[Kaimee]: 5.Random Essays.Robin McKinley

An exercise for My Children's Lit class, the criteria was:
Choose a contemporary author who is well known for older children and read AT LEAST TWO of their works. Examine their style, preoccupations, intended audience, appeal and ideas.

Robin McKinley - The Female Hero

Robin McKinley is a well known American author who writes fantasy, using friendly, normal, self-sufficient female versions of the traditional fairytale heroes, instead of the infallible supermen we have come to expect. She writes children’s, young adult’s, and adult’s books, although the stories themselves are enjoyable for all ages, and no adult should by any means deny themselves the “children’s” stories. Many of her stories are re-worked fairy or folk tales, told in such a way as to give those familiar characters, such as our standard ‘Princess,’ depth and authenticity, not to mention an element of every-day life. The books usually have the shared characteristic of an exceedingly believable female heroine, who does not rush in with sword held high, but often involuntarily ends up there anyway. This is a welcome change from the more shallow characters we grew up with as fairytale heroes, and makes these stories all the more memorable. This is demonstrated in almost all her stories but particularly in Spindles End and The Hero and the Crown. Ms McKinley’s writing style holds all the old elegance and lyricism inherent in fairytales, which balances with the very informal attitude of her characters to create wonderful tales for all ages. 

Robin McKinley grew up as a navy brat, travelling all over the world with her father. During this time, somewhat socially distanced from others her age, she grew to be an avid reader. At the age of 26 she became a professional writer when her novel Beauty was published by the very first publisher she sent it to. She has gone on to write many other stories, both children’s picture books and novels, and is the winner of numerous awards, not the least of which being the prestigious Newbery Award for one of her Damar books, The Hero and the Crown.

In McKinley’s novel Spindles End we are brought an entirely different version of the traditional Sleeping Beauty. Hidden away as a child, our sleeping beauty grows up as any other girl of the common folk and, when she finds out her true story, is disgusted by the notion of herself as a princess and does everything in her power to escape it. Being practical and sensible, she saves the townsfolk from the jealous witch and rescues the prince and his beloved so she can return back home to the simpler life she loves. The characters have depth and histories, their lives are believable and with the usual share of failings and lapses, unlike more traditional storybook heroes and characters.

In The Hero and the Crown we have one of McKinley’s most famous books . Set in the far distant land of Damar, this novel is not a retelling of a fairy tale. It is instead a story of royalty and dragons and a reluctant princess with her aging steed. The princess herself is unpopular and feels incapable of dancing the delicate political steps required of her position, making her an extremely sympathetic character to any young girl beginning to grow up. Her fights and battles are not only against her father’s rules, but the way in which she has been raised, to be a pretty court maiden. She comes out of her battles half dead, and fights not with dashing expertise but with fear and a struggle to stay alive. Here finally is the realistic heroine to replace those Knights in Shining Armour.
McKinley’s heroines provide more authentic idols for any young girl to aspire to imitate than most other well known stories. Unlike most of the fantasy novels she grew up with , McKinley’s protagonists are almost invariably heroines and instead of the shallow and outwardly perfect stereotypes we are usually presented with in fairytales, Robin McKinley wanted to present heroines that were far more complex. They are girls of the normal every day variety who for the purpose of the story seem to have been simply thrown into an adventurous situation, and one that often seems quite inconvenient at the time. This endeavour understandably stems from her life as an isolated unhappy young girl, who wanted more characters to be heroines, and her heroines to be someone that other girls could aim to be , rather than the naturally brilliant and talented dashing young men who seemed willing to leap from every page in her childhood books. They are loyal, honourable, easy to relate to and remain brave, even when terrified. This is entirely unlike the image of the Hero that we have come to expect, even apart from the obvious difference in gender and it is a welcome addition to those shallow fairy tales we all knew and loved anyway. It also brings those old tales into this day and age in a more appropriate fashion, allowing yet more generations to love them.


McKinley’s writing style is suitable for any reader, whether young or old. While the stories do naturally appeal more to those who remember their childhood version of it, these stories and characters have been given a depth and enough detail to be excellent freestanding books, and an incredibly good read even without the tradition standing behind them.

McKinley’s stories are an entirely necessary adaptation on the traditional fairytale or story for this day and age. Having females portrayed as simpering fools in need of rescuing, and the male heroes as amazing dashing adventurers may have been appropriate in the 15th Century but McKinley’s depiction of female heroines, who are also complex and believable human beings brings the stories up to today’s higher standards in writing, and sits comfortably with current views on women's and men's places in society.

© Kate-Aimee Conrick. All rights reserved!