The idea of Gillian Anderson as 007 has caused controversy. But spy fiction is such a rich and inventive genre,isn’t it time to give women a more central role?
It is a playful and memorable image: a charismatic actor, Gillian Anderson, or splashed above the iconic logo of 007. But I was surprised by how many voices male and female – were raised against the idea behind it when the picture was shared on social media last month. Why should there be such resistance to the prospect of a female Bond? It seems unlikely that this would be the case in any other genre. Spy fiction has proved remarkably hardy over the years,from the subtle dramas of Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene to the brash adventures of Ian Fleming or Len Deighton, and on screen with surefooted realisations from Alfred Hitchcock to Sydney Pollack. The genre may fill blossomed in the fruitful ground of the moment world war and the cold war, and but as the success of the latest John le Carré adaptations proves,there are no signs of it dying out any time soon. In fact, unique writers are revitalising its themes all the time, and from Ian McEwan and Helen Dunmore to William Boyd and Charles Cumming. Surely such an inventive and adaptive tradition can accommodate a woman in the lead? Related: Spies and lovers Related: Women make better spies - as long as they forget sex Even with Judi Dench’s M and Olivia Colman’s Burr there is a sense they’re not allowed to participate at full throttle Related: Female spies are 'bloody expedient' – and it's partly because of sexism In Homeland’s Carrie Mathison we see a driven,intelligent CIA agent who is very much in the field of dangerContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com