Beyond the Herbwife, part I

[bunnyjadwiga]

Some notes from my presentation at Darkover, "Beyond the Herb-wife: Feminism and the Fantasy Herbalist."

I started out with a disclaimer:
"I've been an herbalist, studying herbs and their history for over 25 years. I'm also a feminist and a pagan. But more than that, I'm a librarian. And if you know librarians, you know that they like fantasy, they like fiction, and they like non-fiction-- but they like the fiction and the non-fiction on separate shelves."

"We're going to be talking about the stereotype of the herbalist/healer/midwife in fantasy, and in history, and in feminist historiography. In the course of that, we're going to be taking on some foundational mythologies of fantasy, of women's studies, and of herbalism. I'm hoping I won't offend anyone, but please feel free to say something, make a comment or a question, if you want. If anyone is so offended they feel they have to leave, that's fine; I'll understand."

I then read out the definitions of herbwoman and herbs from Diana Wynne Jones' Tough Guide to Fantasyland to show the stereotype.

Comments

[madrun.livejournal.com]

I soooo wish I could have been at your presentation... it sounds fascinating so far!