The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Empowering or exploitive to women?

[firehorse]

218. I read a lot of fiction but the female characters often lack complexity and development in the arch

of their character.

I'll look into Taylor Stevens, thanks.

I've read a lot of thriller fiction, but often the female protagonist is lacking in depth and development of character compared to her supporting "cast". I seek out books/movies that have strong female characters. And I've never come across a character as satisfying as lisbeth.

I could write pages about the few female characters that make the list, but even with those characters its just never quite satisfying because of the lack of depth and overall arch development of the character. Doesn't matter if we are talking about Kay Scarpetta and her niece, Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde, Tank Girl, Cat Woman, the female characters of the show LOST, Carol O' Connell's: Mallory (she comes close to Lisbeth)... there is always something just not quite satisfying. It's like the author starts out with a half baked archetype but in the end the character can't overcome or fulfill her destiny in any meaningful way.

Lisbeth seems to combine them all and work out their unresolved character problems. Mallory is a survivor of childhood severe abuse and it turned her into sociopath police woman in a way that character is similar to Lisbeth - they both are hackers - but there is a depth and soul to Lisbeth and the reader feels deep validation with lisbeth that isn't matched with Mallory.

Most female heroes are tend to be beautiful (bonnie and clyde) in a way that fulfills most male's fantasies. Lisbeth could make efforts (she does at one point but its more about shifting identities, but for the most part she stays true to herself. That is very liberating for all the women out there that feel fine not having breast implants, or growing their hair long and bleaching it, or to the girls who don't own high heels but prefer boots and motorcycle jackets.

We need more of this female archetype in our culture to balance out all the desperate housewives, housewives of orange country, kardashians, etc, etc. For many Lisbeth is as refreshing as drinking water after a 40 year drought.