First, I have to mention the enduring popularity of TOGOM fics, where Lois's angst is explored in great depth.
Second, I think the whole issue could be side-stepped if the story was about Lois being ill and contemplating death, Clark freaking out about his possible responsibility, etc, but with a cure being found at the end. (the trick is to make it look hopeless, let them work through their issues, make some sort of peace, then pull a surprise out of nowhere. Wendy did it in 24 Hours (Lois in danger) and For the Greater Good (Clark in danger) and so have many others.)
I must admit, though -- I'm a traditionalist, in some ways. I believe in some loose gender roles -- one of which is that the stronger person (usually the man, in a couple) has a responsibility to protect the weaker one. Adding in Superman magnifies that. So when the wife/girlfriend dies (or has anything awful happen), the husband/boyfriend has that extra layer of guilt. It was his *job* to keep her safe, and he failed. Reversing the genders just doesn't resonate the same way. Mind you, a talented writer could definitely make it work, and parents have a similar responsibility toward their children.
I also think it remotely possible that most of the FOLCs, being female,
are more interested in a single, grieving male than a single, grieving female. Plus, for me, that second one might hit a little *too* close to home, thinking that something like that is (statistically) likely to happen to me, sooner or later. Did I mention my mom's been widowed twice? And men have a shorter life expectancy, and my husband's 7 years older than me, so...
Anyway, in this particular scenario, it would be difficult to switch genders, since only one of them has been using x-ray vision on the other (well, mostly
).
PJ
