Discussion prompt

[amaresu]

Provided by el_staplador

Class differences in femslash. Some of my favourite rarefandom pairings, particularly in Shakespeare and opera, feature a lady and her maid. Or think about Gwen/Morgana in Merlin, or Jenny/Madame Vastra in Doctor Who. What are others' experiences with writing or reading class inequalities?




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Comments

[sqbr]

One of my favourite narrative kinks, especially in romantic relationships, is (how to explain this...) a complicated give and take between opposing and changing power differentials. I avoid stories which fetishise power gaps, since that's the opposite of what I'm after, but just because one character is of a lower class than the other doesn't necessarily mean that the power balance between them all goes one way.

I'm likely to find a straightforward boss/employee relationship squicky and off putting unless they're female boss/male employee. But Fingersmith by Sarah Waters is a perfect example of shifting and changing f/f mistress/maid power relationship I really enjoyed.

Two f/f pairings with class differences I've written.
Leliana/Bethany from Dragon Age: Leliana is lower class, but grew up the cosseted favourite of her mother's rich employer. Bethany is noble, but grew up poor. (She's also a mage, which means she had magical power but is oppressed for it)
Anne de Bourgh/Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice: Anne is richer and more noble, but also very sickly and controlled by her mother. She is financially independent, but in some ways Mary is more free.