Identification...
Sep. 25th, 2008 06:22 pmFollowing on from thoughts provoked by
missingvolume's last post, I was wondering if other people thought that LKH's characters are all losing their identity too much...
I think I prefer it when the characters are gay, or whatever sexuality, but it's not omg stated every 5 minutes... I have an aquaintance who is gay, and is very blantantly gay and makes a big deal of it, and it drives me up the wall. I'd rather read about guys (or girls) who are gay and just /are/, it doesn't define them... In LKH, Micah, Nathanial, JC, Asher, they all are more focused sexually than what they are... If I say 'Jean-Claude', you're more likely to think 'Anita's lover' than 'Master Vampire of St Louis', if I say 'Nathanial', you're likely to think 'Submissive lover of Anita' - rather than if, for the best example I can think of, I say 'Vanyel' from Mercedes Lackey, you think 'the last Herald-Mage' - not 'gay mage'.
I think it's sad when characters are reduced to their sexuality and I wish we could have a book where the characters are just themselves - I liked JC as a master vampire who used sexuality and sensuality, I liked Asher's past and how it affected him, hell, even Richard's angst over his 'normal' life & pack lfe... But now they're Anita's Lovers (tm) - and have that as a label... Which I find really very sad... While the books are sexual, seriously, most people don't think 'Oh, I'm gay!' or 'Oh, I'm straight!' every few seconds - or identify themselves by their sexuality... And, sadly, that seems to be where LKH's books are going. :(
Opinions? (If you can read the rant!)
I think I prefer it when the characters are gay, or whatever sexuality, but it's not omg stated every 5 minutes... I have an aquaintance who is gay, and is very blantantly gay and makes a big deal of it, and it drives me up the wall. I'd rather read about guys (or girls) who are gay and just /are/, it doesn't define them... In LKH, Micah, Nathanial, JC, Asher, they all are more focused sexually than what they are... If I say 'Jean-Claude', you're more likely to think 'Anita's lover' than 'Master Vampire of St Louis', if I say 'Nathanial', you're likely to think 'Submissive lover of Anita' - rather than if, for the best example I can think of, I say 'Vanyel' from Mercedes Lackey, you think 'the last Herald-Mage' - not 'gay mage'.
I think it's sad when characters are reduced to their sexuality and I wish we could have a book where the characters are just themselves - I liked JC as a master vampire who used sexuality and sensuality, I liked Asher's past and how it affected him, hell, even Richard's angst over his 'normal' life & pack lfe... But now they're Anita's Lovers (tm) - and have that as a label... Which I find really very sad... While the books are sexual, seriously, most people don't think 'Oh, I'm gay!' or 'Oh, I'm straight!' every few seconds - or identify themselves by their sexuality... And, sadly, that seems to be where LKH's books are going. :(
Opinions? (If you can read the rant!)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-25 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-25 11:34 pm (UTC)