Two books, one benchmark: The Bechdel Test

In 1985, Alison Bechdel drew a strip for her comic Dykes to Watch Out For entitled "The Rule."  It would become something of a standard to which movies, television shows, books and graphic novels would be held against.  The rule was simple.  As laid out by a character in DtWOF, she only watched movies that meet three requirements:

1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.

There are folks who will vociferously protest the need for more books and movies to meet these three qualifications -- we are, after all (as many say) a modern society, and isn't it enough for women to have the vote and to work?  Haven't we moved past the casually sexist attitudes of the past?  Can't we just let it go already?

I say to this, no, we can't just let it go already.  Little boys get Tonka trucks and action figures; little girls get Bratz dolls and Barbies.  Young men are exhorted to find their calling, to make a mark on the world, to take charge, to sow their wild oats, to be strong and smart and capable.  Young women are still encouraged, both implicitly and explicitly, to use their "feminine wiles" to get ahead in life, to not be disagreeable, to find a man before it's too late, to put their careers on hold to make and raise a family.  While there is nothing inherently wrong or sinister about following stereotypical gender lines, it is true that when it comes to literature, there are far more male protagonists for men to relate to than there are for women.  Additionally, a good number of female supporting characters in novels with male protagonists are written solely for the purpose of furthering the male lead's story, be it as a romantic interest, foil, or mother figure.


Out of curiosity, I pulled two books off the "to review" shelves and read through them to find out whether they passed or failed.  One is a mystery set in Medieval times; the other is a modern day romance.  This is not intended as a comparison of the two books, as they are far too different for that to be fair to either one.  I intend instead to see how they stack up against the Bechdel Test on their own merits, and not relative to one another.

The romance: Ain't Too Proud to Beg by Susan Donovan

Right off the bat, the plot description on the back cover doesn't fill me with much hope.  The protagonist, Josie, is a woman who "collects failed relationships the way some women collect designer handbags," and though she's ostensibly sworn off relationships, her resolution (as the description puts it, "resignation") to stay single is a complete falsehood, since she makes it after she meets her Mr. Right and promptly falls cranium over coccyx in love.  Still, as a romance novel that's par for the course.  I wasn't ready to write it off just yet, so I began compiling a list of women that Josie talks to through the course of the novel to see what conversations came up.  These are the highlights.

• Mrs Needleman (pages 1-6) offers Josie advice on how to get what she wants out of life.  On the surface, it seems like good, solid advice that covers a wide range of things, but by page 7 it's made clear that the suggestion only relates to how to get the man she wants.
• Roxie, Ginger, and Bea, the women in Josie's dog walking group, make their first appearance on page  19, and on page 20 they very cattily (pun intended) discuss one another's dogs.  That ought to qualify the book for a passing grade, but I didn't stop there -- according to the book's narrator, these women often barely tolerate each other, and strong female friendships are an important aspect of the Bechdel Test.  On page 24 it's revealed that the potshots they've taken about their dogs' behavior is merely a cover for a discussion about men (Roxie's dog is aggressive because Roxie hates men; Bea trains her dog endlessly because she feels she lost her shot at glory; Ginger's dog is insecure because Ginger worries her looks are fading; Josie's dog is too trusting because Josie falls in love too easily.).
• On pages 55-59 the ladies in the dog walking group discuss men (again).
• In chapter 7 things start to look up: Josie, Ginger, and Bea talk about the death of a Greek restaurant owner.  Josie talks to Mrs. Needleman again about her quest to get the man of her dreams.
• In chapter 8, Roxie, Ginger, and Bea discuss Josie's absence briefly before delving back into their topic of choice -- men.  In this instance, it's about Josie and men.
• The chapter 10 conversation between Josie, Roxie, Bea, and Ginger starts out promisingly, but it takes less than a page for it to redirect toward talking about men.
• On pages 225-226 Josie tries to confess to Bea that she's been dating Rick.
• On pages 326-329, the book wraps up at the wedding reception, where Bea, Roxie, and Ginger bet on the date Josie gets pregnant and tease each other about attractive men.

At the end of the book I come away with the sense that Rick's subplot is much more interesting than Josie's (bad), Josie and her friends are much closer than portrayed at the outset (good), and that all women really need to be deliriously happy is a man (bad).  Bechdel Test result: fail.

The mystery: The Sting of Justice by Cora Harrison

The description of The Sting of Justice gave me more hope.  The protagonist is a Brehon detective and judge in early 16th century Ireland named Mara.  In the book, she investigates the mysterious death of a man found on the church steps who had been stung to death by bees.  It's off to a good start on page 5, when Mara is introduced as "Brehon of the Burren and ollamh, professor, of the law school."  Here's a woman with both education and authority, a rarity in Medieval times.  I didn't even need to look past chapter one to find a conversation that met the Bechdel Test requirements.

• On page 7, she tells her housekeeper and surrogate mother Brigid that she's not taking the boys to the priest's funeral.  Brigid gives her opinion on how the boys will occupy themselves, and Mara acknowledges how much she depends on Brigid.
• On pages 41-43 Mara and Sorley's daughter Una discuss the manner of her father's death and arrangements for a wake.
• On pages 52-55 Mara and Brigid talk about Sorley's death and the way it will affect various characters.
• On page 132 Mara informs Una and Dierdre that she's ruling Sorley's death a murder, and they talk about the process of the law.
• In chapter 10 Mara discusses the matter of inheritance with Una, Dierdre, Cuan, and Rory.  Mara and Una do most of the talking.  Later, Dierdre expresses happiness with Mara's position of authority in the kingdom, and Mara questions her about her whereabouts during the priest's funeral.
• In chapter 13 Mara, Nuala, and Toin speculate about potential opportunities for Nuala to attend a school of medicine.
• In chapter 18 Mara speaks with Una, and learns the reasons behind her betrothal and being named Sorley's heir.  

Upon finishing The Sting of Justice, two things left a lasting impression on me.  The first is that although the male characters outnumbered the female characters two to one, the female characters were just as three dimensional and interesting as their male counterparts (very good).  The second was that not once in the entire book did the female characters give any indication that their interests and ambitions started and ended with men (even better).  Bechdel Test result: pass.