beccaelizabeth's dreamwidth journal

I'm reading another chapter of the literature and gender book we had a couple of chapters from in intro lit 1. It's about children's literature and so seems relevant for kidlit next year. There was supposed to be reading lists in the mail but nooooo.

Anyways... book is annoying. I mean, it's annoying the same ways talking about gender is annoying, so it's doing its job, but it's still annoying.
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All this reading makes me want to write more women.

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... conclusion: likes both.
... this is not in fact news.

It just crossed my mind another reason why I don't precisely like the character Gwen, especially in a Jack/Gwen kind of context.

From the start, it wasn't Torchwood she was chasing, or aliens, it was Jack Harkness. She followed him into all this. She remembered his name, chased his records, followed him in the hospital - followed his coat! So it's like she's all about Jack, he's her reason.

This irritates on a feminist level.

I mean, yeah, I followed Jack to Torchwood, but that's a teensy different. I'm watching a character. Gwen's having a career. Ought to be a bit of a different set of reasons there.

There's also the thing where she said they could use Torchwood tech to help the police. But she *said* that. She never *did* that. The closest she got was 1-08, where it was directly aimed at Torchwood anyway, and she got some kind of weird comeuppance where she got kind of dead. Because clearly her alternative of practical assistance would just get everyone into trouble and so the universe proves her wrong. And the alien toys have to stay in the box.

... that part continues to bug me. Torchwood existing? Fine. Torchwood not sharing? Not fine.

It's like... Tosh looks at all the data and sees people from beyond the stars and chases after that. She's got her reasons for being with Torchwood and they're not Jack Harkness.

Gwen?

... while Jack/Gwen is a minor background note it's a minor background bugging me, but if it turns up front and center... not so very good.



Sometimes it's not about the guy. Is one reason I like that one episode cop lady that much, she's not remotely about the guy even when Jack tries it on a bit. Gwen... seems very much about the guys, in general.


But then so do other characters, Ianto and Jack included, so what am I complaining about?

... I'm trying to think up conversations between women, and the only ones I'm thinking of are about guys (Tosh&Gwen discuss Owen/Diane, and Gwen&...that 50s girl talk about sex). That would be ungood.



Hmmm... have found another actual reason to like 1-09: Gwen doing police stuff just because!
... except the way that was told it was about Eugene fancying her, so, er, slightly not so helpful...