Although not as well known in the fiction world as some of her contemporaries such as Geroge RR Martin and Robert Jordan, writer Elizabeth Moon has made her splash in the genre with her works such as The Deed of Paksenarrion and Serrano Legacy (Familias Regnant).
While she doesn’t delve into politics as much in her series, Elizabeth has brought a unique perspective to the fold that other fantasy writers of the time. Her debut fantasy series, the Deed of Paksenarrion was a major departure from the fantasy heroes of the age, featuring a female protagonist, and a survivor of sexual assault. These are ideas that were incredibly uncommon during her time and are still fairly unknown today.
But while it might have been a strange decision at the time, the Deed of Paksenarrion served as a hallmark in fantasy history, helping shed light on a topic that is often either overlooked or intentionally swept under the rug.
The important thing is that Elizabeth Moon’s decision here will help raise awareness of this issue and hopefully convince people to start talking about it. For Elizabeth, it is the willingness to talk about something that helps us find answers because it is the only way to combat ignorance.
She has long stated that there are two types of ignorance in the world, both of which are bad but in different ways. There is the simple ignorance of not knowing what most people are guilty of. It is not perfect, but it is something that can be fixed with knowledge. But there is a more insidious and troubling type of ignorance, the willful kind. This is one where someone knows something wrong, but refuses to act or fix it. Instead, they refuse to learn more in the belief that by being ignorant, you can reject something’s existence.
That willful ignorance is something that is becoming unfortunately common but is something that can only be combated with knowledge.
“There is simple ignorance, not knowing, and willful ignorance that refuses to know, that covers the light of knowledge with the dark blanket of bias.”
-Elizabeth Moon, Author.
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