Woman Turned Warrior: An Analysis on the Strong Female Character Trope and the Influence it has on Gender Stereotypes Through the Use of Back Cover Copy

This research paper analyzes the language of young adult fantasy back cover copy and how the language is used within the Strong Female Character trope that is often found in fantasy fiction. The paper also looks at the influence this trope has on perpetuating gender stereotypes. This was done through the use of content analysis—word frequency, gendered word analysis, and thematic coding. Gendered word analysis provides qualitative evidence for the presence of gendered language in back cover descriptions, while word frequency and thematic coding provide additional context. The research found that there is a bias toward portraying women characters with more masculine-gendered language in order to depict them as heroes, resulting in an influence on the way society views traditionally feminine qualities. Media reflects the biases society has by using tropes. In order to change this way of writing women, work has to be done to change society’s way of thinking about women.