#but idk if u read TBOD and i dont to spoil u very much

[lordeasriel]

Would you say the characterisation of Lyra in the hdm books is sexist? Feels like she is diminished in book 2 and 3 and ends up much more constrained and trapped in the "docile woman" role (which is weird to me bc she is so bold in book 1)

Oh, hello anon, this is a tricky question because I think yes, it is and also no, it isn't and I will elaborate lmao

Yes, I definitely think Lyra's portrayal in TSK and TAS is rooted in sexism, but I don't think Philman did so deliberately. I don't think he woke up one day and decided to downgrade Lyra's character throughout the series. Her character - and that of most if not all women in the series - follows a certain pattern in how they're written and that is certainly rooted in how he was brought up, and sure he is progressive enough for a man who grew up through the 50s and 60s. For today's standards that just won't do, but when reading older authors and older books, it's important to keep this idea in your mind, especially while doing analyses. So this is why I think Lyra's portrayal is rooted in sexism, but it probably wasn't something deliberately done.

I hate that portrayal of hers in the following books and I don't think there are any excuses for that; I see some people say she changed because of trauma, but nonetheless, her docile attitude is never explained in the books, which in itself alone it's bad. It's not even addressed, she just changes overnight. I remember being super excited for TSK and then reading a few chapters and being so, so disappointed. Will was awful, Lyra was downgraded to his stupid sidekick, no Asriel, very little Marisa... It was a bad experience overall lmao

Lyra being docile and lacking assertiveness - which do not match her behavior in book 1 - is the most disappointing thing for me. Growing up, I never had female main characters that I could see (I only read HDM at 18) unless they were a girl having to choose between two dudes, which to me always felt silly. This is a recurring problem in literature, you always find female protagonists being overwhelmed by a male side-character. It's not different in HDM, it's just considerably better written and hidden behind a curtain of "this is based on Paradise Lost." It's YA at its core and like YA, it commits virtually the same sins.

But Lyra's changes in behavior shouldn't have been surprising, because Mrs Coulter also changes, and all the women are written vaguely the same. Philman has a couple of patterns he follows (intentionally or not, it doesn't matter, this is where your cultural and social upbringing takes its place in your writing) and they are somewhat similar between themselves:

1) The Mother: most women in the series either play maternal roles or are actual mothers. They all have a sense of caring, healing and nurturing that is displayed as natural to them, and they often are found caring for their offspring or in a similar role towards unrelated characters. (Such as Hannah for Malcolm, in case you read TBOD, or Mary towards Will and Lyra). Lyra already displays some nurturing skills when she helps Iorek in book 1, but as the series progresses, she becomes less independent and begins to exist solely to serve as Will's motherly guide: changing his bandages, serving his Will, the only exception being her decision to go to the land of the dead. This also happens to Mrs Coulter, as her arc ended with her realising how much she loved Lyra and how this feeling overwhelmed her and changed her. It's disgraceful, but I'm saving this for my Mrs Coulter post because I have too much to say lmao All the Gyptians we meet are women serving men and acting as mothers and the witches whole culture is about reproducing. Womanhood is haunted by motherhood, apparently.

2) The Lover: now this as trope is tricky, but it happens in HDM. Both Lyra and Marisa tame their wildness in front of their "lovers" (I hate calling Will a lover but there u go), becoming malleable and less assertive, Marisa still escaping this trope because she was a vastly better written character than half the women in HDM, but at the end of books 1 and 3, she is very much downplaying herself in favour of Asriel. For Lyra, this happens way before she considers liking Will, and this is why I hate it: I know Philman could have done a better job with this, he didn't have to hide Lyra's savagery and wildness just so she could kiss a piece of shit of a boy. The Witches are examples of women written as lovers too, in fact, like the mother trope, their whole culture is based on this. They are young-looking, beautiful, sensual women (all slender *coughs*) that seek men and become obsessed with them unless they fuck them. THAT is fucking insane; sure, on its own I wouldn't mind as much, but together with everything else, writing the women, who are supposed to be the opposite of what "good women" in Lyra's society should be, as crazy sex driven is just. Something Else. Not to mention the fact they threaten men's lives. I mean this one is pretty bad as it is.

3) The Elderly Woman: now, this one also is tricky because as a trope it is versatile, but I'll try to be quick. If you are not in the range of fuckable (of age and/or body type) you fall into this category. Crazy, I know, but when you look at it it's exactly what happens. The women portrayed as desirable or attractive, they all fall into the lover category, and occasionally the mother category, but some women aren't written as sexually desirable, so they just end up as old ladies who are helpful/unhelpful. Hannah Relf is the biggest example of that, but you have other women here too: Miss Charmichael, Sister Fenella, Sister Benedicta, Will's piano teacher. In fact, if you read La Belle Sauvage, you'll realise that not even the nuns escape the trope: the younger nuns are still sexually desirable, so they fit into the lover category, and they all tend to be motherly towards Lyra.

So there you go: sorry for derailing this, but I think this is a tricky question that I can't just answer with yes or no. It runs much deeper than that in the series; it's not just a Lyra problem, although Lyra's issue is the biggest one in my opinion; it was so disappointing to read I nearly dropped the series altogether. And I plan to write two metas that will touch on this subject, but for now, this should do. Thanks for the ask!

#asks #hdm meta: lyra belacqua #there were a few things i wish i could add #but idk if u read TBOD and i dont to spoil u very much