Author Topic: Brandon and girls.  (Read 4803 times)

echigo109

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 64
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Brandon and girls.
« on: June 22, 2009, 07:27:48 PM »
All of the books that i've read by brandon sanderson has a girl main character, i was just wondering if there is a reason for that.

Reaves

  • Level 23
  • *
  • Posts: 1226
  • Fell Points: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2009, 07:56:24 PM »
Nearly every book I've read has at least one female main character...
Have you read Elantris? There is still a main female POV character but she is not the protagonist.

Also, Brandon originally began writing Mistborn with Vin as a male character, but realized that actually Vin should be female.
Quote from: VegasDev
RJF: "AHA! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Cairhien, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a warder when he is only the distraction! Get him Rand! Buzzzzzzz!

Bastille

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 389
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2009, 08:51:04 PM »
Nearly every book needs a female and male main character and  in it so people of both genders can relate to th book. I not saying that books with only one gender is bad, it can be done, but it's easier I think if there can be both genders in a book.
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Patriotic Kaz

  • Level 30
  • *
  • Posts: 1746
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Antagonist of the Ages
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2009, 11:54:49 PM »
Only if the author has a keen sense of observation and can think in the other gender's point of view... if they can't that would be a rather annoying book
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

"Take off your sandals, for you are posting on holy ground." -  Yahweh Kaz

"Chaos, go to your room!" - Momma Kaz

sortitus

  • Level 15
  • *
  • Posts: 675
  • Fell Points: 0
  • MVP of the WORLD
    • View Profile
    • I'll kick you in the face!
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2009, 06:17:36 AM »
I just assumed that it was like his magic systems; he is more than usually good at it. He's a smart guy, and knows that good female characters are hard to come by. This is entirely speculation on my part. I could be entirely wrong.

RE: Elantris - I considered the princess to be the (capital M, capital C) Main Character. She certainly seemed to have the most screen time.
Hero of Ages: Impressive Regality Over Niceness, Y'all
좋아! This time with more ecstatic! 좋네!!! I'll say it again in french! Trois fois voiture!!! Ça va. C'est vrai. C'est bien.
High Knight of the Grand Pie of the Holy Order of Pie, The Left Hand of Pie

Patriotic Kaz

  • Level 30
  • *
  • Posts: 1746
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Antagonist of the Ages
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2009, 10:45:03 PM »
I disagree she was a MC not the there is a large difference Raoden got almost as much time allotted to him and is the protaginist for the series
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

"Take off your sandals, for you are posting on holy ground." -  Yahweh Kaz

"Chaos, go to your room!" - Momma Kaz

Vatdoro

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 94
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2009, 11:46:23 PM »
I like the female characters that B. Sanderson writes, but I would like him to write more books with male protagonists. I think I just relate to them better. 

I loved Lightsong in Warbreaker. He cracked me up.

Bastille

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 389
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2009, 12:38:07 AM »
I like the female characters that B. Sanderson writes, but I would like him to write more books with male protagonists. I think I just relate to them better. 

I loved Lightsong in Warbreaker. He cracked me up.

I think he does a good job evening out the female and male protagonist.
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Inkthinker

  • Level 11
  • *
  • Posts: 426
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Animation and Illustration
    • View Profile
    • inkthinker.deviantart.com
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2009, 10:33:49 AM »
Alcatraz has a male main character
Elantris has three  main characters, two male and one female.
Warbreaker has (I think) four main characters, two female and two male.
And Mistborn has a female main character, though arguably Elend take a main role by book 3.

So by my count, that's 7 published novels, and a male/female lead ratio of 6 to 6.

I think it's just that he writes powerfully strong female leads, so they stand out. Whereas we're all used to powerful male leads.

Vatdoro

  • Level 4
  • *
  • Posts: 94
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2009, 05:57:41 PM »
Alcatraz has a male main character
Elantris has three  main characters, two male and one female.
Warbreaker has (I think) four main characters, two female and two male.
And Mistborn has a female main character, though arguably Elend take a main role by book 3.

So by my count, that's 7 published novels, and a male/female lead ratio of 6 to 6.

I think it's just that he writes powerfully strong female leads, so they stand out. Whereas we're all used to powerful male leads.


When I said "I would like him to write more books with male protagonists" I meant epic fantasy. I've read Alcatraz and I like it, but I guess I should have clarified that I was just thinking about epic fantasy.

I think it was Reaves comment that made me realize what I wanted was more male protagonists, not just strong male main characters. I haven't read Elantris in a long time (I need to re-read it), but it is the only published Sanderson book I've read with an actual male protagonist. (And I've read all of Sanderson's published books and some of his unpublished works.)

And a little more about Elantris...
RE: Elantris - I considered the princess to be the (capital M, capital C) Main Character. She certainly seemed to have the most screen time.

Like I said before, I haven't read Elantris in a long time, but if Sortitus is correct and the princess has more screen time than Raoden, it muddies the water a little bit. I believe Raoden is still the protagonist of Elantris, but if the main female character has as much or more POVs than the male protagonist, it still confirms echigo109's observation that "All of the books that i've read by brandon sanderson has a girl main character".

I'm just saying that I observed the same thing echigo109 did.

Elantris - male protagonist, but the main female character seems to steel the show
MB trilogy - female protagonist
Warbreaker - female protagonist* - the two most common POVs were female

In my mind all 5 of Sanderson's published epic fantasy either had a female protagonist, or the female main character stole the show.

I'm a guy and I grew up reading fantasy where the protagonist is almost always a guy. I guess that's how I've come to expect my fantasy. I do really enjoy the WoT with its many female main characters and POVs, but I get the impression Sanderson is going a little overboard with all of his female protagonists and main characters. Don't get me wrong, I like his books, but my favorite book of his is Dragonsteel. I think I like Dragonsteel more than all the books he's published because the protagonist AND the main POV is a guy. I relate to him more.


-- slight Warbreaker spoiler -- you've been warned
* - I realize the protagonist of Warbreaker depends on how you define the term. Now that I think about it, the "hero" of the book turned out to be someone else, but for the purposes of this thread I think we can agree the story was about the two sisters.

AllWrong

  • Level 3
  • ***
  • Posts: 37
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2009, 11:33:33 AM »
Quote
I do really enjoy the WoT with its many female main characters and POVs, but I get the impression Sanderson is going a little overboard with all of his female protagonists and main characters.

Really?  You like the female characters of WoT?  I can't call them on here what I call them in my head for fear of getting banned, let's just say I call them the Witches, because they are NOT nice (or reasonable) people.  I like the WoT series DESPITE the female characters, not because of them.

Now Brandon is great at his female characters.  I don't really care if they are male or female, as long as the character is compelling.  He seems to have no problem writing compelling characters, regardless of gender (as opposed to say Tolkien who wrote absolutely HORRIBLE female characters).

darxbane

  • Level 17
  • *
  • Posts: 839
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #11 on: June 26, 2009, 06:54:28 PM »
Allwrong,
I myself quite enjoy the frailties and faults in a character, as it makes them more identifiable with real life.  I loved how RJ's view of how women would act if the gender roles were reversed matched my own (so I am a little biased).  Also, the men of WOT do some equally foolish things; is it OK for the men to behave poorly at times but not the women?
I wanted to write something profound here, but I couldn't think of anything.

apbadd

  • Level 3
  • ***
  • Posts: 45
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Rejected as a Mistborn!
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2009, 08:00:21 PM »
All of the books that i've read by brandon sanderson has a girl main character, i was just wondering if there is a reason for that.

Because he is a dirty pervert!

Bastille

  • Level 10
  • *
  • Posts: 389
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2009, 09:14:56 PM »
All of the books that i've read by brandon sanderson has a girl main character, i was just wondering if there is a reason for that.

Because he is a dirty pervert!

that..is...um...taking it to far. Those are things we should keep to ourselves i think......if I got the wrong thing here tell me but I think that was a tiny bit...unnesassary... ???
Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Patriotic Kaz

  • Level 30
  • *
  • Posts: 1746
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Antagonist of the Ages
    • View Profile
Re: Brandon and girls.
« Reply #14 on: June 27, 2009, 12:08:24 AM »
It would have been funny had he added a emocon so we knew it was intended as a off-colour joke...try it again with one like this : ;) :P ::)... get it...


if you take this post seriously i will go drown myself for losing all hope in humanity
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

"Take off your sandals, for you are posting on holy ground." -  Yahweh Kaz

"Chaos, go to your room!" - Momma Kaz