Fanfic Inara - anti-feminist?

POSTED BY: AgentRouka
UPDATED: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 12:10
VIEWED: 13612
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AGENTROUKA

Friday, January 2, 2009 9:40 PM

The title of this is a bit exaggerated, of course. But the subject generally interests me.

In a great number of fanfics dealing with Inara and Mal, the following things happen:

- The Guild is Evil
- Inara really doesn't like her job
- Inara has never really had good sex
- Sex with Mal is a REVELATION
- Inara cries over something Mal does and he doesn't find out
- a crew member tells Inara to get over Her Problem, while no one does the same to Mal
- Inara is terribly sorry for "running away"
- Inara abandons her profession or is unfairly kicked out
- Inara equates the Guild with the Alliance
- Inara has a romantic rival for Mal because she "pushed him away"
- Inara doesn't really like her fancy clothes or affluent life, and dresses in "Mal-appropriate" clothing
- Inara becomes the ship's cook or teacher
- Inara has no family
- Mal outwits Inara and leaves her speechless
- Mal orders Inara around and she "swallows her pride"
- Mal's insults are treated as out of his control, comparable to Simon's faux-pas

And so on.

I get the creepy crawlies with almost all of these, and it all boils down to Inara having to make all the changes and adjustments to make a relationship with Mal possible, or otherwise face the censure of the crew for "being a coward".

Why do so few people avoid these one-sided adjustments and try to change Mal a little?

My theory is that many of the female writers feel that they would "treat Mal much better" in Inara's place and thus correct Inara's missteps without regard to pesky things like equality or charactisation. But that's only on my very judgmental days.

Does anyone else notice this? How do you feel about it? Bothered? Indifferent? Overjoyed? Ready to explain/defend/re-interpret?

STINKINGROSE

Friday, January 2, 2009 10:18 PM

You know, I think I've managed to completely miss all these scenarios in the fanfic I've read...

My take on Inara's response at the end of the BDM is that she's in a bit of shock and needs to process it all. She's not sure is all we get, with an interpretation on the line which leads us to think it's likely she may actually stay on Serenity. It is also, however, left very open ended and indefinite (so typically Joss). Why give us closure when we can be given possibilities.

She is a strong female character, living her own life on her own terms, and though the choices she makes might not be the ones we would make personally, she has made them for her own reasons. I do not see her becoming "the little woman" or settling into domestic bliss. If she wore "Mal Appropriate" clothes they would be made of luxurious fabric and exquisitely accessorized.

I could see the teacher angle, (she's a teacher at the training house remember) because there is a nurturing quality to her, which needs to be present in a Companion.
(Please don't jump on me: you have to be compassionate and care about humanity at least a little bit if you're going to be a therapist.. which is part of what she does. Go back to Jaynestown for corroboration on this one.)

So far as Mal "outwitting" her, well.. from what we've seen so far he's outclassed in the brains and plotting departments. Who knows.

It's fanfic. Fans write what they want to read.

Enjoy it, and take it all with a grain of salt. If you find that someone consistently brings forth ideas which irritate you, skip their works. Very few, if any, of us are professional or otherwise trained writers. Enthusiastic amateurs are what keeps the signal moving.

Besides, some of what' floating around out there is actually pretty gorram good.

(PS: If you want to see my take on Inara, you can. I'm in the "no way in Hell she'd give it all up" camp. Personally I think she'd decide she could do more good from within the system. She has many connections, and you work with your strengths.)

CHARLIEBZ

Friday, January 2, 2009 10:27 PM

I am really surprised at the treatment of Inara in many fics. I read about this person who bears the name "Inara" but she is completely different from the character we met in the show. And then I stop reading.

I, too, am tired of the Evil Guild scenario - that doesn't feel Firefly to me at all. Certainly not how it was described in the companion books. And Inara isn't evil or stupid. She wouldn't belong to an organization that is. I will accept that the Guild probably has some power hungry people within it but the organization as a whole being evil? No. The same goes for the Alliance.

Inara is a strong woman and she should have reservations about remaining on Serenity and living life with people who lead dangerous lives. Leaving Serenity was smart and she shouldn't feel guilty for doing so.

As for pushing Mal away, he pushes her away, too. That's what makes them interesting. People in love who don't really want to be in love. How did Joss put it? "Thwarted love. The bestest kind."

BYTEMITE

Saturday, January 3, 2009 12:23 AM

Yep, I've noticed a lot of these. >_> And yeah, some of them I can see the anti-feminism. Though I can believe the Alliance and Guild are corrupt (if not evil) because big organizations tend to be.

But the running away point brings up something that I've wanted to discuss for a while now.

I don't think Inara actually ran away.

Rather, I think her decision in Heart of Gold was based on Mal's indiscretion with Nandi, and in her grief-stricken state (Nandi dead, Mal cheating on her in a way), she interprets the start of Mal's speech about "ifs and maybes" as the beginnings of a rejection.

Later, in a calmer mood, she must have realized that Mal was attempting the exact opposite. I get the distinct impression that she goes through with leaving in an attempt to get Mal to confess to feeling something for her again, in addition to whatever other reasons there are. Examples: 1) Objects in Space, "I'm a big girl, just tell me" and 2) Those Left Behind comic, "(Tag) You're it, Captain."

Mal obviously never does, so she shrugs and goes her own way until the rescue from the Operative in the movie.

It's out of character, doesn't make sense for Inara to be running away because she's afraid of someone else's feelings, less that she's afraid of her own. That's a common perception that does bother me. If she was so afraid of hearing Mal confess his feelings, why would she interrupt him, then in the next episode, the comics, and the movie, be trying to hear it again?

PLATONIST

Saturday, January 3, 2009 1:03 AM

Disenfranchised Guild member or not, I like Inara portrayed as the strong independent woman that Mal is obviously fascinated with. And you’re right; most writers don’t do this very well. But I also include teacher, parent, cook, mentor, retired Guild Member, smuggler, and or any of these combinations as feminist as any others as long as it is her choice and she is self-actualized in such role.

Feminist (gosh, I dislike labels) or not, Serenity is the place she calls home. It's her choice to stay or go, and it’s Mal that affords her that freedom when others don't. That's her attraction to him and not so hard to understand:) Recently, I’ve come to view Inara’s leaving in HoG as her NOT running away from love or family but her choosing to leave to protect them from the fallout of what her secret may mean to Mal and the crew eventually.

I can't speak for others, but fanfic that explores these issues are my very favorite. Oh and I don’t enjoy either one paired up with a Marysue or Martysue, including any Crewsues.

Joss says they’re perfect for each other and that’s good enough for me because it gives me hope that he has more story to tell like in the form of a sequel, hopefully this year 09!

WYTCHCROFT

Saturday, January 3, 2009 4:24 AM

Interesting list - as a scribbler i don't know how well (or not) i may have avoided these pit-falls, certainly Inara is a hard character to 'catch'...
Even officially - look at the comics, the portrayal of Inara has improved each time.

As for fan-fic in general, sure - but all the heroes get turned into cartoons sometimes and i'd have to say that Jayne suffers worst.

What shocks me is how irrelevant these charaters some times seem in the fast-food fic and go of 'pairing' stuff, you see the same actions, dialogue and narrative replayed endlessly with just a name change from Inara to Scully to Sara to Rogue to Buffy to Romana to whoever - insert fandom of choice -.

AGENTROUKA

Saturday, January 3, 2009 9:13 AM

Wow! There are a LOT of different interpretations as to why Inara left! That surprises me.

My own personal one is: Inara left for exactly the reason she implies - ties. But not because she is afraid of them, she simply chooses herself first, and it's a beautiful choice. She has spent a year on a boat with a guy who has this weird schism in his head between what Inara does and who she supposedly is, as if it isn't her choice again and again and again to be a Companion. There is a world of heartbreak lurking in Mal's problem with her job and I think it's that most of all that keeps her pulling away from his advances and ultimately leaving.

I just really wish the movie had explored this angle instead of creating an artificial focus on Mal asking her to stay.

I don't think Inara would be in a position to consider giving up her work before Mal ever accepts it, accepts loving her in spite of it. That's the point I see them working towards in the series.

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
But I also include teacher, parent, cook, mentor, retired Guild Member, smuggler, and or any of these combinations as feminist as any others as long as it is her choice and she is self-actualized in such role.

I'm not saying that these occupations are unfeminist, but it IS rather an easy way out 99% of the time. Can we admit that Inara might not actually be fullfilled being Serenity's cook? It's realistically quite likely that she wouldn't. Of al of these, criminal mysterminding strikes me as the most likely one she would enjoy, and yet it's rarely chosen. Inara is written as confined to the ship.

And all of this always to avoid dealing with a more complicated female sexuality. Inara must be pure for Mal, so anything is better than honestly dealing with her job. This irks me immensely.

BYTEMITE

Saturday, January 3, 2009 9:42 AM

My impression is that Mal and Inara are a rather unique fictional couple in that they fight a lot more and a lot more viciously than any other pairing I've ever seen. He calls Inara a whore on a regular basis (and yeah, I flinch too). Love hate relationship taken to an extreme. Put them in a room together and it's an explosive train wreck.

That aspect is actually what makes me like their dynamic so much; it gets raw and feels real. There's layers upon layers in what they're saying to each other, how they care but don't want to care as they rip each other apart with insults and the occasional backhanded compliment.

It's just completely fascinating and quite often hilarious, especially because they're both strong enough to bounce back quickly from whatever acid the other throws at them. They're very equal, when it comes down to it, and that's how I like to see them portrayed.

VERASAMUELS

Saturday, January 3, 2009 10:29 AM

At Dragon Con last Aug/Sept, Nathan revealed Inara's big secret. Because it's so huge, I'm not going to write it out loud, but knowing it informs a LOT of how Inara behaves and why she at least maintains the wall between her and Mal.

P.M. me if you absolutely have to know. I'll tryst you not to go squealing it [actually, I haven't come across anyone making it more public yet].

Devout Keeper of Jayne's Lunchbox

PLATONIST

Saturday, January 3, 2009 10:35 AM

I agree that Inara leaves because of the emotional "ties" that have been created with Serenity and its crew, but it's NOT a selfish act entirely; as she tells Mal "It's something I should have done long ago, for the both of us"
She doesn't want to go and that is why Joss was able to play the "tell me you want me to stay” because you except me as "the Companion with a horrible secret" angle in both Those Left Behind and Serenity. Her leaving was painful, it affected Mal greatly, and it only reminded her of what she couldn't have, but in a way she sacrifices her own freedom so Mal can go on his own freedom journey on Serenity, hence we see her as the lonely teacher on a crap ass moon.

I see this more as the essence of her character as a Companion more than anything else. In Shindig, a similar scenario, at the end when she offers to be Ath's personal Companion for Mal's life is her willing to sacrifice her own freedom. She is NOT motivated by protecting her job as she makes a sexual servitude contract with Ath in order to spare Mal's life.

And as much as Inara may rely monetarily on her work and enjoy her role as a Companion, I think "Better Days" illustrated how sexually unfulfilled Inara really is, feminist or not. But, we already knew that because she is in love with Mal:) and one can't disregard Joss's interpretation of his own character.

Post BDM, I can see Inara involved in planning the heists, maybe playing a backup role, but not as a major gun toting Ninja. She doesn't need to be anything more than she is, others fulfill that role. Plus Mal would absolutely die inside if something happened to her during a heist. That’s the part of his life he doesn’t want her to become involved with because it is the part that he is the most ashamed of.

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