Gosh. It's almost like people want women to be interesting, complicated, varied people. /dry
actually I can see it both ways. In some ways, people DO complain every which way. And yes, you do need variety and that will be telling in the end. Ofc not every story will be able to do that (depending on a myriad of things. My FP male narrator for instance is a notorious womaniser - you only get to see women through his eyes. Therefore, being as he starts the story as 'Not the world's most well adjusted male' it will seem as though women are seen in a certain way. It was done for a purpose, but....I have sneakily flipped gender roles with one couple though - he's the nurturer, she's the let's kill everything
And I will get complaints that she didn't need to be bad ass I'm sure. No, perhaps she didn't, but she
is. Because that is who that character is.*) Some stories just don't lend themselves to lots of female characters, same as some don't lend themselves to lots of male characters. But if you let those characters be people....
That said, I'm very tired of patriarchal, hetronormative cultures set in fantasy England.
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That's why I rarely read them any more - there is so very much out there that breaks that mould, why read it if you don't want to?
Other than that? Any cliche can be well done. It's all in the execution. Never say never. (Except for Slave Girls of Gor perhaps...)
* I find it difficult to say I should judge these things only one one book, for this sort of thing, precisely because some characters fit one story, but not another. Now, over a whole body of work, say, then maybe you can get a picture. For instance, some authors have say two books where women don't feature much, but five where they are prominent and well portrayed. Others will be problematic in every book, and there I get antsy. Judging on one book is ..premature.
