Your Opinion Here!

[clarentine]

In this series I'm struggling with, one of the characters (Irie) is female but cross-dresses and manages to get away with the masquerade sufficiently that most of the others see her as male. (About a 14-year-old male, but male nevertheless.)

I've had a reader observe that the pronouns I'm using in dialogue and exposition do not match. Here's the situation: the POV character (Canum) knows Irie's gender. He does not want to give away the secret (which, btw, is not kept secret from the reader). When he speaks of Irie, then, he's either very careful not to use a pronoun or he uses the masculine pronoun. However, when he's thinking about or observing Irie, he uses the feminine pronoun.

How would you handle the pronoun issue and why?

There's probably a "right" answer, but as with so much in writing I'm looking for what will work the best, not what's necessarily "right." Feel free to chase this one out on a limb. *g*

Comments

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Considering the fact he's in love with Irie and sleeping with her, I'd find it very strange if he thought of her as male in his private thoughts. What he says for public consumption would have to be different to keep the secret.

I don't see anything wrong with the way you're doing it. I didn't see anything wrong with it when I read early drafts back in the day. *g*

[clarentine]

That's pretty much what I've always thought, but you know what they say about blind spots! Better to have someone tell me I'm being stupid now. *g*

Perhaps it's not a matter of it being wrong, but just not handled as clearly as possible?

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

It might be clarity. Do a clarity check to make sure the wording isn't muddy, but I wouldn't change what you're doing. :)

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I agree.

[clarentine]

Thanks!

[eseme]

I would agree that what you are doing makes sense.

However, it has to be HARD. I've have friends who are trans. I've known them as male and as female. It takes time, and effort, to make the gender and name change. And that is a change that is long-term and permanent. I sometimes forget and use the wrong gender or name.

I would imagine it would be far, far harder when the individual is not making an actual change of gender, and when you know that the person is not (in this case) male. And when one thinks of that person sexually (and as the opposite gender).

We, as readers, should see Camun struggle with this. Maybe sometimes say the wrong pronoun. It should not be easy, especially at first.

I haven't read the Canum books in so long (and I think the one I read was a later one in the series) that I can't recall how this issue is handled.

[clarentine]

I think that, by the time of the first Canum novel, the relationship and Irie's masquerade is an established situation for the two of them, so I'm not sure that showing Canum struggling with the issue would be appropriate--but you're right, it wouldn't be an easy thing to adapt to. Thanks for the insight!

[eseme]

Oh, he meets her before the novels? Why did I think there was a foundation novel, where he sets off on his journeys and meets her? I am clearly very confused.

And you're welcome! I enjoy reading about your writing process and publication progress, as always.

[clarentine]

There was such a novel - but it's been downgraded to history. *g* It had no plot, no antagonist (until the end), no real momentum. So, I took the part at the end that related to Daschel and changed where the then-second novel began, and voila, we have In The Shape of a Man.

(I forget, sometimes, that other people have read that historical manuscript!)