From: blum@medici.ils.nwu.edu (Dan Blum)
Subject: Re: Niven and Female Aliens
Reply-To: blum@ils.nwu.edu
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 06:34:36 GMT

Eric Goldstein (eric@ils.nwu.edu) wrote:
> Speaking of Niven, Sara Beck wrote:

> > But if EVERY
> >alien species this writer can find in his imagination has either
> >profoundly defective females, great threats in child-bearing, or
> >both, phrases like "deep-seated authorial neurosis" begin to come to
> >mind.

> And Markus Stumptner reponded:

> >>Now, personally, I'm not convinced the trend she refers to in Niven's
> >>work exists, but arguing that a book is not an outrageously obvious
> >>example does not prove that it is no example at all.  Go dig up races
> >>in Niven's work that dispute the trend.  I seem to remember that the
> >>puppeteers are a counterexample.

> This sounds like a fun game!  Ignoring the question of whether Niven has a
> deep-seated authorial neurosis, how many of Niven's alien species do NOT 
> have non-sentient females?    

> Dani Zweig, for example,  pointed out that the Moties are
> Hermaphroditic.   

> How about the Grogs?  Weren't the females the only intelligent ones?  (I think
> this was even cited as evidence of a coverup in the farcical Down In Flames....)

> How about the Martians?  Did Niven ever mention any sexual characteristics?

> How about the Kladato(sp) -- the race that "cleverly" used the water hole 
>     frequency to discover the Kzinti.  Any reference to unintelligent females? 

> How about the Bandersnatch?  Or the Outsiders?  Any sexual reproduction at all? 

> What about the Protectors?  There were intelligent female protectors, but do
> protectors count as a seperate species?  Presumably they do, as the breeders 
> from the Protector's home world couldn't breed with humans. 

> For that matter, I suppose all of the hominids on the Ringworld are
> examples of species which have intelligent females.  (In addition, here we
> have females who can take on the same roles as the males -- witness the
> female Nighthunter guard in the floating city in The Ringworld Engineers.
> Oh, and how about the female chief of the small red carnivourous species
> we meet at the beginning of the same book?  In fact, I think The Ringworld
> Engineers may have featured females in the majority of the powerful or
> authoritative roles...but I really didn't want to get into politics!)

> Seriously, please don't consider this to be a flame on Sara Beck. 
> I'm not even arguing that Niven isn't a misogynist.

> Politics aside, can anyone else think of any other Niven species which do
> not have non-sentient females?

>     -- Eric            (eric@ils.nwu.edu)

And let's not forget the chirpsithtra (from the Draco's Tavern
stories)!  The males are apparently the property of the females, who
also own most of the galaxy :).

--
_____________________________________________________________________
Dan Blum           Institute for the Learning Sciences   Room 327
blum@ils.nwu.edu   1890 Maple Ave., Evanston, IL 60201   708-467-2306

"It's nothing, honey - the dog's learning how to juggle."
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