Story Nerd

Zero Dark Thirty: women in war zones

Episode Summary

War stories are often the domain of ‘dick lit’ male protagonists, but is this a true representation of history and does the experience of women in war differ? In this episode, I reference historical female warriors and examines how the experiences of Maya, the protagonist in Zero Dark Thirty, compares with her wartime service. Valerie explores what happens when the scope of a story is too wide, and the impact scope has on setups and payoffs. -M

Episode Notes

War stories are often the domain of ‘dick lit’ male protagonists, but is this a true representation of history and does the experience of women in war differ? In this episode, I reference historical female warriors and examines how the experiences of Maya, the protagonist in Zero Dark Thirty, compares with her wartime service. Valerie explores what happens when the scope of a story is too wide, and the impact scope has on setups and payoffs. -M

"What is interesting to me, is how women are portrayed in war movies, are they portrayed as masculine or weak, are they given due credit for their skill and experience, and how does this compare to my own experience?" - Melanie Hill

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Rogue One (Season 1, Episode 8)

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