Totally belated here. Someone, I can't recall who, had mentioned "The Blue Sword" as example of a non-white protagonist. And...eh....
I think the book flips between two codings. Initialy Harry is perceived by the other colonists as having her blood "diluted" through the usual contamination by vague scary native people. She is not like the other people. And my initial quick re-reading was that she was sort of a lost mixed race person returning home. Home coming, who doesn't like that?
Then I did a re-read more closely (because I am a dork). And not so good.
In the first few chapters, in the colonialist society, Harry is clearly white. She is a Nice White Colonialist who likes the desert, isn't at home in constraining white society, blah blah. Then she meets actual natives, including the king of the good natives Corlath, and her life is omg changed forEVAR. Corlath's first view of her is basically she is the opposite of his people who are "small and dark of skin and hair." This, of course he finds hott. Harry also says to Corlath "I am not even of your Hills. Iw as born and bred far away--at Home. I have been here only a few months. I know nothing of this place." However, because she had a vision she must become the most perfect native EVER. And then she does. She not only becomes a king's rider in 6 weeks, she wins the super duper tournament *and* becomes the first lady-hero in forever. Interestingly, once Corlath decides he needs to make her go native, Harry starts referring to people by skin tone more. For instance, she has to learn how to mount her horse unassisted, and she laments the loss of the "brown man" who helps her mount her horse (she really does call him the "brown man", I'm not making that up).
As someone who has read far too many romance novels, I would link "Blue Sword" to the tradition of nubile white women being kidnapped by scary native men. The white woman kidnapped by the sheik (who is either half white, or educated in Europe and thus almost half white *eyeroll*). The sheik is of course over come by her exotic pure whiteness and must have her. The women in his harem (he always has one) are mean to the poor white lady because they realize they are totally ugly compared to her whiteness. Then, through the power of her whiteness, she teaches him life lessons about not being autocratic and then they fall in love and get married. Oh and suddenly sexism is abolished.
There are also the books where a Native American kidnaps the pure, exotic white woman to take her off to his tipi of oppression. The native women are totally mean to poor white lady, except for one who is super helpful. The helpful one either dies tragically, or gets to marry a relative of nice white lady. Somehow the native guy who kidnapped her turns out to either be half-white, or all white (apparently Native Americans kept on adopting the accidentally abandoned children of rich white people, being sure to keep track of a locket or ring that would prove the kid's whiteness and allow him access to his inheritence).
I think this FAQ entry from McKinley (http://www.robinmckinley.com/FAQ/FAQ03.html) makes it pretty clear that "Blue Sword" is in that genre of romance novels with the beige leader of brown people kidnapping the perfect white lady who fixes everything.
"I find Sword pretty embarrassing because my eleven-year-old self's fantasy of the perfect life is so nakedly exposed in it. (Corlath, by the way, looks a lot like Sean Connery from about twenty years ago, only with hair."
The leader of the short brown desert natives is...Scottish?! Awesomeness.
Sadly, this makes "Blue Sword" another book I need to turn off parts of my brain to enjoy re-reading. It meant alot to me when I first read it as a teen.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Tue, Aug. 14th, 2007 04:57 am (UTC)I think the book flips between two codings. Initialy Harry is perceived by the other colonists as having her blood "diluted" through the usual contamination by vague scary native people. She is not like the other people. And my initial quick re-reading was that she was sort of a lost mixed race person returning home. Home coming, who doesn't like that?
Then I did a re-read more closely (because I am a dork). And not so good.
In the first few chapters, in the colonialist society, Harry is clearly white. She is a Nice White Colonialist who likes the desert, isn't at home in constraining white society, blah blah. Then she meets actual natives, including the king of the good natives Corlath, and her life is omg changed forEVAR. Corlath's first view of her is basically she is the opposite of his people who are "small and dark of skin and hair." This, of course he finds hott. Harry also says to Corlath "I am not even of your Hills. Iw as born and bred far away--at Home. I have been here only a few months. I know nothing of this place." However, because she had a vision she must become the most perfect native EVER. And then she does. She not only becomes a king's rider in 6 weeks, she wins the super duper tournament *and* becomes the first lady-hero in forever. Interestingly, once Corlath decides he needs to make her go native, Harry starts referring to people by skin tone more. For instance, she has to learn how to mount her horse unassisted, and she laments the loss of the "brown man" who helps her mount her horse (she really does call him the "brown man", I'm not making that up).
As someone who has read far too many romance novels, I would link "Blue Sword" to the tradition of nubile white women being kidnapped by scary native men. The white woman kidnapped by the sheik (who is either half white, or educated in Europe and thus almost half white *eyeroll*). The sheik is of course over come by her exotic pure whiteness and must have her. The women in his harem (he always has one) are mean to the poor white lady because they realize they are totally ugly compared to her whiteness. Then, through the power of her whiteness, she teaches him life lessons about not being autocratic and then they fall in love and get married. Oh and suddenly sexism is abolished.
There are also the books where a Native American kidnaps the pure, exotic white woman to take her off to his tipi of oppression. The native women are totally mean to poor white lady, except for one who is super helpful. The helpful one either dies tragically, or gets to marry a relative of nice white lady. Somehow the native guy who kidnapped her turns out to either be half-white, or all white (apparently Native Americans kept on adopting the accidentally abandoned children of rich white people, being sure to keep track of a locket or ring that would prove the kid's whiteness and allow him access to his inheritence).
I think this FAQ entry from McKinley (http://www.robinmckinley.com/FAQ/FAQ03.html) makes it pretty clear that "Blue Sword" is in that genre of romance novels with the beige leader of brown people kidnapping the perfect white lady who fixes everything.
"I find Sword pretty embarrassing because my eleven-year-old self's fantasy of the perfect life is so nakedly exposed in it. (Corlath, by the way, looks a lot like Sean Connery from about twenty years ago, only with hair."
The leader of the short brown desert natives is...Scottish?! Awesomeness.
Sadly, this makes "Blue Sword" another book I need to turn off parts of my brain to enjoy re-reading. It meant alot to me when I first read it as a teen.
Hi super late comment, hi!