I was talking to Sharon Shinn in email (whose books you should all be reading, especially if you like romance in your SF and F) a bit about writing older heroines. I'm trying to think of SF/F books with older women, say in their 40s or 50s, or old enough to have adult children, as the main character. I've done it once, in Wheel of the Infinite which has Maskelle (see icon) as an older woman main character. And Ravenna is an important presence in The Element of Fire even though she's not the main character. But my other female main characters have all been in their early twenties.
Part of this for me seems to be the idea that adventures tend to happen early in people's lives, if they're going to happen at all. Writing Maskelle as an older woman was a very conscious choice, that was sparked by watching a Jane Wyman movie made in the 50s. (In the movie, Wyman's husband dies, and her college-age children basically expect Wyman's life to stop, and do not react well when instead she falls in love with their young gardener, played by Rock Hudson.)
But I thought it would be interesting to ask people to comment and name their favorite characters in SF/F who are older women. I'm looking for female (human or alien) characters in their 40s or 50s, or old enough to have adult children or grandchildren.
I also like Moon's _Remnant Population_. Company kicks colony off the planet, grandmother says no thank you, then she saves the world. But the "saving the world" part is much less interesting than the part where she figures out how to say "I'm a crone and I don't *care* what you think."
edit for punctuation fail.
Edited at 2010-06-14 02:22 pm (UTC)
The book I'm writing now features a 42-year-old mom (exactly for the reason you said, because why should the kids get to have the adventures?), but I can't say when or if it will ever see print...
As for fictional older females, there's former-Senior-Weyrwoman Leri in Anne McCaffrey's Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. I don't remember her exact age (possibly because it wasn't mentioned?), but I have the impression that she was old enough to have adult children, though it has been a while since I read the book. And while hers was mostly a supporting role, she did play an important part in the conclusion to that story.
Oh, and I LOVE Kit Ping Yung in McCaffrey's Dragonsdawn, who has a grandchild who shows up in the same book, so she's definitely old enough. And she only, you know, engineered the dragons that drive most of the storylines of the rest of the Pern books.
There are older women in Terry Pratchett's stories, too. Witches and the like. ;) Now I really want to remember more...
Thanks for Maskelle, by the way. I'm not in danger of nearing her age yet, but I still like it when people who don't fit the standard mold have legitimately entertaining adventures. I usually identify with characters more the less standard they are, so she was refreshing. :D
And thanks :)
FWIW, I think that, while readers are more likely to accept an older man as a protag than they are a woman, there's still a huge bias against older heroes regardless of gender. (He said resentfully, having just finished a novel featuring a fat old semi-retired man as the main character.)
Ah, the commenting before reading other comments. There are many middle aged female protaganists in Eliazabeth Moon's Heris Serrano books, they just aren't the main character.
Edited at 2010-06-14 04:48 pm (UTC)
I'm trying to remember the name of the Patricia Wrede book that starts with a woman coming out of retirement for one more adventure. Caught in Crystal maybe?
I have notes from a Wiscon panel on the subject somewhere.
There's also Jane Yolen's folklore collection called Gray Heroes: Elder Tales from Around the World, although that's not restricted to women.
I'm pretty sure Sheri S. Tepper has had some middle-aged female heroines as well, though I can't offhand remember which books had whom. And I seem to vaguely recall some of MZB's Darkover books did also, though often alternating POV with one or more younger characters.
And she's not the primary protagonist, but one of the pivotal viewpoint characters, Ronica Vestrit in Robin Hobb's Mad Ship Trilogy.
Also, the protagonist of Tea with the Black Dragon, a quirky musician who goes on a mission to rescue her daughter. And has tea with a dragon, too.
Marjorie Westriding in Grass, who as I remember it is the only human to have any sense and who realizes that hey, maybe alien creatures aren't just horsies for human colonists to ride.
And Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, of course! There's got to be more, though...*ponders*
Nalo Hopkinson has at least one in the Salt Roads, which is a multiple p-o-v book. And the protagonist of the New Moon's Arms is menopausal, but that one's still on my to-read shelf.
I cannot at the moment remember the age of Isabel -- protagonist of Louise Marley's Child Goddess -- but I believe she was old enough to qualify. Another story that does wonderful things with our perception of age and aging.
Ista from Paladin of Souls has already been mentioned. Jenny Cruisie has had a few older women in her romances, but you specified sf/f.... Only other I can think of offhand is Jenny Casey from Elizabeth Bear's Hammered trilogy.
*goes off to think some more*