Like obviously she’s scheming, manipulative and looks down on commoners and is actively trying to get rid of stoke siblings (the parts of her character i dislike) but she’s also like a pretty accurate depiction of how ambitious women live in the only world they know.
The books are an interesting way of making people in this story (including her) conscious of the world existing as it is in the frame of patriarchy. People think patriarchy means the domination of men in important positions, which it is, but it’s also the setting of the rules of the world to benefit men, evolving into how entire structures of the world behave to serve that goal. It defines how women behave too, including setting rigid avenues women can use to get ahead in the world, and the positions they can occupy.
Faye is obviously advantageously situated in the world, being born into the highest level of feudal nobility, and meeting all the standards that define women of good breeding: beautiful, well mannered, gentle disposition (she’s good at acting at being those two things) and learned. The only way to move even upwards for her (ambitious by nature) is to climb to the seat of the princess who would be queen.
But reading these books forces her to confront the nature of her world and perhaps reflect on the only positions of power women can occupy (ultimately in the service of other men). The book about mechanical wombs may seem ridiculous in concept, but it forces you to think beyond into an existence where sex, gender and societal roles are not defined by who can give birth. In order to imagine a radically different world build upon equality, you need to circumvent the rigid bounds of patriarchy.
It started with qiao lin asking her if she would want the same things if prince Dana was in a position other than the that of prince. But Irene forces her to examine what she wants, and in the absence of the ability to get it, why she wants those things. If she desires power and agency is being the princess the only way? Why does the world exist to concentrate power in the hands of men. Why are women, even the powerful ones, defined by the need to marry.
I lowkey don’t want Irene and her to be together bc I think breaking, manipulating and orchestrating scenarios to put a person into danger to force them into becoming someone new is not a good way to have a good relationship but nonetheless their dynamic is intriguing.
Like obviously she’s scheming, manipulative and looks down on commoners and is actively trying to get rid of stoke siblings (the parts of her character i dislike) but she’s also like a pretty accurate depiction of how ambitious women live in the only world they know.
The books are an interesting way of making people in this story (including her) conscious of the world existing as it is in the frame of patriarchy. People think patriarchy means the domination of men in important positions, which it is, but it’s also the setting of the rules of the world to benefit men, evolving into how entire structures of the world behave to serve that goal. It defines how women behave too, including setting rigid avenues women can use to get ahead in the world, and the positions they can occupy.
Faye is obviously advantageously situated in the world, being born into the highest level of feudal nobility, and meeting all the standards that define women of good breeding: beautiful, well mannered, gentle disposition (she’s good at acting at being those two things) and learned. The only way to move even upwards for her (ambitious by nature) is to climb to the seat of the princess who would be queen.
But reading these books forces her to confront the nature of her world and perhaps reflect on the only positions of power women can occupy (ultimately in the service of other men). The book about mechanical wombs may seem ridiculous in concept, but it forces you to think beyond into an existence where sex, gender and societal roles are not defined by who can give birth. In order to imagine a radically different world build upon equality, you need to circumvent the rigid bounds of patriarchy.
It started with qiao lin asking her if she would want the same things if prince Dana was in a position other than the that of prince. But Irene forces her to examine what she wants, and in the absence of the ability to get it, why she wants those things. If she desires power and agency is being the princess the only way? Why does the world exist to concentrate power in the hands of men. Why are women, even the powerful ones, defined by the need to marry.
I lowkey don’t want Irene and her to be together bc I think breaking, manipulating and orchestrating scenarios to put a person into danger to force them into becoming someone new is not a good way to have a good relationship but nonetheless their dynamic is intriguing.