Book Review: Valour and Vanity by Mary Robinette Kowal

Since it's in an earlier book than this one, it probably isn't spoilery. And, yes, that annoyed me. Given that a major thread in anti-feminist thought in the 19th century (heck, in the 20th as well) was that "participating in activities that are coded as masculine will damage a woman's essential femaleness, including her reproductive potential" I suppose the motif could be considered an accurate historic analogue for attitudes of the time. Except that things like academic study and participating in vigorous activity *didn't* damage a woman's reproductive ability. Whereas creating a magic system where beliefs about gendered spheres are shown to be "true" is no longer a metaphor.