Last Thursday, I refeatured a post on Writing Epic Heroines, from the blog backlist — and promised a spinoff post for today.
I chose Writing Epic Heroines because I had recently viewed the film Harriet on Netflix, which tells the story of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet was born a slave in the American South, but escaped to freedom in the north, and went on to become one of the most famous “conductors” on the Underground Railroad: i.e. she led (or ‘conducted’) other slaves to freedom by means of a system of secret routes and safe houses.
She operated as a Union spy during the Civil War, including leading a military operation to free slaves working in critical industries, and was a leader in both the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements for the rest of her long life.
To find out more, check out:
Smithsonian Magazine: The True Story Behind The Harriet Tubman Movie
The film was not my first encounter with Harriet Tubman, however. On starting primary school, many years ago, the very first book I chose for myself from the Scholastic Book Club was Runaway Slave: The Story of Harriet Tubman (1965), written by Ann McGovern.
I am not sure, now, why I selected it, but once read, I know it made a profound impression. I was shocked by the existence of slavery and how enslaved people were treated, and I admired Harriet immensely: her courage and resolution in the face of adversity, and her commitment to freedom and service to others.
In terms of writing epic heroines, my ideas of what constitutes a heroine have been shaped by real figures in history. Harriet Tubman was the first such heroine that I encountered and I still consider her an exemplar. In terms of the life she lived and the example set, she has unquestionably influenced my notions of what makes a heroine, and therefore my fictional writing and characters.
