•”There are three things men can do with women: love them, suffer for them, or turn them into literature.” — Stephen Stills

TODAY WE CONTINUE WITH WOMEN AND WOMENLY SUBJECTS–oh my.

“You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy.” — Erica Jong

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These character pictures let you see the newest additions to Outlander as well as some of the Regulars (Claire, Jamie and Frank) in their Season 2 attire:

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/outlander-season-2-new-portraits-7430628

and Diana on Kilts, Sex and Fans

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/outlander-creator-diana-gabaldon-kilts-4083075

“I’ve been on so many blind dates, I should get a free dog.” — Wendy Liebman

I thought I’d look at women in Fiction today…I found an article in The Guardian ( http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/25/top-10-uncompromising-women-fiction) which presents a group of 10 uncompromising women: “From Hermione Granger to Scarlett O’Hara to Dolores Claiborne, the strongest protagonists are a law unto themselves” An interesting group from a young wizard to a femme fatal to a really freaky lady it is a collection that I would not put together but then that’s why I’m not getting paid for my efforts. Check out the site above for the full list and the reason for the picks.

Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley (a woman writing fiction–who knew) has been called the first science fiction novel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_speculative_fiction

CNN ALSO has a list on Woman–these they describe as fierce women http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/showbiz/favorite-fictional-heroines/ and their first example is Jo March–in Little Women—I remember reading Little Women when I was in my early teens (or younger) and loved the book with its great all woman cast (well there were some men, namely the neighbor Lawrence boy who was Jo’s partner in crime but who ends up with someone else).

Jo was the perfect Tom boy and defender and protector of her mother and sisters while her dad serves in the Civil War, she was fierce in a woman’s way—-OK you feminists I’m not putting down women….but so many of us have small spheres in which we shine and not the whole earth….Jo shone and made us realize that we could do the same and be important even if it wasn’t world renowned.

Oh by the way the second woman on their list said this: “Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery.” Yep Hermione Granger again on CNN’s list.

“When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country.” — Elayne Boosler

When Huffington (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samantha-hahn/9-of-literatures-most-bel_b_3824373.html#gallery/314589/8) did their list on most loved characters I didn’t find any body from Harry Potter, but I did find Mina Harker (from Dracula) and Nora Charles (from the Thin Man) and of course Polly Golightly (from Breakfast At Tiffany’s)–the slightly (maybe more) ditzy heroine who ends up alone in the book but with relationship with man and cat back to what ever is normal for her at the end of the movie.

Now I must admit that Holly annoyed me—I’m too level headed (well half of me at least) to understand or long abide her character and thus she must be wonderful for isn’t that what fiction is for–to stretch the mind and broaden the horizon. I don’t like her, maybe because I know I can never be that free or irresponsible. Women especially have had responsibility nailed to their foreheads–kind of like that old Scarlett A in Pilgrim New England–men are allowed to sow their wild oats, women are expected to be more practical and even with our enlightened times there is, I believe, still a standard for woman to be less like Holly and more like Mother Theresa: more responsible and the fact that Holly refuses (or is not able) to buckle down to this responsibility should be a (greater or lesser) guide for the rest of us.

Time Magazine tells us: “…new data suggests that women in heterosexual partnerships may be just as burdened with household chores as ever — despite the strides we’ve made to improve our lot around the office.” http://business.time.com/2012/06/28/more-women-are-in-the-workforce-so-why-are-we-still-doing-so-many-chores/ and that was 2012….and Variety pointed out last year, on-screen women are “the girlfriend, the mother or the wife. Their value is determined in relation to the people they bed, marry or birth.” http://time.com/money/4181386/oscar-nominations-womens-roles/ So it doesn’t look, at least I don’t think so, that we’ve change much over many years.

“Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.” — Maryon Pearson

Fortune Magazine (http://fortune.com/2013/11/21/25-most-powerful-female-tv-characters/) List Dora (the Explorer) as #25 in their list of powerful female characters. It seems a bit sad to me that: “Dora’s spunky (nonsexualized) image is ubiquitous, and she’s been hailed as one of woefully few positive female role models for young girls.”

I must confess that I have never seen Dora except on that commercial about the explorers coming to the North Pole finding Dora and her monkey there already. But I find it very interesting that even in our children’s programs we have so little in the way of encouragement for our young women to become more than the status quo.

Circle of Moms: “Sylvia H. recommends The Strictest School in the World by Howard Whitehouse. “The heroine is a girl who likes to build flying machines,” she says. She says it is a good read for moms to recommend to daughters looking for female inspiration in navigating life’s common rites of passage for teens.” http://www.popsugar.com/moms/Books-Role-Models-Girls-30739033#photo-30739069 They had me with building flying machines.

“In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.” — Margaret Thatcher

THELMA AND LOUISE BROUGHT US Two strong women who die rather than surrender their freedom. In this movie: An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a ’66 Thunderbird.

In her essay “The Daughters of Thelma and Louise”, Jessica Enevold argues that the movie constitutes “an attack on conventional patterns of chauvinist male behavior toward females”. In addition, it “exposes the traditional stereotyping of male-female relationships” while rescripting the typical gender roles of the road movie genre. and in an article commemorating the film’s 20th anniversary in 2011, Raina Lipsitz called it “the last great film about women” and said that it heralded the achievements of women that caused 1992 to become “the year of the woman”. However, she also claimed that women-themed films have since been losing ground. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_%26_Louise

I tend to agree the strong movie women of today are mostly cartoon characters and never approach anything or any one normal or present a goal attainable and the only current strong woman on the above list is Dora that is actually a creature of the current year or even 10 years— and I think she’s more on the girl category.

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” — Gloria Steinhem

Finally my favorite Fictional Woman: Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser is a nurse, and a time-traveler who has lived both in the 20th century and the 18th century. While on a second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband, Frank Randall, Claire accidentally travels two hundred years into the past, where she meets and eventually marries Jamie Fraser. As the primary (and sole first-person) narrator of the Outlander series, Claire is compassionate but medically ruthless, with a quick tongue that tends to get her into trouble. http://outlander.wikia.com/wiki/Claire_Fraser

Claire is a strong character who refuses to be pushed around and unlike a lot of characters in what is defined as “woman’s fiction” doesn’t stand around waiting to be rescued but rather takes care of her self and in fact when her husband is tortured and raped by a sadistic member of King George’s (Black Jack Randall) forces in Scotland she with the help of some of his clansmen and several Scottish cattle rescues him and gets him through the trauma’s aftermath—now that’s a different heroine and she’s been around since the 1990s too but most recently has came to the small screen to the delight of all of us who like being in charge of our own fate.

Oh and almost forgot this conversation with Jamie– her perspective bridegroom:

“Outlander:

Claire Randall: Well doesn’t it bother you that I’m not a virgin?
Jamie Fraser: No. So long it as it does not bother you that I am. I reckon one of us should ken what we’re doing.

“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb … and I also know that I’m not blonde.” — Dolly Parton