Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
130 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Favorite Fictional Females? (Original Post) ohiosmith Apr 2013 OP
Lisbeth Salander and therefore Pipi Longstocking, too Tuesday Afternoon Apr 2013 #1
Great one! I love her. ohiosmith Apr 2013 #2
I think she is awesome but, I know there was some argument about her and those books on here. Tuesday Afternoon Apr 2013 #7
I was disturbed when her character committed statutory rape in the last of the Millennium Series ohiosmith Apr 2013 #10
A dynamic duo... pinboy3niner Apr 2013 #3
Excellent! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #5
My favorites too! nt tblue Apr 2013 #74
Thelma & Louise - watched that more than once ConcernedCanuk Apr 2013 #109
Diana Villiers Recursion Apr 2013 #4
Outstanding! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #6
Great minds think alike. hifiguy Apr 2013 #126
Emma Peel kwassa Apr 2013 #8
Bravo! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #11
You beat me to it HarveyDarkey Apr 2013 #12
+1 Baitball Blogger Apr 2013 #101
OP asks females - plural - yup she was one of them. ConcernedCanuk Apr 2013 #106
Andre Norton heroines (heroes are okay, too.) RILib Apr 2013 #9
Excellent! An Ohio girl! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #14
Tough one... Sekhmets Daughter Apr 2013 #13
Great choice! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #15
Joanna Brady Ptah Apr 2013 #16
Outstanding! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #17
must admit I do enjoy those Kali Apr 2013 #53
Love her too. blueamy66 Apr 2013 #76
I used to frequent a bar in Tucson that was mentioned in one of her novels. Ptah Apr 2013 #78
Now that is cool. blueamy66 Apr 2013 #80
Aeryn Sun (going with my TV choice, because Recursion already stole petronius Apr 2013 #18
Very cool! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #20
Selene, as played by Kate Beckinsale Lady Freedom Returns Apr 2013 #19
Excellent! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #21
Since Emma Peel was already done, my # 2 HarveyDarkey Apr 2013 #22
The hottest toon ever! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #24
Can you guess all the movies or shows? ZombieHorde Apr 2013 #23
I only know the first! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #26
Ever since I first met her in the Tolkien books when I was young aint_no_life_nowhere Apr 2013 #25
Excellent! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #28
Xena NV Whino Apr 2013 #27
Especially when her horse gallops! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #29
Kinsey! Great books by Sue Grafton. txwhitedove Apr 2013 #95
Yeah, Kinsey is a great character NV Whino Apr 2013 #98
Olive Oil olddots Apr 2013 #30
Hot! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #31
Dana Scully, Jean Grey, Evelyn Mulray, Lizzie Bennett... First Speaker Apr 2013 #32
Outstanding! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #33
Cat Woman In_The_Wind Apr 2013 #34
Classic! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #35
Not exactly surprising to those who truly know me. In_The_Wind Apr 2013 #36
My favorite.... pipi_k Apr 2013 #37
I loved lassie! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #38
lol, you are so right. Xyzse Apr 2013 #52
IIRC, there were 5 dogs playing Lassie.... Wounded Bear Apr 2013 #63
I read someplace pipi_k Apr 2013 #73
I loved the original Lassie TV show aint_no_life_nowhere Apr 2013 #124
Ellen Ripley, in "Alien" kwassa Apr 2013 #39
YES! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #40
oh yeah, me too Kali Apr 2013 #54
Agreed. temporary311 Apr 2013 #96
Barbarella !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! olddots Apr 2013 #41
OMFG! Yes! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #42
It's not a conviction. Loryn Apr 2013 #43
Yes! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #45
Cara mia!!! MiddleFingerMom Apr 2013 #44
Holy christ! Yes! ohiosmith Apr 2013 #46
me too! Kali Apr 2013 #55
Morticia Smoking... hunter Apr 2013 #90
Stockard Channing, as Carol Ann sheshe2 Apr 2013 #47
YES ohiosmith Apr 2013 #48
Angua von Uberwald n/t LadyHawkAZ Apr 2013 #49
Excellently cool werewolf chick LearnedHand Apr 2013 #102
No love for Dagny Taggart? baldguy Apr 2013 #50
I preferred Dominique Francon... Rhiannon12866 Apr 2013 #66
Oh where to begin... Yukari Yakumo Apr 2013 #51
J.K. Rowling Major Nikon Apr 2013 #56
That's a real live person. Neoma Apr 2013 #57
Good catch Major Nikon Apr 2013 #64
So Hermione Grainger, then LearnedHand Apr 2013 #103
Barbarella Mr.Bill Apr 2013 #58
Stephanie Plum libodem Apr 2013 #59
Really? No one said... Behind the Aegis Apr 2013 #60
Emmanuelle? Art_from_Ark Apr 2013 #61
Mary Katherine Blackwood cemaphonic Apr 2013 #62
Yes! Wish I'd thought of her first. nomorenomore08 Apr 2013 #121
Tootsie. You said "fictional". Manifestor_of_Light Apr 2013 #65
In no particular order mythology Apr 2013 #67
Mrs. Pollifax, Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, and Hillary Clinton whistler162 Apr 2013 #68
The fifth element, Leeloo a la izquierda Apr 2013 #69
Perfect Demo_Chris Apr 2013 #110
Grrrrrowllll Helen Reddy Apr 2013 #70
This message was self-deleted by its author RiffRandell Apr 2013 #71
The Bride! RiffRandell Apr 2013 #72
Mulan! tblue Apr 2013 #75
Molly Millions. sir pball Apr 2013 #77
Ha! Took me a second to recognize the name. LeftOfSelf-Centered Apr 2013 #93
also: Sarah Agnes Prine Tuesday Afternoon Apr 2013 #79
Ellen Ripley Katashi_itto Apr 2013 #81
Almost forgot Montana Wildhack HarveyDarkey Apr 2013 #82
The one from the Republican Fairy Tales - the Welfare Queen. Scary !! Morning Dew Apr 2013 #83
Katniss Everdeen Nikia Apr 2013 #84
Literature: Justine Hosnani Zorro Apr 2013 #85
Evelyn Salt. Throd Apr 2013 #86
Jodie Foster's character in Contact: Ele. lindysalsagal Apr 2013 #87
Aeon Flux Whisp Apr 2013 #88
Natasha Romanoff pintobean Apr 2013 #89
Juanita Chang and Anne Boudreau DFW Apr 2013 #91
Buffy. Iggo Apr 2013 #92
Faith. As played by Eliza Dushku. She was my whole reason for watching the show, when I did. nomorenomore08 Apr 2013 #122
I was way older than that. Iggo Apr 2013 #125
True. It was a well-made series, comparatively. nomorenomore08 Apr 2013 #130
Cate Archer LeftOfSelf-Centered Apr 2013 #94
I am unanimous in this madamesilverspurs Apr 2013 #97
Tinkerbell BlueJazz Apr 2013 #99
Colonel Samantha Carter TheBadWolf Apr 2013 #100
ripley for aliens exxo1111 Apr 2013 #104
Pollyanna ConcernedCanuk Apr 2013 #105
Samantha Stephens ConcernedCanuk Apr 2013 #107
Granny Weatherwax OxQQme Apr 2013 #108
My other favorites have mostly been mentioned. Demo_Chris Apr 2013 #111
Samus Dash87 Apr 2013 #112
Amanda Ziller with support from Robbins other genius waitresses Spike89 Apr 2013 #113
Penny King Brother Buzz Apr 2013 #114
Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird). Pippi Longtocking (she kicked ass). Arugula Latte Apr 2013 #115
Yay, Scout! Jean Louise Finch Apr 2013 #118
Kaylee in Firefly HERVEPA Apr 2013 #116
Why, Scarlett, of course! hamsterjill Apr 2013 #117
Frankly, my dear .... kwassa Apr 2013 #119
Nancy Reagan, a truly excellent parody of real life conservatives Bucky Apr 2013 #120
Dorothy Valens (Isabella Rossellini in "Blue Velvet." I always sympathized deeply with her suffering nomorenomore08 Apr 2013 #123
In addition to many listed above hifiguy Apr 2013 #127
Sydney Bristow n/t Shrek Apr 2013 #128
Anyone read Modesty Blaise? Quantess Apr 2013 #129

ohiosmith

(24,262 posts)
10. I was disturbed when her character committed statutory rape in the last of the Millennium Series
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 06:15 PM
Apr 2013

books. Other than that, she is awesome.

 

ConcernedCanuk

(13,509 posts)
109. Thelma & Louise - watched that more than once
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:47 PM
Apr 2013

.
.
.

Liked it right up to the point where they took their T-Bird airborne

(sigh)

CC

Sekhmets Daughter

(7,515 posts)
13. Tough one...
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 06:16 PM
Apr 2013

until she became crazy with jealousy I really liked Anna Karenina very much... So I would have to say for her kindness, principles and loyalty it would have to be Jane Eyre.

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”

Ptah

(32,983 posts)
16. Joanna Brady
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 06:19 PM
Apr 2013

Joanna Brady, Sheriff of Chochise County, Arizona.

Judith Ann (J. A.) Jance (born October 27, 1944) is an American author of mystery and horror novels.
She writes at least three series of novels, centering on retired Seattle Police Department officer
J. P. Beaumont, Arizona county sheriff Joanna Brady, and Ali Reynolds. The Beaumont and Brady
series intersect in the novel Partner in Crime, which is both the 16th Beaumount mystery and
the 10th Brady mystery. They intersect again in Fire and Ice.



 

blueamy66

(6,795 posts)
76. Love her too.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:22 AM
Apr 2013

It was great fun to cruise around the Bisbee area and find places that were written about in Jance's novels.

Also fun to buy an autographed book in a local bookstore.

Ptah

(32,983 posts)
78. I used to frequent a bar in Tucson that was mentioned in one of her novels.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:26 AM
Apr 2013

The manager was such a fan, she arranged for J.A.Jance to make a short visit.

Good times.

 

blueamy66

(6,795 posts)
80. Now that is cool.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:57 AM
Apr 2013

Now I miss Arizona.

I was staying in Tombstone while my guy was working near there so I took a ride to Bisbee and spent all day there alone. It was fun. Of course, I had to return to Tombstone and spend some additional time at Big Nose Kate's. Now that was a fun time!

NV Whino

(20,886 posts)
98. Yeah, Kinsey is a great character
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:24 PM
Apr 2013

She's not invincible, she's flawed, she's kind, she' you and me and everywoman. Grafton has done a wonderful job of making her a real person.

First Speaker

(4,858 posts)
32. Dana Scully, Jean Grey, Evelyn Mulray, Lizzie Bennett...
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 07:01 PM
Apr 2013

...yeah, yeah--four pretty disparate characters...I love 'em all...

pipi_k

(21,020 posts)
37. My favorite....
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 09:13 PM
Apr 2013

Lassie.

That dog had the patience of a saint, what with that little asshole Timmy always getting into trouble all the time.






PS...I know Lassie was really a boy dog, but she was always a girl to me.

pipi_k

(21,020 posts)
73. I read someplace
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 10:04 AM
Apr 2013

that they are on their ninth generation Lassie now.

I'm glad to know that not all of them were boys.

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
124. I loved the original Lassie TV show
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 09:34 PM
Apr 2013

with Tommy Rettig, Jan Clayton, and George Cleveland. For some crazy reason, the original Lassie TV show was renamed Jeff's Collie in syndication. I remember back then when they changed the mom (Jan Clayton) my own mom got angry at the show and wouldn't watch it anymore. Jan Clayton and George Cleveland looked so kind and loving in the original episodes. After a few years they introduced Timmy who played alongside the older Jeff and then phased Jeff (Tommy Rettig) out, got rid of grandpa, and changed the mom.

Of course I loved Lassie as a little kid. I especially loved the closing scene of each show where the credits rolled and Jeff and Lassie were outdoors on a hillside tending a herd of sheep in the bright sun. It was beautiful.


 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
41. Barbarella !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sat Apr 13, 2013, 09:38 PM
Apr 2013

how could we forget ?????????

Modesty Blaze ! All the Cat Women ( all fantastic )

LearnedHand

(3,349 posts)
102. Excellently cool werewolf chick
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 10:19 PM
Apr 2013

Love her Discworld-by-nose expeditions. And while we're in the neighborhood, Mercedes Thompson ain't bad, neither

cemaphonic

(4,138 posts)
62. Mary Katherine Blackwood
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 01:49 AM
Apr 2013

“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead.”

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
121. Yes! Wish I'd thought of her first.
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 08:09 PM
Apr 2013

'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' is an interesting little novel - not quite horror, but certainly horrific in some respects, and written in such a deadpan style that you don't really know how to take it.

 

Manifestor_of_Light

(21,046 posts)
65. Tootsie. You said "fictional".
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 04:31 AM
Apr 2013

As in "Dustin Hoffman". Wearing scarves and high collared dresses.




Or perhaps these British ladies??
 

mythology

(9,527 posts)
67. In no particular order
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:41 AM
Apr 2013

Nest Freemark from the Word and the Void series

Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird

Katherina Minola (I believe Shakespeare was satirizing gender roles rather than reinforcing them in The Taming of the Shrew.)

Haydee from The Count of Monte Cristo

Veronica Mars from the tv show of the same name.

Lorelai Gilmore from Gilmore Girls

Juno McGruff from Juno

 

whistler162

(11,155 posts)
68. Mrs. Pollifax, Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, and Hillary Clinton
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:06 AM
Apr 2013

the last one because I am not sure she could possibly exist given all the hype about her!

Response to ohiosmith (Original post)

sir pball

(4,726 posts)
77. Molly Millions.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:25 AM
Apr 2013

By far the hardest-assed character in her world. A bit more obscure than a lot of this list but you didn't say they had to be popular.

Tuesday Afternoon

(56,912 posts)
79. also: Sarah Agnes Prine
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:36 AM
Apr 2013

These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901

Based on the real-life exploits of the author's great-grandmother, this fictionalized diary vividly details one woman's struggles with life and love in frontier Arizona at the end of the last century. When she begins recording her life, Sarah Prine is an intelligent, headstrong 18-year-old capable of holding her own on her family's settlement near Tucson. Her skill with a rifle fends off a constant barrage of Indian attacks and outlaw assaults. It also attracts a handsome Army captain named Jack Elliot. By the time she's 21, Sarah has recorded her loveless marriage to a family friend, the establishment of a profitable ranch, the birth of her first child?and the death of her husband. The love between Jack and Sarah, which dominates the rest of the tale, has begun to blossom. Fragmented and disjointed in its early chapters, with poor spelling and grammar, Sarah's journal gradually gains in clarity and eloquence as she matures. While this device may frustrate some readers at first, Taylor's deft progression produces the intended reward: she not only tells of her heroine's growth, but she shows it through Sarah's writing and insights. The result is a compelling portrait of an enduring love, the rough old West and a memorable pioneer.

more at link:
http://www.amazon.com/These-Words-Diary-Sarah-1881-1901/dp/0061458031

Morning Dew

(6,539 posts)
83. The one from the Republican Fairy Tales - the Welfare Queen. Scary !!
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 01:26 PM
Apr 2013

Ok, not really.

Good ones mentioned here.

Add Kara Thrace.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
122. Faith. As played by Eliza Dushku. She was my whole reason for watching the show, when I did.
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 08:19 PM
Apr 2013

Keeping in mind that I was in junior high at the time.

Iggo

(47,486 posts)
125. I was way older than that.
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 12:58 AM
Apr 2013

But there was nothing else like it on TV, and also it was great bonding material for me and my 7 yr old niece.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
130. True. It was a well-made series, comparatively.
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 05:44 PM
Apr 2013

Just saying that it probably wouldn't have been my thing if not for the presence of Ms. Dushku. Doesn't really have to do with age.

 

ConcernedCanuk

(13,509 posts)
105. Pollyanna
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:31 PM
Apr 2013

.
.
.

Saw the movie when I was about 12 or so -


Had one of those boyhood crushes for Hayley Mills for quite a while after that.



CC

OxQQme

(2,550 posts)
108. Granny Weatherwax
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:43 PM
Apr 2013

The senior witch.
She shows up in several of Terry Pratchett's Disc World series with her recalcitrant broom that needs to be kick started.

I also have a spot in my heart for Elphaba.

Spike89

(1,569 posts)
113. Amanda Ziller with support from Robbins other genius waitresses
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:09 PM
Apr 2013

I was hooked by Another Roadside Attraction and the string of female characters that followed in Gowgirls, Still Life, Jitterbug Perfume, and Skinny Legs.

Brother Buzz

(36,212 posts)
114. Penny King
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:12 PM
Apr 2013

Penny was an accomplished air racer and rated multi-engine pilot, whom Sky trusted to fly the Songbird

 

Arugula Latte

(50,566 posts)
115. Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird). Pippi Longtocking (she kicked ass).
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:45 PM
Apr 2013

Jo (Little Women). Francie (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn). Hermione Granger (some book series no one's ever heard of).

Off the top of my head ...

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
120. Nancy Reagan, a truly excellent parody of real life conservatives
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 06:00 PM
Apr 2013

There were times she almost seemed like she could be real.

nomorenomore08

(13,324 posts)
123. Dorothy Valens (Isabella Rossellini in "Blue Velvet." I always sympathized deeply with her suffering
Tue Apr 16, 2013, 08:34 PM
Apr 2013

at the hands of Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). Although Frank, admittedly, is also one of my favorite movie characters. Color me ambivalent I guess.

As far as literary heroines, the first that comes to mind is Trace Pennington/Ianthe Covington (she's got kind of a split identity, though not in a "Fight Club" way) in 'Iodine' by Haven Kimmel. Brilliant, beautiful, tragic, and (for the most part) utterly believable. Anyone with a taste for the dark and strange should read 'Iodine' for sure, it's a real mind-fuck of a novel.

 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
127. In addition to many listed above
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 12:25 PM
Apr 2013

I'd include Fujiko Mine from Lupin III




and Starfire from The New Titans



Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»Favorite Fictional Female...