Blog: Most Powerful Women in Fiction
March is Women’s History Month and the hot blog topic of the month is “Most Powerful Female Characters in Literature.” Oh, I like this one!Power can be defined in many different ways—emotional strength, resilience, influence, social status, and kicking-butt-and-taking-names physical strength. In looking over the list that started it all, I can see all those traits reflected there.
In addition to Jane Eyre and Hermione Granger, my top ten list would include: 3. Eilonwy from Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain series—-constantly dismissed as a “silly girl” by Taran and even Fflewdur, Eioilowy survives indentured servitude to an evil witch, imprisonment, and a great many hardships to become one of the most powerful sorceresses in all of Prydain, only to give it all up for love.
4 & 5. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series-—Granny and Nanny approach their power in very different ways—one with a somewhat frigid and upright demeanor and the other with a drunken, bawdy devil-may-care attitude—-but, nonetheless, both manage to be unmovable objects in their sphere of influence, bending others to their will whether through direct confrontation or emotional blackmail.
6. Sophie Hatter in Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle survives a dreary life of drudgery as a hatter, being turned into an old woman, life as a servant with the tempestuous and temperamental wizard Howl (and brings him, his unruly apprentice Michael, and the intractable fire demon/fallen star Calicifer all under her sway), and a fierce battle with a powerful (and evil) witch (whom she defeats).
7. Sophia Mendes from Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow survives war, childhood abuse and prostitution, slavery, and a deep space mission that ends in tragedy (and her abandonment, alone, on a planet light years from Earth [which means should anyone come to rescue her, she’ll be dead before they get there]).
8. Nancy Drew who, yes, it must be admitted, generally got herself caught and tied up and had to be rescued by Bess, George, Ned and her father on a regular basis, but she never took no for an answer, was smart, tenacious, big-hearted, and always managed to defeat the bad guys in a sweater set and stylish pumps.
9. Rebecca from Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe—-while Rowena has dissolved into a helpless puddle of goo, Rebecca is upstairs, threatening to throw herself out a window if Brian De Bois-Gilbert takes just one step closer. Despite lifelong persecution for her faith and a hopeless, one-sided love for Ivanhoe, Rebecca never waivers in her goodness, her kindness, her faith, or her strength. She tends the wounds of those who would spit on her in the street, risks her life to give Ivanhoe a blow-by-blow account of a battle raging outside, and suffers the most grievous of insults without so much as batting an eye.
10. Moll Flanders (William DaFoe’s version, NOT Robin Wright’s version)—-love her or hate her, Moll was in charge of her own destiny, riding the highs and lows of life without whining or flinching.
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