is also praised for giving Feyre the High Lady title, which fans often find as peak feminism. Rhys allows Feyre to have this powerful title, without it meaning anything. Rhys makes all of the decisions for their court, but that’s alright, because Feyre isn’t interested in the responsibility anyhow. The one duty she is shown to have, writing letters, she laments that she’d rather have a secretary so that she and Rhys can go have fun together. Essentially, this title is useless. Lastly, I’d like to mention illusion of bodily autonomy. Rhysand talks big game throughout the series about how Feyre’s body is her own, despite how he sexually harasses her in book one. Forget that. Forget you ever read that he did that, because it was for her “own good”! Feyre constantly states that she’s happy to be with Rhysand instead of become Tamlin’s housewife and broodmare. Rhysand and Feyre settle down when Rhysand is 500 something, and Feyre is 21. Despite stating that she wants children down the road, she has one immediately, an essentially becomes a housewife without the housework to do. She becomes Rhysand’s housewife and broodmare without realizing it, and it is idealized so that readers can want this lifestyle too (hello, tradwives!) Rhysand doesn’t stop at his wife’s autonomy, instead, he moves on to her sisters, namely Nesta. Nesta is the only one who questions Rhys and his authority, and because he does not like this, he comes up with a rehabilitation plan that will mold her into what he wants. She is not allowed to leave the house alone, it’s dictated who she spends her time with, and what she eats. Rhysand should not be the model of male feminist representation.
On the other hand, Artemis doesn’t have as heavy of a story line blatantly involving feminism, and fortunately for readers, Colfer goes down the road of showing, not telling. We can see how Artemis views the women in his life and make an educated guess from there. In book five, we meet Minerva Paradizo, another child genius. While jokes are made about the possibility of Artemis and Minerva dating, Artemis genuinely seems to respect Minerva as an academic equal, an any views of superiority come from his appreciation of his own intellect, not at the detriment of her own. He makes no effort to talk down to her or challenge her aside from the circumstances of the plot. We can see this with his friendship regarding Holly as well. While they start as captor and victim, this brief power dynamic does not define their relationship across the series. Artemis genuinely values Holly as one of his closest friends, and plays to her strengths when it comes to his plans. He can admit when his intellect needs a bit of guidance by her better understanding of faerie culture, and despite their banter, genuinely feel on equal footing in their friendship. The only time I can recall (please correct me on this) that Artemis insults a woman, is towards Opal on her vanity. While Artemis has certainly argued with his mother, and has made a waitress upset, it is never at the expense of their gender specifically.
Butler Vs. Cassian:
Domovoi Butler and Cassian are both who I would consider the most traditionally masculine characters at first glance. They both appear physically muscular, they are the warriors of their respective groups, and they both answer to a boss (Artemis and Rhysand). That being said, they couldn’t be more different.
Butler’s primary role is to protect Artemis. Often times this means defense, sometimes it means offense if it contributes to Artemis’ schemes. This violence is “necessary” and less at personal feeling or whim. For Cassian, violence is “necessary” when it comes to war, but also heavily weighs in on his emotion. Because of his emotions, he destroys an entire village. Cassian is considered the emotional Bat Boy, which one might consider traditionally feminine, if Cassian expressed more than angry and on occasion, drunk. Both the narrative and fans tend to confuse funny with always happy, and often a lot of Cassian’s physical and verbal harrassment/abuse towards Nesta (his mate) is overlooked. Butler is also known for his empathy, his kinder, gentler nature towards those he cares about, which is at odds to almost always being “on” as a bodyguard. Butler never physically or emotionally abuses anyone, as far as the books go, because the narrative never sets it up for him to be, unlike Cassian. Butler is extremely caring towards the women in his life. He is a fellow soldier to Holly, he lifts Juliet up, hoping she will be better than him. In Cassian’s life, women close to him are either available for sex (Mor and Nesta), or unattainable but he wishes they were (Feyre, possibly Elain?). That’s pretty much it. When it comes to empathy, Cassian is really attuned to his friends in the Inner Circle, especially Rhys and Feyre. Cassian will often put Rhys and Feyre before everyone and everything else, especially Rhys, which in at least two instances result in Cassian being called Rhysand’s dog. Cassian does not like to question Rhys or his authority by any means, not even for his mate. Butler, also doesn’t often question Artemis’ plans, trusting in his charge and his intellect. However when the situation absolutely calls for it, he has chewed Artemis out in the past. I’d argue both men should and could challenge their bosses more often, but at the very least Butler does it where Cassian fails to.
Foaly Vs. Lucien, Azriel:
If anyone knows me personally, they’ll know that Foaly and Lucien are my absolute favorite male characters in these series. They are both intelligent, snarky, and not necessarily overtly masculine.
Foaly, for a majority of the series, is the technical consultant of the LEP. Like Artemis, he does not represent physical masculinity. Out of the eight book series, there are two books that Foaly leaves Haven City at all, as he occupies the “guy in the chair” role. Foaly also happens to be Opal’s school rival, who ultimately succeeded in ways Opal couldn’t, because he is a man. I do wish that we could have gotten more of a look at they relationship dynamic, perhaps in the form of a flashback, to further determine this. That being said, it is up to the reader to determine whether or not this is true. That being said, it never seems to occur to Foaly specifically that Opal feels this way. He never once insinuates gender, and his hostility towards Opal is purely based on the evil she creates. He even shows moments of admiration based on technological discoveries or advancements that she has made. This is also coupled with his own intense intellectual ego that views his work in a higher standing. Unlike the typical male ego, and similarly to Artemis, this ego is never at the detriment to others. Foaly is also the only primary character to receive a love interest. Thankfully, instead of the classic “ball and chain” trope that media often seems to require of couples, Foaly absolutely worships his wife, and rightfully so. Not only does he worship her, but there is no jealousy and no conflict. They have very open communication, and honestly represent a very well-written relationship for young readers. Caballine is intelligent in her own right, and trained in physical defense, and not once are either of these traits cause for Foaly’s own insecurity.
Lucien Vanserra is the seventh son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court. He is set apart from his older siblings who pride themselves on being physically and traditionally masculine, hoping to align themselves with their cruel father. Lucien takes on a more diplomatic role, and is someone who is closer with his mother. Lucien is disowned and hunted by his family, for falling in love with a “lesser faerie”, and ends up as an emissary to Spring Court under Tamlin, who uses his court as a refuge from faeries fleeing their own courts. Throughout the series, we get to follow Lucien’s deconstruction of what society tried to instill in him. After meeting Feyre, he begins to view humans in a more positive light. He questions those in power, he develops a strong moral code. He is not a traditional male faerie in the standards of Prythian, and this often means he’s emasculated and demeaned by those around him. Feyre views him as her personal servant and is angry when he questions her actions of authority. He is ridiculed by his father, the inner circle, everyone. And similarly to Rhysand, he is also a victim of sexual assault by a woman. Instead of Rhysand who is viewed as active, who tries to manipulates Amarantha while she is hurting him and uses that pain, Lucien is passive but assertive. He asserts he does not want Ianthe’s attention and ends up in a “damsel in distress” scenario that only Feyre can somehow save him from. Feyre views him as a nuisance, someone she doesn’t want to save, but ultimately does when she thinks of what Rhysand goes through. This sets up the narrative that for Rhys, he endured pain and came out a hero. For Lucien, he is a victim, who needed Feyre to save him. SJM supplements this by giving Lucien a storyline and a skill that she deems will make Lucien masculine as she brings the narrative to focus on him once more. He is given the skill to hunt and catch fish, a traditionally masculine skill, and gives him a love interest. This leads me into Lucien’s treatment towards towards women. Lucien is considerably one of the most respectful men in the series. He is compassionate and caring towards every woman in the series, and with his mate, he gives her space, gives her time, dotes with gifts, does not pressure her, and is chivalrous. That being said, he is then demonized by characters and fans because he “does not deserve her”, something I have not seen the fandom say about any of the Bat Boys. This is emphasized by the love triangle he is in. His opponent (who he isn’t even aware of by the way) is Azriel, a man who embodies traditional masculinity. He is powerful, muscular, attractive (some fans consider Lucien unattractive because of his mechanics eye, despite the narrative asserting that he is) , he is Rhys’ torturer. His identity is based on strength and violence, and therefore since he is more “masculine”, he deserves to “get the girl”, as fans would claim.
This is just a small note: I also find it interesting that Foaly is considerably one of the oldest characters in the series (correct me if I’m wrong but I think book one mentions that he build the foundations of Haven City technology?), whereas Lucien is one of the youngest characters in the series. Azriel is the oldest Bat Boy at 530 something, and Elain is 23 I believe. I just thought this was interesting. As far as I recall we don’t get an age for Caballine so I can’t really compare in that regard.
Root Vs. Tamlin:
I was curious to compare these two characters specifically because they are in a position of considerable authority, but not authority enough to change the overall systems of their world, and in some way can both be considered misogynist in identity when I’m not so sure this is the case.
Julius Root is a very stereotypical masculine man. Cigar in mouth, gruff, commander of the police force, who above all is fiercely intimidating. What makes Root stand out from the stereotypically masculine role is his focus on the care and protection of others. He genuinely cares about the well being of his officers, especially Holly, and refuses to do anything that will put them in danger, willing to take the fall for them. While he is a model commander and somewhat by the book, he will disregard this rule book for the sake of the safety of his officers above all else. Root doesn’t necessarily start the series as a sexist, but he has a very distinct view of how he will view and build up the only woman officer in the LEP. While he is in a high position in the LEP, he does not have a necessarily high position in Haven City overall, which means anything he can do to help Holly and his other officers, he can do but must be careful about, but it isn’t exactly like he can solve Haven City sexism on his own. That being said, Root’s view towards Holly and Holly’s becoming an Officer is good representation for the women of Haven City. It’s also important to note that anyone who is openly sexist towards Holly is immediately shut down by Root. The person who immediately comes to mind is Cudgeon, who antagonizes Holly the entire first book, to which Root asserts that saving Holly is his absolute priority. I also do want to bring up that Root’s part in The Artemis Fowl Files, a short story book, does depict him as much more sexist than any of the books paint him to be, which when rereading, certainly made me view his character as heavily sexist until I reread the main series, and I’m sure others could have felt that way when reading too. However when you compare this Root to the main series, it could be argued that he has learned from previous misconceptions.
Tamlin is a very touchy and sore subject for ACOTAR fans. As the love interest of the first book (second technically if we count Feyre’s affair with Isaac but one could argue there was no love), we see Tamlin as a powerful high lord of the Spring court. He is built in a stereotypically masculine way, strong muscles, handsome features, he can fight and is considered possessive (all men are in this book honestly). What’s interesting to me, is that where his stereotypically masculine traits end. He enjoys stereotypically feminine things, he enjoys playing music, namely the fiddle, to which the SJM fans often emasculate him for, because for some reason you’re not manly if you play the fiddle? Nonetheless, he also subverts a conservative masculine stereotype on its head: He is a protector, but unlike the conservative view that means a protector must fight everyone off to keep their partner, Tamlin uses his power to protect his people. As high lord, Tamlin mentions that he uses his power to make Spring Court a refuge for anyone who’s fleeing Amarantha’s tyranny in book one, and the war in future books. Freeing fae from slavery is an extremely important part of Tamlin’s identity, one that is not forgotten through book three, where it is dismissed and belittled by the other characters. He does not want to rule, he expresses that he had no interest in it, and by taking up the mantle anyhow, he focuses on helping all fae. Now, that being said, he is a minor villain. How could an abolitionist be a minor villain, you may ask? Because he’s a flaming sexist! Alright, well not really. He’s viewed as a sexist, because the fandom and Feyre perceive his actions to be one of a man who wants to lock his woman in the house all day. Which out of context seems terrifying, so let’s fill in some information. Human Feyre dies in book one and is resurrected as an faerie with the power of all seven high lords. When she and Tamlin return home, she is severely traumatized, malnourished, and unsure how to control her powers. Tamlin recalls what human Feyre wanted from life, which is a safe home and luxury, with not much responsibility. This is also added by the fact Feyre is relieved that she won’t have responsibility in the beginning of book two as well. That being said, seeing that Feyre is not in a state to do much of anything, he isn’t either being traumatized under the mountain as well, he decided the best thing to do is help her integrate into fairy culture by teaching her about what he does, and by keeping her inside so she can’t hurt herself because she’s sick and doesn’t know how to use her powers. Feyre is a fight or flight character who demands to be trained to use her powers. Because she is such a powerful asset, being all powerful, Tamlin wants her to stay away and hidden because any court in Prythian would want her and she can be stolen away - which is hilarious because then she is. That being said, Tamlin is not sexist for wanting to protect Feyre in a world she does not yet know or understand. However SJM and the fans want Tamlin to be the villain, so of course in book three, we get the iconic line where Tamlin talks about Feyre’s sex life in a room full of men. This is just a fault of the books, but like many characters, Tamlin of book three is nowhere close to the Tamlin of book one. It’s honestly just SJM’s inconsistent writing, but because it’s a big thing in the fandom I felt I must bring it up.
This is only partially relevant but when talking about Tamlin I feel as if I must bring up his obvious Scottish depiction. The character Tam Lin is initially from a Scottish Ballad (The Ballad of Tam Lin), and Tamlin in the books is depicted as a stereotype of Scottish men: blonde haired blue eyed angry man who plays the fiddle. It’s important to note that Tamlin is less of a character and more of plot device as time goes on, but it does contradict the original Ballad. While both Tamlin (book one) and Tam Lin were the victims in distress in their stories where the heroine comes to save them, SJM turns the narrative around and makes Feyre and her fans conclude that Tamlin should’ve saved her when she came to save him…which again defeats the entire purpose, and kind of reinstates that the woman should be rescued by the man.
Orion and Tarquin:
Orion is such an interesting character, because he embodies ancient traditional masculinity, romanticized. He wants to go on adventures, he wants to win the hand of the maiden, he wants to be a Disney prince. That being said he isn’t necessarily prone to violence unless it is in defense of the people he cares for, much like a protector. He is also a child, an wildly naive to the real world. He is only looked down on initially because their survival depends on Artemis, not Orion, and because Orion’s view of the world is so grandiose, it is hard to ground him with the very real threat of danger until he experiences it himself. He is quick to learn and listen, and eventually he does in fact become the hero that saves the day.
Tarquin is the youngest high lord in Prythian. He is patient, compassionate, and wants to rebuild his court in a way that benefits all his people, especially lesser fae. He is dismissed as young and naive, and his compassion is taken advantage of. When he retaliates, he does so with diplomacy, and is still considered as the one in the wrong, despite how he was wronged.
Both of these characters lead with their hearts, compassion and empathy are the most important part of their identity. This is something I wish was more shown in a positive light (like Artemis Fowl), and less as something that is naive and will pass, and childish (like in ACOTAR).
Manhood:
Both Haven City and Prythian are tied in a tradition of patriarchy, but what interests me is how this is expressed.
In Artemis Fowl, there is a one off mention of a Manhood ceremony, where Captain Trouble Kelp supposedly chose the name Trouble. It’s never mentioned again, ever, and never expanded upon which makes me think Colfer may have forgotten it, but is genuinely so funny to me. We have no clue what this ceremony entails, but I can assume this is a “true name” for fae situation? Maybe? Nonetheless, there’s no other specifically ‘masculine’ foundations in the city aside from the general sexism about women joining male dominated spaces.
SJM sets herself up for failure. The very magic in the world, the land, only chooses men to rule the courts, and has never chosen other than men. This is hilarious because when you assert Feyre in a position of power, it looks just like how Amarantha rose to power. The land didn’t choose her, a man did. As well as this there is a mating bond where the man takes up the traditional role of Hunter, provider, and protector. While the woman has the choice to make of break the bond, in a patriarchal system where the bond is worshipped and women are oppressed, a woman has very few opportunity to say no. You can get married without a mating bond but for some reason it’s seen as less than and used for political ties. There is also a Blood Rite that depicts the “barbaric” nature of Illyrian warriors who want to join high ranks. I only mention this in comparison to the Manhood Ceremony because women have been barred from attending.
Men’s mental health:
I can’t talk about masculinity without talking about men’s mental health, especially because it’s important in these series. Another day, I’ll discuss “the perfect victim” when it comes to SJM’s series, instead I want to focus on the difference between Rhys and Tamlin. Rhysand struggles with being a survivor of sexual abuse, and he is valid for acknowledging and wanting to get better. That being said, the narrative paints him as the ultimate hero. Only Rhys (and Feyre) are allowed for their suffering to matter. In Tamlin’s case, he loses absolutely everything: his home, his friends, his people, his lover, everything he’s worked for, and he becomes suicidally depressed. The narrative then paints Rhys in the right, for coming to visit Tamlin at his lowest, and telling him to off himself.
Now what does Artemis Fowl get right in regards to mental health? Well for one, men are allowed to cry. Not certain specific men, but any man is allowed to cry. From what I can call, Butler, Artemis, Trouble and Foaly at the very least all have moments where they do. Men are allowed to express their emotions in a safe way. As well as this, we see Artemis go through the Atlantis Complex, but we also see everyone acknowledge it and help him through rehabilitation.
The no hobby conundrum:
In Artemis Fowl, most characters tend to have hobbies that we learn about. Butler likes to read romance novels, Artemis is a fan of the arts, etc. in ACOTAR, the men who are seen as worthy and good for the female love interests, are men with no hobbies. Their hobby is loving their woman. Which, alright, fine that is important, but that is not a three dimensional man. The men who do have hobbies, like Lucien or Tamlin, are antagonized an seen as less than. Guys, it’s okay for men to have hobbies. Seriously. It’s going to be alright.
Sexual Assault used as a tool:
From what I can recall, there is no sexual assault in Artemis Fowl- which there certainly shouldn’t be as it’s a children’s series. That being said, it can still tackle complex themes and the concept of masculinity without tying it to sexual assault.
This also holds no weight when the protagonists are victims of sexual assault by villains, but then they perpetrate it in return and it’s suddenly okay to do. I would say it perpetuates the cycle of abuse, which could be something important to indicate and make commentary on, but again, the author, the protagonist and fans think this is absolutely okay to do. For example, Rhysand is abused by Amarantha (sex). Rhysand then goes on to abuse Feyre (groping and taking advantage of, but that’s okay because mating bond and whatever). Feyre then goes on to emotionally and seemingly sexually harass Lucien and this is seen as genius. In the case of Feyre, Feyre is trying to destroy Tamlin and the spring court which is a whole other problem I can write on another day. Feyre thinks one way to hurt Tamlin is to insinuate that she and Lucien are sleeping together. She shows up in a nightgown to Lucien’s door. Lucien, who sleeps without a shirt on, answers to a crying Feyre who immediately clings to him and begs for his help. Lucien, who cares about his friend tried to help her through this nightmare. Tamlin sees and insinuates that they slept together. Not only this, but we also see Feyre use fake sexual assault as. Way to garner sympathy which by the way she uses it, seems to claim that women are faking it and that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Feyre, the beginning of book two and book three , tells Tamlin and Lucien that Rhysand assaulted her, which from Tamlin and lucien’s perspective who watched Rhys assault her in book one, feels logical and valid. When Feyre inevitably “kidnapped” by Rhys, they go looking for her, and Feyre treats Lucien’s concern for her as absolutely unfounded. When Lucien insinuates that Rhysand hurt her that way, she snaps, gets defensive and doesn’t understand that in Lucien’s perspective (especially when Lucien has been hurt himself), that this looks really bad. I also want to bring back a point from earlier that when it comes to male sexual assault victims, Rhysand and Lucien are treated very different by the narrative and the fandom, viewing one to be a martyr and one to be pathetic. We also hear about men in power often taking advantage of women, notably Beron and the Lady of Autumn, and Cassian and Nesta. In book five, Cassian is in charge of everything Nesta does in her day. He’s in charge of where she goes, eats, what she can do. He uses her for sexual gratification, someone who is severely depressed enough to be coerced into it, laughs when she falls down the stairs, and tries to push her past her limits on a hike in the mountains, never stopping to check on her. This is most striking to me, because SJM’s narrative and her fans push the idea that “Cassian is too good for Nesta”, when it’s clear Nesta is being physically, sexually, and in some cases verbally abused by this man. He never sticks up for her, and honestly, I view that as cowardly, not in the slightest ‘masculine’.
One Sided Beef:
One Sided Beef: I honestly love one sided beef, when it's played out comedically. A good example of this is Trouble Kelp's hatred of Artemis Fowl that is so, purely one sided that I honestly don't think Artemis even knows. This is a running gag that escalates even through the Fowl Twins series, and while justified because Trouble feels personally attacked by Artemis in book one, and every risk to Haven City in the future seems to involve Artemis in some way, is genuinely amusing and meant to be amusing in the way that it's presented. Trouble does not insult Artemis' masculinity, he does not insult Artemis' worth in any way, he just does not want to be a part of any Fowl adventure. Contrast this with Azriel's beef with Lucien. It is completely one sided. Azriel thinks about Lucien often when Lucien barely recalls Azriel exists. Since it is all about the mutual object of their affection, Elain, this is not painted for comedy, but meant to set up a love triangle. But Lucien doesn't even know Azriel's sitting in the corner fuming over him. Azriel is quick to make any mention of Lucien, without Lucien there, into insulting his worth, as if he could be more of a man for Elain. While I think Azriel's comments are out of pocket (most sentences from the men in this series (and Feyre) are so out of pocket), I can't help but laugh over it because Lucien is so completely unbothered by this random man.
Artemis Fowl isn’t focused on masculinity, the story is so much more expansive. It is just one of the subtle and nuanced topics that can be brought up upon book discussion. ACOTAR however, has the binary of feminine and masculine ingrained into the pages. It is a very small spectrum that every character fits on, and their worth is often determined by it. What attempts to be commentary on these stereotypes, really ends up feeding and romanticizing these stereotypes for impressionable readers. I hesitate to call these books faerie smut, as fans both lovingly call it that and berate critics for calling it that, but at its core, this is the center it offers women. Smut is not wrong. But romanticizing this kind of masculinity can become toxic. Especially when any man who doesn’t fit the gender norm is criticized and demonized by both the fans and the narrative.
Please let me know what you’d like to hear about next!
