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This is a summary of the Heroine archetypes fromThe Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes (see the footnote on the index page,Heroes and Heroines). You can also find the Hero archetypes onRomance Genre Heroes. Most of the Heroines are female versions of the Heroes.

Also listed are the villainous versions of the Hero archetypes; these come from the website of one of the authors (again, see the footnote on theindex page).

Quick Overview

The eight Heroine archetypes presented are as follows:

• The Boss
  • Female version ofThe Chief, decisive but sometimes inflexible, only with all the baggage that comes with the fight for equal opportunity.
• The Seductress
  • Femme Fatale whose cynical, manipulative nature stems from arough childhood.
• The Spunky Kid
  • Female version ofThe Best Friend, roughly; aPlucky Girl who's always ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
• The Free Spirit
  • A possibleCloudcuckoolanderprone to flights of fancy and acts of whim.
• The Waif
  • TheDamsel in Distress who can't fight back against her oppressors butcanendure whateverthey throwat her.
• The Librarian
  • Female version ofThe Professor, she's got the etiquette down but needs a class in social skills. LikelyBeautiful All Along.
• The Crusader
  • Female version ofThe Warrior - another tenacious protector.
• The Nurturer
  • The cheerful caregiver who "nourishes the spirit" and puts everyone else's needs above her own.

Their villainous versions are as follows:

• The Bitch
  • Self-centered version ofThe Boss who "lies, cheats, and steals her way to the top."
• The Black Widow
  • Evil version ofThe Seductress,The Vamp who can charm her way into anything.
• The Backstabber
  • Evil version ofThe Spunky Kid who uses your secrets to get her way.
• The Lunatic
  • Insane version ofThe Free Spirit who is less eccentric and more "unbalanced madwoman."
• The Parasite
  • Self-serving version ofThe Waif whocould free herself but chooses to participate in atrocities rather than give up comfort and security.
• The Schemer
  • Evil version ofThe Librarian who uses "elaborate plans, intricate schemes" to ruin reputations and end lives.
• The Fanatic
  • Self-deluded version ofThe Crusader who "justifies her actions by her intent, and merely shrugs her shoulders at collateral damage."
• The Matriarch
  • Deluded version ofThe Nurturer, a "motherly oppressor" who controls the lives of her loved ones.

Character Examples

• The Boss: Janeway fromStar Trek: Voyager.
• The Seductress: Sally Bowls fromCabaret.
• The Spunky Kid: Rikku fromFinal Fantasy X. Kaylee fromFirefly
• The Free Spirit:Luna Lovegood. The book mentions Lucy fromI Love Lucy.
• The Waif: The book gives us Dorothy fromThe Wizard of Oz.
• The Librarian: Samantha Carter from Stargate: SG-1 would probably count, despite being more action-y than most. The book also notes Diane fromCheers and Scully fromThe X-Files. Belle, from the film ofBeauty and The Beast counts as well. Adele Mundy from the Republic of Cinnibar series. Twilight Sparkle fromMy Little Pony Friendship Is Magic.
• The Crusader:Battle Angel Alita would fit right in. Book mentionsBuffy andXena. Delenn and Ivanova onBabylon 5.
• The Nurturer: Tohru fromFruits Basket may be the quintessential one in this role. The book notesMary Poppins, and we'd be very wrong to forgetMollyPrewett Weasley.

• The Bitch: History has a few queens who fall under this role. The Queen in "Snow White" might count, even though her fight is more about being on the top of thebeauty ladder.
• The Black Widow: The female lead ofDouble Indemnity.
• The Backstabber: There is one who fits this, and yet fits the Bitch, the Schemer, and towards the end, the Fanatic as well. She is one of many faces. Her name isAzula.
• The Lunatic: "Ophelia! Ophelia! Don't go picking those flowers, dear, you'll hurt yourself!"
• The Parasite: Crops up occasionally in crime dramas.
  • One episode ofCriminal Minds had a girl who appeared to be an abuse victim of her serial-killing boyfriend, but was later revealed to be the serial killer in charge of the whole mess. This kind of villain doesn't count, since shewants to do the crime and isn't just going along with the perps.
• The Schemer: Lucrezia fromGirl Genius. Probably Ursula fromThe Little Mermaid.
• The Fanatic: Miko Miyazaki fromThe Order of the Stick.
  • Down to the complete lack of aHeel Face Turn - and her firm belief, to the end, that she was a Face all along.
• The Matriarch:Akito fromFruits Basket probably falls under this role. The mother fromPsycho too, in a fashion.

Comparing the Gender Roles

Let's consider the Hero/Heroine pairs. These subdivide as follows:

• A. Roughly the same thing regardless of gender:
  • The Chief andThe Boss are both goal-oriented leaders who don't usually back down.
    • The Boss usually gets a layer of equal rights propaganda thrown in.
  • The Professor andThe Librarian are both data-oriented introverts who don't know how to connect with other people (and often don't care).
    • The Librarian gets a layer ofBeautiful All Along, which is somethingThe Professor usually doesnot get. (Please list exceptions under the Examples section!)
  • The Warrior andThe Crusader are both tenacious protectors who can easily snap intoDeterminator mode.
    • The Warrior gets nuanced by whether he's willing to accept The Call, whereasThe Crusader gets nuanced by whether she's trying to save the world or just her little group.
• B. Rough counterparts who still amount to the same general idea:
  • The Bad Boy andThe Seductress are both scarred by childhood and have troubled connecting with other people.
  • The Spunky Kid andThe Best Friend are both dependable allies who are always ready to help when the chips are down.

And then there are those who don't seem to pair off as well.The Charmer,The Lost Soul, andThe Swashbuckler don't seem to have female counterparts, whileThe Free Spirit,The Waif, andThe Nurturer don't seem to have male counterparts.

In other words, according to the book, when working in the Romance genre:

1. A guy can be an irrepressible rogue who shows you a good time but doesn't stick around when it's over, but a girl is never like this.
2. A girl can be a quirky eccentric who lives life to the fullest and doesn't care what the neighbors think, but a guy is never like this.
3. A guy can be a brooding loner, a sensitive and vulnerable artist with a Gothic outlook on life, but a girl is never like this.
4. A girl can be aDamsel in Distress, a child-like innocent who needs to be protected but yet has great strength of will, but a guy is never like this. (But we knew this one already, right?)
5. A guy can be a gung-ho action hero with an eye for adventure and a blindness to possible risk, but a girl is never like this.
6. A girl can be a selfless caregiver who listens to your problems and warms your spirit with her genuine optimism, but a guy is never like this.

So, of course, if you're going to try for gender subversions, those six are a great place to start.

Greater Detail

Examples:

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