“When It Changed” By Joanna Russ

Joanna Russ 1937- Sci-Fi writer, fantasy writer, feminist, critical scholar Delany was a major critic of her work “When it Changed” first appeared in Harlan Ellison’s Again, Dangerous Visions in 1972 “When it Changed” won the Nebula Award (1972) Writes about themes of feminism, sexuality, human and social issues, such as religion, race, and politics Knowledge of hard science, especially biology

Discussion Questions Describe Katy and Janet. What is your impression of them? Who are the “aliens”? What are the women’s initial impressions of them? What happened to all of the men who were on Whileaway? How long have the women lived without men? What are the men’s initial impressions of the women? At one point, the real leader talks to Janet and refers to her by her first name. She says, “Strangers do not call strangers by their first names.” Why include this? Pg. 949 Why have the men come to Whileaway? How does the male leader seem to see Whileaway and why? Do Janet and Katy share his perspective on it? Why don’t the women want the men to come back? What is the significance of the name Whileaway? What does it reveal about the women’s shifting values on the planet? What is the significance of the title? Do the story’s women and men displace gender stereotypes?

Connections Read the first couple of pages of “What can a heroine do? Or why women can’t write.” Do these ideas still apply to any degree? http://books.google.com/books?id=JTDajkJJA70C&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=what+can+a+heroin+do%3F+or+why+women+can't+write&source=bl&ots=WI988KwBlQ&sig=AMK2ALTPJOk4MHZTZzsZN22YLx8&hl=en&ei=185iTafzNNOatweS6KHVCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false Does this study surprise you at all? http://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133599768/ask-for-a-raise-most-women-hesitate

Possibilities for Writing How does “When it Changed” treat the topic of change? How do Janet, Katy, and the daughter see change? How do the men see it? How does the author seem to see it? What concerns of the time and place in which it was written are reflected in the story? What present concerns do you see reflected in the story? What significant differences from the real world does the story portray and what is their metaphorical or thematic importance? What does it mean to be a woman and a man in this story? Where is the dividing line? How are each defined by the other or does having an “other” not change who each is? How are things like power, skill, and appearance significant to defining who one is? Does the story displace stereotypes or create characters that are a backlash to female stereotypes? Is it possible to create characters that avoid gender stereotypes?