First Person Gender Bender

scribbler1382 · Aug 8, 2005

There's been a lot of talk on AW lately about voice, tense and person. So I was wondering when 1st person past tense is used for a story, what impact does gender have for you? By this I mean, if the story is told in first person and the protag is a male, how does that impact the ladies' experience of reading it, and vice versa? Is this an issue at all?

aadams73 · Aug 8, 2005

As a woman, I have to say that as long as the story sounds interesting, I'll pick the book up and read it regardless of the narrator's gender.

cwfgal · Aug 8, 2005

aadams73 said:
As a woman, I have to say that as long as the story sounds interesting, I'll pick the book up and read it regardless of the narrator's gender.

Ditto.

Beth

veinglory · Aug 8, 2005

Yep, if anything I have slight cross gender preference for male protags, but I'll read either.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 8, 2005

Gender

There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

Bartel · Aug 8, 2005

I can't say as I give much thought to the gender of a hero myself. As for using 1st person past tense... I'm not sure I've ever run into it, but I see how it could be interesting. I'd thgink it would mainly be used for the protagonist to tell the story sometime after the fact, to another character or to the "character" of the reader. Of course, someone will probably come along and prove me wrong now.

veinglory · Aug 8, 2005

Jim Butcher does a nice 1st person.

azbikergirl · Aug 8, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

Me too. I just finished Eleven On Top. :Thumbs:

I really don't care what the sex of the protag is, as long as I find out relatively soon in the story.

MadScientistMatt · Aug 8, 2005

I recently read two of Gillian Roberts' Amanda Pepper mysteries, which are written in first person, and definitely enjoyed them. I doubt if the story was something I wanted to read that it would ever be a real problem.

Saanen · Aug 8, 2005

I agree with what other women have posted so far--it doesn't matter what the sex of the character is even in first person, as long as the character's appealing. In fact, I just finished reading a book with a male protag written in first, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I like writing in first person, but I must admit that I've never written first person from a male perspective. When I have male main characters I write in third. I hadn't realized that until just now.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 8, 2005

First person

Bartel said:
I can't say as I give much thought to the gender of a hero myself. As for using 1st person past tense... I'm not sure I've ever run into it, but I see how it could be interesting. I'd thgink it would mainly be used for the protagonist to tell the story sometime after the fact, to another character or to the "character" of the reader. Of course, someone will probably come along and prove me wrong now.

First person past tense is the norm. I'd say better than 99% of all first person novels are written in past tense.

jackie106 · Aug 8, 2005

If I refused to read novels with a first-person male POV, I'd be missing out on a lot of great books!

I have not had a chance to read Janet Evanovich's latest because it is NEVER at the library and I am to cheap too buy hardcover.

Jackie

azbikergirl · Aug 8, 2005

I let my friends borrow it when I'm done, then take it to the used bookstore for credit. I end up getting back about half the price, but it's better than waiting! (I'm an Aries, what can I say?)

aadams73 · Aug 9, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

Sue Grafton also writes in female first. I adore Kinsey Milhone; she's sarcastic and clever, while Stephanie Plum is a bit of an idiot (although I do love the books).

KTC · Aug 9, 2005

I'll read either, but to tell you the truth I don't come across as many from a female perspective. Has anyone else noticed that? I suddenly find it odd? Do males prefer to write in this style more than women?

mistri · Aug 9, 2005

My book that I'm editing at the moment is written in first person/female. The next one will be in third, but first just seemed to work for this character and story.

astonwest · Aug 9, 2005

Jamesaritchie said:
There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

As mentioned, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone is another.
Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta is yet another.
I'm sure the list could be extended...

I read all of the above...so no gender impact here.

jackie106 said:
I have not had a chance to read Janet Evanovich's latest because it is NEVER at the library and I am to cheap too buy hardcover.

I usually search the bargain racks at the bookstores, and pick them up then (though it may take a bit for the newest ones to reach me). I'm too cheap to buy full-priced hardcover...

Kasey Mackenzie · Aug 9, 2005

Actually, there are a TON of books in first-person female perspective in the urban fantasy/paranormal "chick lit" genre which seems to be hugely popular right now. Right off the top of my head you have Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, C.E. Murphy (only one book published so far but more on the way), and Kelley Armstrong. I've read just about all the books of the first three authors, C.E.'s book, and just bought Rachel Caine's first three. I still need to try Kelley's books. So far, I've loved the ones I've read and they've helped with my own female first-person POV urban fantasy.

And I LOVE Jim Butcher's books! So those being in male don't bug me as a woman. =)

Jamesaritchie · Aug 9, 2005

Kasey Mackenzie said:
Actually, there are a TON of books in first-person female perspective in the urban fantasy/paranormal "chick lit" genrewhich seems to be hugely popular right. Right off the top of my head you have Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, C.E. Murphy (only one book published so far but more on the way), and Kelley Armstrong. I've read the first four, C.E.'s book, and just bought Rachel Caine's first three. So far, I've loved them and they've helped with my own female first-person POV urban fantasy.

And I LOVE Jim Butcher's books! So those being in male don't bug me as a woman. =)

I'll have to look into some of those. Not my normal reading fare, but it's definitely worth a shot.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 9, 2005

Milhone

aadams73 said:
Sue Grafton also writes in female first. I adore Kinsey Milhone; she's sarcastic and clever, while Stephanie Plum is a bit of an idiot (although I do love the books).

I've tried the Kinsey Milhone books, and just can't seem to get into them. It may be unfair, but I keep thinking, "If this gal were really out on the street, the first guy who met her would, at the very least, break her jaw and walk away laughing. Out on the street, a woman with Kinsey Milhone's mouth had better be carrying a badge, and have a big male partner as backup.

Stephanie Plum comes across as much more realistic to me.

JerseyGirl1962 · Aug 9, 2005

As a woman, I don't care if it's first person male or female, as long as the character and story are interesting.

I have to admit I bought To the Nines on a whim; the bright orange color sucked me in for some reason. That was the first Stephanie Plum novel I read and enjoyed it immensely. Being a Jersey gal, and having a husband who works in Trenton, I laughed my butt off. Hooked, I bought the first one, but couldn't seem to find the 2nd one in paperback. Bah.

I'll probably pick the 2nd and 3rd at Amazon after I've read a few other books on my list.

~Nancy

Niesta · Aug 9, 2005

How about authors writing in a gender different from their own? That's what I thought this thread was going to be about before I read it. Can men effectively protray the female psyche and vice versa?

One of my favourite mystery series, Lindsey Davis's Roman mysteries, features a male 1st person protagonist (Marcus Didius Falco). I enjoy those a lot, and I don't know that I would be able to say "This was written by a woman" if I didn't already know that to be the case.

James Joyce, on the other hand, gets lots of praise for Molly Bloom's monologue at the end of Ulysses -- as he should, it's wonderful. But insight into the female psyche? If female=earth mother sexuality, sure, but I think most of us are more than that.

sassandgroove · Aug 9, 2005

Can I point out that objects have a gender, (Boats are female) and that people have a sex. Ok, I'll get off the soap box.

I've often wondered too how an author can write from another sexes pov, all my main characters are female. When I have a male, I find what I end up thinking about is how he sees the female, i.e., how i'd like to be seen, which in the end has little to do with the male. Yet it can be done, I've read them, I ust can bring to mind at the moment an example.

icerose · Aug 9, 2005

All of the books I have written have had leading female characters because I write what I am familiar with. I have a few story ideas where the main characters are male, I'll let you know how they turn out when I write them, but I find I have a tendency to write from the female side.

As for reading, I don't care either way. If the story is written well and intrigues me, makes no difference.

James D. Macdonald · Aug 9, 2005

We read (among many other reasons) to experience the Other. There are greater differences between me and some males than there are between me and some females. It's all part of being human.

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