Diane Meier
asked
Rori I.:
When I read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was surprised that a man created a character like Lisbeth (sexist though that may be). You list Stieg Larrson as one of the writers who influenced your writing. In what way?
Rori I.
I feel like this is a question in two parts, so let me answer the main bit like this:
I have recently realized my main character Liana has remarkably a lot in common with Lisbeth Salander. Now, I conceived Liana when I was 14 - long before I read Larsson's trilogy in my early twenties. That was not a product of an influence but a product of the times we live in.
Liana has a lot in common with her as consequence of Lisbeth helping me accept the type of heroine I needed on the page. I've always written loud women who were the boss, who were the best, who saved themselves, but Liana was the first one I didn't apologize for.
So ultimately, Larsson influenced me through being unapologetic. He could afford it, of course. Like with anything else, the voice of a white man was stronger than any woman's but he wrote and he wrote and he wrote, never putting an end to how far he'll take not just Lisbeth's but the personal story of any woman he created.
He didn't - not for a second - let a reader doubt that even the smallest sign of sexism was inexcusable in his eyes.
Writing the stories of women is much better done by women, because they are WOMEN's stories to tell in the first place; yet in this one case, it was well done by a man as well.
Which leads me to part two of my answer:
I think the trilogy did a tremendous job of demonstrating what sexism looks like; what violence against women looks like, and how wide-spread it is.
Larsson pulled no punches. He didn't say "here's this one woman to exemplify this pain." He said, "Women everywhere suffer from the abusive holds of the patriarchy. These are their stories, from the violence against all of the victims of a serial killer, through the violence against women in their personal relationships, or their homes, or their former partners, or their mentors, through a woman's career filled with sexist messages and a glass sealing and personal attacks with the constant bitchbitchbitchbitch written all over, all the way to the catcalls or the dismissive way they ask you as a trained professional to bring them coffee.
So here it is: an admiration of Stieg Larsson's work. What it gave me was confidence to create my characters as I believe they should be.
If a man can tell a story like this so well, then imagine what a woman could do!
I hope, from my experience of womanhood, I've done just that.
What I did differently though is this: I didn't think my woman character needs to defeat the patriarchy to be who she is. Even with the end of sexism in my world, Liana has a lot to face, but instead of telling women what they know (that it's scary and hard, and it's not fair) I told them there's a possible future, in which they could choose themselves and not apologize for it.
Ever.
I have recently realized my main character Liana has remarkably a lot in common with Lisbeth Salander. Now, I conceived Liana when I was 14 - long before I read Larsson's trilogy in my early twenties. That was not a product of an influence but a product of the times we live in.
Liana has a lot in common with her as consequence of Lisbeth helping me accept the type of heroine I needed on the page. I've always written loud women who were the boss, who were the best, who saved themselves, but Liana was the first one I didn't apologize for.
So ultimately, Larsson influenced me through being unapologetic. He could afford it, of course. Like with anything else, the voice of a white man was stronger than any woman's but he wrote and he wrote and he wrote, never putting an end to how far he'll take not just Lisbeth's but the personal story of any woman he created.
He didn't - not for a second - let a reader doubt that even the smallest sign of sexism was inexcusable in his eyes.
Writing the stories of women is much better done by women, because they are WOMEN's stories to tell in the first place; yet in this one case, it was well done by a man as well.
Which leads me to part two of my answer:
I think the trilogy did a tremendous job of demonstrating what sexism looks like; what violence against women looks like, and how wide-spread it is.
Larsson pulled no punches. He didn't say "here's this one woman to exemplify this pain." He said, "Women everywhere suffer from the abusive holds of the patriarchy. These are their stories, from the violence against all of the victims of a serial killer, through the violence against women in their personal relationships, or their homes, or their former partners, or their mentors, through a woman's career filled with sexist messages and a glass sealing and personal attacks with the constant bitchbitchbitchbitch written all over, all the way to the catcalls or the dismissive way they ask you as a trained professional to bring them coffee.
So here it is: an admiration of Stieg Larsson's work. What it gave me was confidence to create my characters as I believe they should be.
If a man can tell a story like this so well, then imagine what a woman could do!
I hope, from my experience of womanhood, I've done just that.
What I did differently though is this: I didn't think my woman character needs to defeat the patriarchy to be who she is. Even with the end of sexism in my world, Liana has a lot to face, but instead of telling women what they know (that it's scary and hard, and it's not fair) I told them there's a possible future, in which they could choose themselves and not apologize for it.
Ever.
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