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Middlemarch Madness

Middlemarch Madness II: Round One Results

It’s been a long and grueling week of voting, readers.  It’s time to say goodbye to 32 of our favorite lady heroes, after the cut. 

The winners are marked in bold.

Day One

1. Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee) vs. 16. Julie (Julie of the Wolves  by Jean Craighead George)

5. Pippi Longstocking (The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren) vs. 12. Turtle Wexler (The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin)

1. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games Trilogy  by Suzanne Collins) vs. 16. Paperbag Princess (The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch)

5. Meg Murray (The Wrinkle in Time Quintet (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, An Acceptable Time) by Madeline L’Engle) vs. 12. Alanna (Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce)

1. Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) vs. 16. Emma Woodhouse (Emma by Jane Austen)

5. Antigone (Antigone by Sophocles) vs. 12. Anne Eliott (Persuasion by Jane Austen)

1. Arya Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire, Books 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords /A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin) vs. 16. Alia Atreides (Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert)

5. Morgaine (The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley) vs. 12. Sookie Stackhouse’s precious fairy vagina (Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris)

Day Two

6. Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder) vs. 11. George (Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene)

7. Claudia (From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg) vs. 10. Cassie (Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor)

6. Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling) vs. 11. Ella (Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine)

7. Lyra Belaqua (His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman) vs. 10. Rue (The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins)

6. Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing by Willie the Shakes) vs. 11. Lysistrata (Lysistrata by Aristophanes)

7. Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris) vs. 10. Miss Marple (Miss Marple mysteries by Agatha Christie)

6. Brienne of Tarth (A Song of Ice and Fire, Books 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords /A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin) vs. 11. Selina Kyle (Catwoman DC Universe)

7. Nanny Ogg (Witches series by Terry Pratchett) vs. 10. Sansa Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire, Books 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords /A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin)

Day Three

8. Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett) vs. 9. Charlotte (Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White)

3. Ramona Quimby (Ramona Collection by Beverly Cleary) vs. 14. Winnie (Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit)

8. Coraline (Coraline: The Graphic Novel by Neil Gaiman) vs. 9. Mrs. Weasley (Harry Potter  series by J.K. Rowling)

3. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter  series by J.K. Rowling) vs. 14. Lirael (Lirael (Abhorsen Trilogy) by Garth Nix)

8. Elinor Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen) vs. 9. Thursday Next (Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde)

3. Irene Adler (Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle) vs. 14. Idgie (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg)

8. Catelyn Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire, Books 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords /A Feast for Crows)  by George R.R. Martin) vs. 9. Susan Sto Helit (Death series by Terry Pratchett)

3. Daenerys Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire, Books 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings/A Storm of Swords /A Feast for Crows)by George R.R. Martin) vs. 14. Angua (Guards series by Terry Pratchett)

Day Four

4. Karana (Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell) vs. 13. Sara Crewe (A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett)

2. Violete Baudelaire (The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13) by Lemony Snickett) vs. 15. Margaret Simon (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume)

4. Matilda (Matilda by Roald Dahl) vs. 13. Sabriel (Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy) by Garth Nix)

2. Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter  series by J.K. Rowling) vs. 15. Tiffany Aching (The Wee Free Men  by Terry Pratchett)

4. Marjane (The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi) vs. 13. Hua Mulan (The Ballad of Mulan by Song Nan Zhang)

2. Lisbeth Salander (Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson) vs. 15. The women of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

4. Elphaba Thropp (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire) vs. 13. Lady Sybil Ramkin (Guards series by Terry Pratchett)

2. June/Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood) vs. 15. Vivianne (The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley)

You can see the updated bracket here: Middlemarch Madness II.

Join us next week for round two, when we’ll narrow the top 32 to the Sweet Sixteen.

By [E] Selena MacIntosh*

Selena MacIntosh is the owner and editor of Persephone Magazine. She also fixes it when it breaks. She is fueled by Diet Coke, coffee with a lot of cream in it, and cat hair.

66 replies on “Middlemarch Madness II: Round One Results”

Sabriel and Lirael didn’t get through? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I demand everyone go and read the Abhorsen trilogy RIGHT NOW. And follow it up with Tamora Pierce – the Alanna books aren’t the best, so I’ll forgive that, but none of her other characters even made it through that far! KELADRY FTW. Surprised so few Pratchett women made it through, not surprised at all the Martin women considering how heavily it is in the public conscious right now.

Keladry is definitely one of my favorite Pierce ladies too.  I was so sad when she didn’t even make it in!  Alanna always struck me as being a little Sue-ish.

But I have to admit, I haven’t read the Abhorsen trilogy yet.  It’s definitely on my to-read list, but it’ll be a while, since I just started my annual re-read of Austen novels.

Ugh.  Offred.  I am unsurprised, but still unhappy.

Also, there is clearly a lack of Barbara Kingsolver knowledge on this site, because her ladies kick ass, and Taylor didn’t even make it in and the Poisonwood Bible ladies are out already, and it make me sad.  On another note, I would like to make it known that even as a huge Song of Ice and Fire fan, I still voted for Susan over Catelyn, cause…SUSAN, plus Catelyn has never been a favorite of mine.  I think it’s because I’m vehemently childless, so sometimes it bugs me when been a loving mom is portrayed as the epitome of female badassness (see also: I love Mrs. Weasley a lot, but I voted for Coraline.)

Ah, I found what you said about loving mothers funny, because I always get annoyed at the depiction of loving mothers as passive. For me, the reason to vote for Mrs Weasley over Coraline is because she subverts stereotypes of mothers.

I’m also anti-child. I barely even like them.

I dunno, maybe just because I tend to read a lot of lady-centric things, it seems like the “mama bear/loving mother” type is somehow considered the “best” example of female badassitude (especially in action movies).  I think it’s cool to have mother’s portrayed as not being passive, but I just think there’s so many other things worth fighting for, and so many other things that can make a woman badass, and I get tired of the mom thing.

And strangely, I’m not at all anti-child – I love kids.  I just have very strong feelings about never having my own.

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