First there was a discussion on the mysterious existence of men not tough enough to read female authors.
Then I decided I wanted to be pro-active and assemble the best female writers and the best female characters.
In the following categories of popular culture:
Fiction Prose or Graphic Novels (original)
TV Drama scripts (original)
Film scripts (original)
Stage plays (original)
I am looking for submissions of one, five, ten or fifty characters and authors that in your opinion are:
1. Best lead female character written by a male.
2. Best lead male character written by a female.
Great female characters written by great female authors are found here.
Female characters in popular culture in review are found here.
STAGE PLAYS
The eponymous heroine of Shirley Valentine
by Willy Russell [JH]
CLEA in Black Comedy
by Peter Shaffer [GH]
JOSIE in A Moon for the Misbegotten
by Eugene O'Neill [GH]
JOAN OF ARC in Saint Joan
by George Bernard Shaw [GH]
FICTION PROSE OR GRAPHIC NOVELS
RHETT BUTLER in Gone With The Wind
by Margaret Mitchell [JH]
HEATHCLIFF in Wuthering Heights
by Ellis Bell, I mean, Emily Bronte [SR]
The eponymous hero of Harry Potter series
by JK Rowling, I mean, Joanne Rowling [TW]
DEATH in The High Cost of Living series
by Neil Gaiman [TW]
JIM LINTON, WALLY MEADOWS and DAVID LINTON in The Billabong series
by Mary Grant Bruce [AAM]
LORD PETER DEATH BREDON WIMSEY in the series
by Dorothy L Sayer [AAM]
ANGELA in Seven Types of Ambiguity
by Eliot Perlman [GH]
LARISSA in Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak [GH]
ELIZABETH HUNTER in The Eye of the Storm
by Patrick White [GH]
Honorable mention to Iris Murdoch and Nancy Mitford for their male characters [GH]
TIFFANY ACHING in The Wee Free Men
by Terry Pratchett [ML]
FILM SCRIPTS
ELLEN RIPLEY in Aliens
by James Cameron [SR]
although the role was originally written for a male
SARAH CONNER in Terminator
by James Cameron [SR]
TRACY SAMANTHA LORD in The Philadelphia Story
by Donald Ogden Stewart and Waldo Salt [AAM]
ALICE HYATT in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
by Robert Getchell [GH]
ERICA BENTON in An Unmarried Woman
by Paul Mazursky [GH]
TV DRAMA
BUFFY SUMMERS in Buffy
by Joss Whedon [AH] [the whole world]
ALICIA FLORRICK, KALINDA SHARMA and DIANE LOCKHART in The Good Wife
by Robert King and Michelle King [CM][TW]
JUDITH FITZGERALD and JANE PENHALIGON in Cracker
by Jimmy McGovern [GH]
PHYLLIDA ERSKINE-BROWN and LIZ PROBERT in Rumpole of the Bailey
by John Mortimer [GH]
***
More suggestions by [AMM]
SOPHY in The Grand Sophy
by Georgette Heyer
NORAH LINTON in The Billabong Series
by Mary Grant Bruce
JOSEPHINE MARCH in Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
ROLES by Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis
in Of Human Bondage, All About Eve, Adam's Rib, Woman of the Year and Stage Door
HILDY JOHNSTON in His Girl Friday
by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur from the play The Front Page by Hecht and MacArthur
though the role was for a male in the play
TEMPERENCE BRENNAN and SEELEY BOOTH in Bones
by Kathy Reichs
MEGAN HUNT in Body of Proof
by Christopher Murphey
ORLAND in Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
***
Suggestions by producer and director [GB]
Shakespeare
ROSALIND in As You Like It
JULIET in Romeo and Juliet
QUEEN MARGARET in Richard III
GONERIL in King Lear
PORTIA in Merchant of Venice
KATE in The Taming of the Shrew
Brecht
MOTHER COURAGE in Mother Courage and her Children
GRUSHA in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
SHEN TEH in The Good Person of Szechwan
JOAN in St Joan of the Stockyards
Euripides
HECUBA in Trojan Women
MEDEA in Medea
JOAN in St. Joan
by G.B. Shaw
MAY in Footfalls
by Beckett
MRS JOHNSTONE in Blood Brothers
by Willy Russell
MME RANASKEYA in The Cherry Orchard
by Chekov
KIM in Miss Saigon
by Boublil and Schonberg
MRS LOVETT in Sweeney Todd
by Hugh Wheeler
IAN in Blasted
by Sarah Kane
PONGO in Animal
by Kay Adshead
NOTE: [GB] was directing Animal at the time, and I had opinions
MACK in Boys
by Ella Hickson
ALAIN and MICHEL in God of Carnage
by Yasmina Reza
ANNA in Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN in Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
The greats and more to investigate: Glynn Maxwell, Caryl Churchill, April De Angelis, Polly Stenham, Anya Reiss, Lucy Kirkwood and Laura Wade.
Then I decided I wanted to be pro-active and assemble the best female writers and the best female characters.
In the following categories of popular culture:
Fiction Prose or Graphic Novels (original)
TV Drama scripts (original)
Film scripts (original)
Stage plays (original)
I am looking for submissions of one, five, ten or fifty characters and authors that in your opinion are:
1. Best lead female character written by a male.
2. Best lead male character written by a female.
Great female characters written by great female authors are found here.
Female characters in popular culture in review are found here.
STAGE PLAYS
The eponymous heroine of Shirley Valentine
by Willy Russell [JH]
CLEA in Black Comedy
by Peter Shaffer [GH]
JOSIE in A Moon for the Misbegotten
by Eugene O'Neill [GH]
JOAN OF ARC in Saint Joan
by George Bernard Shaw [GH]
FICTION PROSE OR GRAPHIC NOVELS
RHETT BUTLER in Gone With The Wind
by Margaret Mitchell [JH]
HEATHCLIFF in Wuthering Heights
by Ellis Bell, I mean, Emily Bronte [SR]
The eponymous hero of Harry Potter series
by JK Rowling, I mean, Joanne Rowling [TW]
DEATH in The High Cost of Living series
by Neil Gaiman [TW]
JIM LINTON, WALLY MEADOWS and DAVID LINTON in The Billabong series
by Mary Grant Bruce [AAM]
LORD PETER DEATH BREDON WIMSEY in the series
by Dorothy L Sayer [AAM]
ANGELA in Seven Types of Ambiguity
by Eliot Perlman [GH]
LARISSA in Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak [GH]
ELIZABETH HUNTER in The Eye of the Storm
by Patrick White [GH]
Honorable mention to Iris Murdoch and Nancy Mitford for their male characters [GH]
TIFFANY ACHING in The Wee Free Men
by Terry Pratchett [ML]
FILM SCRIPTS
ELLEN RIPLEY in Aliens
by James Cameron [SR]
although the role was originally written for a male
SARAH CONNER in Terminator
by James Cameron [SR]
TRACY SAMANTHA LORD in The Philadelphia Story
by Donald Ogden Stewart and Waldo Salt [AAM]
ALICE HYATT in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
by Robert Getchell [GH]
ERICA BENTON in An Unmarried Woman
by Paul Mazursky [GH]
TV DRAMA
BUFFY SUMMERS in Buffy
by Joss Whedon [AH] [the whole world]
ALICIA FLORRICK, KALINDA SHARMA and DIANE LOCKHART in The Good Wife
by Robert King and Michelle King [CM][TW]
JUDITH FITZGERALD and JANE PENHALIGON in Cracker
by Jimmy McGovern [GH]
PHYLLIDA ERSKINE-BROWN and LIZ PROBERT in Rumpole of the Bailey
by John Mortimer [GH]
***
More suggestions by [AMM]
SOPHY in The Grand Sophy
by Georgette Heyer
NORAH LINTON in The Billabong Series
by Mary Grant Bruce
JOSEPHINE MARCH in Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
ROLES by Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis
in Of Human Bondage, All About Eve, Adam's Rib, Woman of the Year and Stage Door
HILDY JOHNSTON in His Girl Friday
by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur from the play The Front Page by Hecht and MacArthur
though the role was for a male in the play
TEMPERENCE BRENNAN and SEELEY BOOTH in Bones
by Kathy Reichs
MEGAN HUNT in Body of Proof
by Christopher Murphey
ORLAND in Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
***
Suggestions by producer and director [GB]
Shakespeare
ROSALIND in As You Like It
JULIET in Romeo and Juliet
QUEEN MARGARET in Richard III
GONERIL in King Lear
PORTIA in Merchant of Venice
KATE in The Taming of the Shrew
Brecht
MOTHER COURAGE in Mother Courage and her Children
GRUSHA in The Caucasian Chalk Circle
SHEN TEH in The Good Person of Szechwan
JOAN in St Joan of the Stockyards
Euripides
HECUBA in Trojan Women
MEDEA in Medea
JOAN in St. Joan
by G.B. Shaw
MAY in Footfalls
by Beckett
MRS JOHNSTONE in Blood Brothers
by Willy Russell
MME RANASKEYA in The Cherry Orchard
by Chekov
KIM in Miss Saigon
by Boublil and Schonberg
MRS LOVETT in Sweeney Todd
by Hugh Wheeler
IAN in Blasted
by Sarah Kane
PONGO in Animal
by Kay Adshead
NOTE: [GB] was directing Animal at the time, and I had opinions
MACK in Boys
by Ella Hickson
ALAIN and MICHEL in God of Carnage
by Yasmina Reza
ANNA in Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN in Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
The greats and more to investigate: Glynn Maxwell, Caryl Churchill, April De Angelis, Polly Stenham, Anya Reiss, Lucy Kirkwood and Laura Wade.
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