Favourite Female Protagonist
I love reading books with interesting female protagonists. Anything other than the basic damsel in distress works for me. Strong, funny, awkward, shy, as long as they feel fresh and unique. What I want to know is who are your favourite female protagonists from books or movies.
So…if you’re interested create a post sharing your favourite female protagonist and then add your link to the list. Let’s see how many female protagonists we can list.
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Cassandra Jade in the Realm 
Barb said,
May 20, 2010 at 6:45 am
it’s funny, but in spite of beinga woman, I have written plenty of MALe protagonists with whom I’m thoroughly in love! 😉 My fave female protagonist used to be my own version of a warrior woman, now I have more feminine female protagonist (who might use magic/pen/words instead of a sword)…
Cassandra Jade said,
May 20, 2010 at 7:07 am
I have to admit, I have created very few male protagonists. The new WIP kind of has a male and a female protagonist but I’m not willing yet to let go of a female lead.
Alex Willging said,
May 20, 2010 at 6:47 am
I’m lucky I was already on WordPress at the time to spot this.
I’ve really gotten into this webcomic called “Gunnerkrigg Court,” so naturally I’m quite fond of the main character, Antimony or “Annie.”
Cassandra Jade said,
May 20, 2010 at 7:07 am
I have never heard of that, can you post a link?
AlexJ said,
May 20, 2010 at 11:37 am
Kate Beckinsale’s character in Underworld wasn’t a damsel in distress!
Mason Canyon said,
May 20, 2010 at 11:38 am
I can think of a couple of interesting books I’ve read lately that have strong female leads. One that comes to mind is Elaine Viets’ Helen Hawthorne in Half-Price Homicide and Sadie Hoffmiller from Josi S. Kilpack’s Lemon Tart.
Another great female protagonist I can think of is Myrtle Clover from Elizabeth Spann Craig’s Pretty Is As Pretty Dies.
Mason
Thoughts in Progress
equotah said,
May 20, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I like the young women protagonists of Robin McKinley and Tamara Pierce. For strong female leads, I prefer YA books to chic lit.
jen7waters said,
May 22, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Oh yes, Robin McKinley, she has great female protagonists, my favourite is Lissar from “Deerskin”; still, my absolute favourite heroine in the world and beyond is Sorcha from “Daughter of the Forest” by Juliet Marillier, this author is amazing, all her books have the best female protagonists in romance/historical fantasy and I could list all of them to answer this post.
Sorry this is a reply and not a post like you asked, but I had to share my favourites 😉
Cassandra Jade said,
May 22, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Thanks for the comment and the suggestion. I think I read Daughter of the Forest – it sounds familiar but I don’t really remember it. I may need to have another look.
Lee R said,
May 20, 2010 at 4:00 pm
I loved Edna Pontellier in The Awakening. Perhaps I’ll do a post about her (probably won’t make it today though). 🙂
K.M. Weiland said,
May 20, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Petra Arkanian in Orson Scott Card’s Ender series has always been a standout for me. I’m also rather fond of Radha Mitchell’s character in the movie Pitch Black.
Let’s Hear It For The Girls « TWADDLE OR ANYTHING said,
May 20, 2010 at 4:10 pm
[…] Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce by Katelyn Cassandra Jade is hosting a discussion about favorite female protagonists. I find myself unable to choose between two: Philip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart and Alanna from […]
Jessica Austen said,
May 20, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I am constantly searching for strong female characters and healthy romantic relationships in YA novels. Especially since a certain vampire series seems to be lacking these things and yet infiltrating the minds of women all around the world.
Currently my two favorites books with these qualities are; Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey and Impossible by Nancy Werlin.
http://www.bethfantaskey.com/guide.html
http://www.nancywerlin.com/impossible.htm
Lua said,
May 20, 2010 at 7:11 pm
I love reading books with interesting, strong female protagonists as well! I always thought I would have loved to watch (or read) the woman version of House!
I’m such a fan of Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet and Miranda from John Fowles’s The Collector.
lunaleo said,
May 20, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I know this was already said, but I’d definitely have to go with Alanna from Tamora Pierce’s Lioness Quartet series. I like her because she’s strong and determined, yet still very realistic. My second choice would be Princess Eilonwy from Lloyd Alexander’s Black Cauldron series. I remember watching the disney cartoon version of the Black Cauldron when I was a kid and being horrified at how they butchered her character so she’d be more “traditionally” feminine.
Cassandra Jade said,
May 20, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Some good suggestions here so far – let’s keep them coming.
Cassandra Jade said,
May 20, 2010 at 8:49 pm
So far we have four links added – lets see if we can get some more.
zaelyna said,
May 20, 2010 at 10:21 pm
“Especially since a certain vampire series seems to be lacking these things and yet infiltrating the minds of women all around the world”
;D So true!
Answering this question could be an entire blog series of my own! There’s a thought… anyhoot, it might take awhile for me to remember some of my fav book female leads. I read too many with adorably lovable guys O:) Plenty of film/tv favs. Can we include them?
Cassandra Jade said,
May 21, 2010 at 5:30 am
Any character – book, television, movie, play, whatever.
This One’s for the Ladies: My Favorite Female Protagonist « Serial Distractions said,
May 20, 2010 at 10:39 pm
[…] who is your favorite female protagonist? Feel free to comment here, on Cassandra’s blog, or create a post of your […]
Allez vous-en! Sapristi! « Only Time Will Tell said,
May 21, 2010 at 2:44 pm
[…] If you’d like to share who your favorite female protagonist is, please do. Or if you like, write a post about it and link to Cassandra. […]
Why aren’t there more evil female villains? « Lunaleo's Blog said,
May 21, 2010 at 6:41 pm
[…] other day, Cassandra Jade had a post asking people about their favorite female protagonists. Check it out if you […]
Strength Equals ? « The Empty Pen said,
May 25, 2010 at 3:01 am
[…] her call for favorite female protagonists, Cassandra Jade actually just asks for interesting female leads, while Lunaleo asks about evil […]
thewritingant said,
May 28, 2010 at 2:11 am
If we’re talking favourite female protagonists, I can’t look past Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett. P&P is one of my all-time favourite novels, and Elizabeth is certainly not the ‘norm’ for characters of her general. She is feisty, rebellious, and she never gives in or gives up. I just adore her.
Other female protagonists who aren’t insipid (and who I find appealing) include: Ginny from ‘The Behaviour of Moths’ (a dark, claustrophobic novel with an MC you either love or hate), Jenny from ‘The Anatomy of Wings’ (a strong, clear voice, I really felt for this girl and loved her from the very beginning), and Maggie from ‘Burning Bright,’ (who was tough and streetwise and I loved her).
Cassandra Jade said,
May 28, 2010 at 2:28 am
Elizabeth Bennett does has to be on the list, doesn’t it. You can’t overlook a classic female protagonist like her. Thanks so much for your comment and suggestions.