If there were more Lois deathfics than Clark deathfics on this board I would expect it to be due to the prevalence of female writers and cannot be extended to the general populace.
Interesting, Artemis. And I believe that you are quite correct about that. But equally interestingly, if there was a prevalence of male writers on these boards, I don't think that that would necessarily lead to a greater number of Clark deathfics.
Most of we women are more interested in seeing and writing about a man grieving for us than the other way around.
Yes, that's definitely true, I think. But is the opposite also true? Are men in general particularly interested in reading stories that are told from a woman's point of view, and which describe a woman grieving for a male character? I don't think so, not when it comes to most men. As I said in an earlier post, most stories are about men, because women like to read about (and see) men they can fantasize about and imagine having a relationship with, and most men like to see (but not so often read about) men they can identify with and imagine being themselves. Hence the general shortage of stories about women in popular culture.
But the fact that the general culture looks like that (in order to cater to our fantasies) also means that boys and girls are brought up to value the lives of men and women differently.
Speaking about male writers of fanfic, however, I must point out that we have had some brilliant male writers on these boards, both current writers and writers who are no longer active here. Among these writers are Terry Leatherwood, of course, whose brilliant style of writing is impressive indeed. There is also Bob Bartholomew (wonder if I got your name right this time, Bob?), who is a master at writing about emotions and romance. There is the absolutely inimitable Tank Wilson, truly one of a kind, and among past writers there has been the brilliant Shayne Terry. Sorry if I forgot anyone I should have mentioned.
Interestingly, however, all these four men, Terry, Bob, Tank and Shayne, have often written fics told from Lois's perspective. They have certainly shown the ability to take an interest in a woman's feelings and point of view. And two of the writers, Tank and Shayne, have written Clark deathfics. Shayne, as far as I know, has written no Lois deathfic even if he has definitely written a Clark deathfic.
So some men
are interested in imagining women grieving for a male character, and they are also interested in describing a female character and her emotions. Still, as I said, most men
and women seem to prefer stories about men, making it more likely that men will be the heroes and that the main female character may end up playing the part of a dead body in stories aimed at the general population.
Ann
