Comments on: On making a point – in the text but not on the cover?

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:25:00 +0000

Hrugaar – I’ve heard of people actively hiding the US covers when reading the books!

Emma – that cover change is bizarre. Hmm.

And yes, I agree – Westerners who have never been subjected to the humiliation of racist prejudice simply don’t notice these things – we don’t have to. We have all the confidence in the world because we have not been humiliated of threatened or had our confidence constantly jarred. It can be different on the other side of the table.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:57:00 +0000

I think a different skin colour in a movie or book cover (compared to the text) can be racist if it keeps reinforcing the sterotype of white heroes. Martha Wells' excellent Wheel of the infinite had a dark skinned heroine as the main character and a white male supporting character. On the hardback this cover was turned so the main character was on the cover but in the paperback they flipped it to have the white guy on the front. I can't see any reason for the change but believing it would have greater appeal.

I rarely pick up on skin colour in books, except where it is mentioned like in your books, Glenda, as part of what sets the character apart from their society. But I recently read an article that made the point that white readers often don't see race as an issue because we already have lots of characters in fantasy we can identify with!

Sorry for the long comment!

By: hrugaar

hrugaar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 06:53:00 +0000

With TV and movie adaptations, it bugs me if they cast an actor with the wrong hair colour, let alone different skin or racial build la. But that's a niggle about visual consistency with the imagery in the source text, not about racism.

With Le Guin's Ged, I don't recall his colour or race being such an issue - but then it is a long time since I read those books! With the Isles of Glory, it would really bug me if an adaptation didn't have Blaze markedly different in appearance because that is so integral to her situation.

The Isles of Glory covers (US) don't bear any much resemblance to the contents of the books, to my mind. But I guess the artists knew what they were doing ... judging by the way teenage boys crane their necks to get a better look at the cover of The Tainted when I'm reading it on the bus!