"Today I brought receipts." *pulls out the literary equivalent of a CVS receipt*

I know I'm late to this video, but this is really insightful into things into things I didn't notice the first time I read The Witcher books, but I cant help see every time I re-read. Now, standard disclaimer before I continue, there are problematic aspects of the stories in The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny. Context doesn't make any of these aspects okay, but it does explain the jarring change in the writing once you hit The Sword of Destiny short story. I've actually gone down a bit of a rabbit hole on this and found a bit of context for why these two sets of stories are so different from the main series, and indeed, why the last two stories here are significantly less problematic. When Sapkowski original wrote most of these stories they were written in fantasy magazines for what I'm going to loosely (and somewhat inaccurately) describe as "nerds living in their mother's basements in the early 90s in eastern Europe." Sapkowski was not successful yet, and it seems like he took notice that the stories that would sell to these magazine were very sexist and heavy in sex scenes since the readers had little to no interactions with women and subsequently tended to objectify them. The character of Geralt was partially created for the people reading the book to feel like the outcasts of the society could get all the girls. This is similar to how the other popular and powerful men in these stories are often described as lacking in intelligence and are often taken down by Geralt as the outcast. The change comes from the fact that with the commercial success of The Last Wish, Sapkowski felt that he could write a true series of novels in this world. The two stories you note here as being notably less sexist are actually the only two first published in the book itself instead of magazines, as setups for the true book series. That change carries through The Blood of Elves and the rest of the main Saga. We even get excellent character like Milva, whom are used to actually call out the sexism in the past stories in some ways. It really seems to have come down to the confidence to be able to sell stories based on being a good writer rather than sex appeal. Again that doesn't make it okay, or any less problematic, but I think the context is interesting if nothing else.

I would be interested to hear what you think about Ciri's story in The Lady of The Lake... If you ever continue reading these books that is. Geralt being a bit of a horny boi at certain stages of his life was something I didn't even fully realize before, but these short stories were probably influenced by stuff like Conan the Barbarian etc.

I'm a big Witcher fan but I don't shy away from the problems either. I agree with pretty much everything you said!

Sees title.. 32 min video.. grabs popcorn

Outstanding video. I'm a father, brother, and a fiction writer and this video brings a lot of insight. Thank you for speaking out and standing up for yourself so publicly.

I can't tell you whether it's worth continuing I'm afraid. I bought most, if not all, of the books when they were in a kindle sale, and my brother, who is a fan (probably more of the games to be honest, but has read the books) suggested starting at Blood of Elves, which I believe is the beginning of the major story arc. I couldn't finish it. And I'll be perfectly frank, I can't even remember if there was anything sexist in what I did read, but I just could not get on with it at all. I found the writing style really jarring, I couldn't work out if it was like that in the original text or it was the translation. Whichever it was it meant that I couldn't concentrate on what was going on in the story (probably why I can't recall if anything sexist happened in it) as I was regularly frustrated with the tone, structure and language usage. I may revisit them at some point, but I am in no hurry. I did love the story and characters of the Witcher 3 game though. Especially Zoltan. (Should I be offended that foul mouthed dwarves and ogres are regularly portrayed with Scottish accents? Probably, but he made me laugh so I'll let it slide!) On a more serious note I'm sorry to hear of your own experiences, particularly being followed, that must have been scary especially when your child is there with you! Sorry to say, there are some messed up people in the world. Stay safe. Oh, and this may amuse you (or maybe not if you are a fan!), I got called sexist on another youtube channel recently (a science one) when the host made a video talking about the science behind some Taylor Swift lyrics. I commented that making me learn about Taylor Swift songs to get my science fix was a cruel and unusual punishment. Apparently that makes me sexist according to one person (not the host I should probably point out), so I'm probably not the best person to discuss these things with you as I am clearly a terrible human being!

I know this is an old video and you probably won't read this but I just wanted to say: as a longtime Witcher books fan, I also approached this video very defensively, but you have stated your case very clearly and gave such poignant examples, I had no choice but to acknowledge these are some serious missteps on Sapkowski's part (and I always hated that bit when Yennnefer is tied to a wagon as well). I feel your critique is tough, but fair - and I'm glad you still found things you enjoyed about the stories. I fully understand why you didn't want to continue but I'd be sooo curious about your opinion on the novels. I say this because I feel like they dig deeper into what you said about actually commenting on the sexism of the world Geralt lives in. There is a whole arc about sorceresses forming a secret all-female Lodge to manipulate political events because they feel like the men in power don't treat them seriously enough and they could do a better job at it. There is a prominent abortion subplot that makes an explicit, unequivocally pro-choice statement. There is a strong theme of men treating Ciri like an object and wanting her just so they can have children with her. There's even some commentary on how patriarchal religions uphold misogyny and a witch-hunting priest gets his due. Some stuff in there is still quite problematic and hotly debated among fans, particularly in relation to Ciri's story as she grows up, or the way sorceresses cynically use their sexuality and magically enhanced looks, so I couldn't promise it'd be all smooth sailing until the end, but I feel like Sapkowski complicated things a bit in the novels and as he developed as a writer and the story became more about Geralt, Yen and Ciri forming a surrogate family of sorts, he strayed away from the Conan the Barbarian vibe of some of the short stories. Anyhow, that's my two cents, I really enjoyed the video, cheers. :)

Sorry to contradict. But I do have a friend named Gerald, who pronounces his name with a hard G. :) This has probably gotten worse in the age of audio books though. Many of us just latch on to whatever pronunciation the narrator uses. I was recently blown away watching a Daniel Greene video where he interviewed Michael Sullivan, who wrote Riyria Revelations. He confessed that he usually gives zero thought to the pronunciation and chooses names that "look good" on the page. He went so far as to say when readers ask how to pronounce something, he just turns the question around and asks them how they pronounce it, and tell them they are right.

Loved this video and your other one. You are amazing for making this video.

Hey Bookborn You did an excellent video, very detailed, well proven and with good remarks. I’m very glad I’ve watched it, most of the things you pointed out, I missed them completely. I have read the Witcher saga few times, first back in the nineties and maybe I could say something in the defence of Sapkowski. Most of the people miss completely, what the Witcher short stories are in fact. Sapkowski wasn’t an author, when he started writing them. He was working as a foreign trader, and he did the first story on his son request for a short story contest in Fantastyka magazine. He had a strong feeling, he could do better (sell better) than most of polish authors did at that time. His Witcher story got him 3rd place, but much more prise from readers than first two places ever got. So in next few years he did several witcher short stories for the same magazine. They were printed separately from time to time, so each one had to be short, have interesting story, some sex and witty humour. After fall of communism we had initial “wild” period of western brutal capitalism, where “sex sells” was literally everywhere. TV, billboards, magazines, you name it. And you can see this in these short stories. People do forget, that at the time of writing, they were not intended to be collected in the books, they were formed into few years later. I believe by the time of last two you mentioned, he was already working on the first book, and that’s the reason they are different (and I love them too). Only after 3-4 years of publishing short stories he started to believe he could become a full-fledged writer and live completely of his works (which was not an easy task in Poland at that time - most authors were very poor indeed). The books he wrote from 1992 are completely different to short stories. In fact, when you check reviews, there are many people now who love his short stories and hate the books and many more who do the opposite. And there are of course thousands of hardcore Witcher 3 fans who just love them all for the world and characters he created. Sapkowski developed his writing skills very much in following years. In my opinion, he became a formidable master of written language, creating beautiful sentences with excellent vocabulary and vast knowledge of foreign languages, history, literature and many other story important details. He is very dedicated, wrote his books on a very regular basis with great concepts and storytelling. I love his hussite trilogy, which is among the most beautifully written books I ever read in polish. I have read that much is lost in the English translations and I can easily imagine that, knowing how much polish language differs in sentences constructions and word meanings alterations with cases, which is completely absent in English. You should give a chance his later books, I have a strong feeling you could like them much more than the short stories.

I thought this video was really well done. You were thorough and clear about your problems. And I really appreciate that you cited specific examples instead of just making blanket statement as many do when talking about things like this. So really nice work ^^

I mostly agree, even though I grew up reading the Witcher (I'm Polish) and I generally have sentiment for this saga, I'd enjoy it more without describing breast over and over again. The thing is intentional, though. The Witcher is a subversion of the fantasy genre. In Poland, it is often described as "fantasy for people who don't like fantasy" (I'm in this group). Pathos is replaced with farce, Tolkien-like mythological battles with casual events, wise kings with brutal politicians, heroes with professionals, the language of belles-lettres with vulgarisms... and Platonic, romantic love with vulgar sex. And two first books are definitely written purely from the perspective of Geralt, a male perspective, sadly described rather realistically, in terms of what men see first. Geralt saying "oh, perfect boobs!" instead of "oh, a mermaid!" was meant to be a comedic contrast to Tolkien, but it's rather a poor gag. However, the saga is actually about Ciri, where the supposed hero of the story -- the Witcher, is actually not important to the world (which is emphasized by the ending of Geralt's story). The parts with Ciri show different perspective, not on male-female relationships though, since she's lesbian. It's interesting, in the book it is said, that she and her girlfriend are often having sex, but the act is not actually present, only one influential to the story time. So it's not like horny Sakowski decided he'll write now lesbian erotic book for men. Be warned, though, this one time may be a bit too much for you, it's not a fairy tale after all.

Up to the swod of desteny it was ment to be poviedka (i dont know how to translate the word to keep the meaning), its suposed to do the world building show how characters think and what they look at. Geralt doesnt think about women when Ciri is arund, Dandelion doesnt sexualize Little-Eye because she cares for her as a sister, and Zerrikanians do as Jackdaws tells them because they want to because they love and are devoted to there Golden Dragon. Yes some things are little unnecesary but other are needet to paint a character. bdw nineties in central Europe is a log time ago considering this book writhen three years after fall of communism

Big ups on the video! Well said and informative.

Great video, well done. The comment you highlight at 28:36 is an interesting one. I’ve never considered that things that are problematic in the real world (racism, sexism, etc) being treated as normal and not problematic in fantasy were meant to create a starker difference between reality and the fantastical world the author is creating. If the fantastical world has sexism and nobody cares or does anything about it, that does feel wrong and foreign. I’m not sure the commenter is saying sexism doesn’t exist, but sexism in fantasy existing and being acceptable in that world is meant to heighten the fantastical element of that world. Am I interpreting that right?

Thank you for this video! I agree wholeheartedly, but will refrain from writing an essay like I did in the previous vid 😁

Such a great video! Clearly a lot of work went into this video and it shows. Would love more topics with "receipts" and excerpts

I know this is a very old video now but for what it's worth regarding a comment you made near the end: the rest of the series is indeed more like those last two stories. The focus is on Geralt and Ciri's relationship and their respective adventures, and there are a lot of great characters who grow over time with a real sense of journey and adventure that you don't get from Last Wish or Sword of Destiny since those are sort of more like short story anthologies. I won't say that the general chauvinism is completely gone but (without spoiling) it is noticeably different and there's at least one female character in particular that comes to mind who I feel has a lot of depth and has to confront some issues that the author kind of impressed me with in his handling given the track record. It may not be your cup of tea still but it's definitely one of my favorite fantasy series' and with you getting into A Song of Ice and Fire now I think maybe you'd enjoy the main series Witcher books if you decide to give them a chance. That all said I really enjoyed this video because I think it's easy as a guy growing up with stuff all over to become pretty desensitized to it and when this sexism is really demonstrated like this it's certainly thought-provoking. It really does put into perspective how much contrast there is between this sort of writing and some stories that do a lot more justice to women. That said though, the rest of the series does get better.

Other stuff - What a video! Love the delivery even more than the content. Such high level of research and preperation! The philosophy B.A. in me is blushing. Totally unrelated - If you namedrop Winds of Strife without showing the cover again, I unsubscribe and report the channel for malcontent. Lolz ok ok, jokes aside, I think it's a good idea to show the books when you mention them. You did that in previous videos. It's a BookTube thing, and it's also very supportive for the author, so, yea. And thanks for thinking of Winds of Strife! Honestly had me shivering with excitement that you think about that before Stormlight and WoT

I read Last Wish a few years ago I don't recall it being sexist tbh

Thank you so much for your content and thoughts on this series. I am a huge fan of the books, games, and tv show. Yes, there are many flaws. I would have to say Littleye’s story did bother me with her development and tragic ending of her character. In some instances it gets better in later books but in some cases it really doesn’t. Mikva’s character in Baptism of Fire comes to mind. I believe that some of Gerald’s behavior and story context is part of his arc as he matures into the father figure of a daughter and someone who ultimately wants to settle down with Yennefer (Narrative view or not). I would really enjoy your thoughts on Ciri’s arc. That being said I understand your view and I can see how problematic it is for consumers of the content and future writers as well. Thank you again for your time and hard work! You have given me a lot to think about moving forward.

It's easy to allow our favourite authors of the hock saying 'oh they didn't mean it' or just plainly refusing to see the evidence, especially when it doesn't seem relevant for the reader. Thank you for making this video, it's really important to acknowledge when something isn't quite right, even if it's in a novel we might like

It's really hard to talk about this subject without people feeling defensive. I think you've done a wonderful job of laying out the issues with the writing and I hope people did pay attention to the part where you said you weren't attacking them personally. So much of this stuff has been a part of our culture since forever and that fact has never made it right. I'm really glad that you had the courage to do this video.

The quotes about the breasts heaving might just be a translation thing like saying someone’s chest is heaving as in they are breathing hard. Idk thought cause I’m not Polish and haven’t read it in the original language.

Excellent video! I loved it. Again, I love the witcher world and I have read all the books but what you are talking about is true, we [readers] should spot this on future reads, and at least be aware of the problem. haha I know is unbelievable but there is gonna be people out there who is going to fight you on the topic even with all that evidence. Keep up the good work.

24:39 I appreciate your attempt to be fair, but your own examples (and there are many more) illustrate how weak the argument is. If the correlation you think exists is true at all, then there would be an underlying connection between (for example) playing violent video games and violence, but that's been thoroughly debunked (and I know you said it's not a one-to-one ratio, but if you can't establish any correlation than what basis do you have to make the claim?). That doesn't mean the subject isn't worth discussing, but the underlying fear is baseless. That aside, I think Sapkowski is an overrated writer and you're better off playing Witcher 3 as the best example of what the IP can do.

This is something I did not noticed in the Witcher, (it is mostly part of prose and I’m less observant of prose). I do think that it might be negligence by the author rather than malice. I know some of the stories were first published independently in a fantasy magazine, so I hypothesize that the edit they got were lacking. That might explain why the last stories (setting the saga they might published first as part of the collection) are different. Another explanation is a failed attempt in social commentary. Supporting this notion is the fact that Geralt himself is subject to sexualization and objectification in the books. Regarding to the second, he was stripped of his bodily autonomy, forcefully turned into a mutant. He is regarded by society as devoid of a heart, of scruples and of his own free will, which is mention again and again. This leads me to hypothesize that the objectification of minor characters was supposed to draw attention to the objectification of the main character as of a commentary about the human condition. Some of the stuff I can’t explain. I do think that a little sacrifice started on the right side of the issue of sexual assault. Geralt actions was presented at first as nasty and wrong. Geralt is the protagonist but he was never presented as prefect or unmalleable. The continuation of the story does undo its good start and sends a problematic message. I do hope you will continue into the Sage. The saga presents a barrage of powerful and independent female character. I searched my Ebook copy of the next book for key words regarding the female anatomy and I do think it got better on the issue. I would like to warn that this is issue is one that I less prone to notice. There is social commentary on gender issues in the books. There also some exploration of gender issues, some of it better some less, but I think it is exhilarating to find a good faith (and somewhat liberal) exploration of those issues in a book published in deeply religious and conservative country. I would like to mention that even the notion of sexual objectification of women is minorly addressed in the next book. (a morally ambiguous male is being reproached on staring at a women breast).

I only read the first book so far and have just started this one, I didn't really get the idea that the previous book was sexist, although i can see where someone would get that idea. From what I can remember, the fact that some characters were objectified wasn't treated as a good thing at all, but I can't defend a lot of the things mentioned in this video. To be fair, I do tend to miss details in a lot of stories so it might have just went over my head.

Okay, fine. This video convinced me to subscribe to your channel.

I hated this about Dresden files as well, even though it doesn't affect me personally I found it took me out of the book every few pages when it came up (which in the first few chapters was literally every new character), so I couldn't get into the actual good bits of the story. I like books that make me stop reading and think about messages, but when its actual issues just been ignored or even promoted I just find myself getting annoyed at the book and not wanting to pick it up. Thank you for this review, I was considering getting into the witcher series, but from the sounds, I'm not gonna enjoy it.

I know I'm late to the comment party but I really appreciate how you broke this down. I read The Last Wish awhile back after a bunch of people recommended reading the books and definitely put it in the "interesting world and story but dear god the sexism makes this unreadable for me today" category. Hadn't read this one but am not surprised that this trend continued. I'm sorry that your first video got the reaction it did and you had to bring this level of receipts to prove something that is quite clear to anyone who has a passing understanding of sexism. Love your channel and always appreciate your reviews!

Very thorough, amazing video. I agree with every single point, great work!!

Honestly I think most people would tell you that Sword of Destiny is the best Witcher book. It isn't the overwhelming favorite, but it is probably the most common pick. My favorite was Tower of the Swallows, but that is also a lot of peoples least favorite.

A lot of good points that i never would've noticed on my own. I hope you read the rest of the series and analyze it through this lens. My gut tells me that it does get better, but honestly i can't remember enough about it to make that call. I can definitely think of a few examples of women being described breast-first but i think there's usually at least an attempt to justify it on a character level.

Thank you for making this video. I haven't read The Witcher yet, but it was on my TBR. Now I'm a little nervous. At least I'll be prepared beforehand...

Again I am soooo curious. Ive never read the books and now I dont know if I will lol. But the tv show has such strong female characters and geralt even tho he acts like he is strong I feel the pain and the love he has. Ciri is just awesome and I think she is the real main character of the show and yenefer is also great . I would really like for you to react to the show

I loved this video. I felt the same way while reading The Witcher's books. There's sexism in all the books, unfortunately. I got sick of reading about rape (not explicit or shown, but mentioned every few pages). It's a shame, because I think the main arch of the series is great! I just didn't like how it was told, and I also felt a little violent while reading more than a bunch of times.

Oh damn! I really loved the video and the explanation of why is important to notice this kind of thing. Unfortunately I think the next books are like this one, so even though I'm a huge fan of the wittcher books I wont lie and say that the next books are free from the sexualism problems. U have got a new fan

Totally agree with you here. Also found it hard to read at times. Just out of curiosity, did you ever made it to the real books?

As 30-or-so year olds, I think we have a tendency to underestimate how long ago the 90s were lol. But yes I agree the book feels like it was written before then, even if a lot of progress has also been made in the last two decades. Good analysis by the way, glad you found some enjoyment out of those two stories at least!

I have several issues with your video, however lets start with some things I think we can agree on. With the Witcher series I didn't finish it in part because of some of the reasons you listed here. While we seem to disagree with what is permissible to have in literature. I will agree that most of your issues with the Witcher should not be tolerated IRL. I also am perfectly fine in saying all the things you listed that happened you should not have happened to you. My first issue is with your examples of sexism. Your words "In books this might take different forms, It might be that women just aren't really present in the story.". Are you actually saying that books actively require a fully fleshed out realized female character arc or it's sexist? Secondly I have a problem with how you are trying to define objectification. In general I agree with treating people as per Kant's categorical imperative. Treat everyone as an end unto themselves. Their is however a very serious problem when you start trying to apply it not only to your actions, but your internal thoughts and feelings. No one can treat everyone as an end unto themselves unless you are a hermit. Lastly I am confused about your issue with women being described (presumably by Geralt) in a sexual manner. I am perfectly fine with you getting annoyed with it being brought up way too much. Is your issue with it being constantly brought up by the author? Or are you unhappy with Geralt noticing women in a sexual manner?

I had trouble getting into the audiobook. It may have been the reader.🤷

WOW... HALF HOUR🍿 Doing great in one year !👍

There are definitely parts of The Witcher series that I wish were not in there, but I still don’t know if I would remove them. Yes, women are objectified, but so is everyone (just in other ways). Men are valued in this world only for how they are able to work/fight, while women are valued only for romance. Nobody cares about the entirety of a person, they all just care about how they can “use” other people. This stereotyping is harmful, but I do think the series as a whole wants readers to realize it is harmful. No, you should not treat women like they are treated in The Witcher. Also, you should not treat men like they are treated in The Witcher. The point is that this is a horrible world, and seeing the characters trying to survive in this horrible world is what makes the main series probably my favorite fantasy series (I also did not love The Last Wish). I also think many fans overly lionize Geralt. He is very imperfect, and is proven wrong repeatedly (the famous quote about not choosing between evils is proven idiotic and false by the story it is said in). Geralt’s relationships are portrayed as unhealthy (I still insist his relationship with Yen was toxic from the beginning), and his handling of gender is commented on at least a couple times (one I remember is the training/education of Ciri). I think in the main series (the part I like) the characterization is better, but there is also a lot more assault (including sexual violence). I feel it is done purposely to show how dark the world is and how certain events are only making it darker (and one scene puts you in the mind of the assaulted in a visceral way that felt so real and meaningful to me), so I don’t think it’s “just exploitation”, but it is a bit of an uncomfortable read.

I love the Witcher books, but I completely respect your opinion. I also recommend that you continue to read the books, because Ciri becomes the main character after this just as much, if not moreso than Geralt. You even changed my mind on a few things. One thing that you will learn later in the series (if you continue to read) is that Geralt and Ciri are the main characters, so to the unsuspecting eye, it may seem like other characters have none of their own motivations. However, all their decisions revolve around Ciri & Geralt due to the Destiny from the Law of Surprise and Ciri’s elder blood/prophecy. Ciri isn’t really present in the first two books, so it seems as if everyone’s motivations revolve around him (including men) but if you’re more aware of it towards women I can see why you feel that way. Other than that, I agree with you on a lot of things now. The way I look at it is that the book is emulating old fantasy stories even when they have misogynistic tropes (Snow White, sleeping beauty, etc) I also highly respect how respectful you come across in the video. A lot of time when people are talking about media they find problematic, they become condescending, passive aggressive, and in some cases downright hostile.

I don't think that the show is like the books (please politely correct me if I'm wrong, I've only seen part of the show and played some of the game)

I wouldn't stress it too much if you don't like the series and don't want to continue. There is too many series in the world to stress out about one series. I'm really interested in seeing how you feel about Joe Abercrombie 's series, since you have the first book now. Or whatever series you plan to read next. I would love to hear about newer series.

Yeeeee! So glad this video exists! I do wish you would read the books for the purely selfish reasons of wanting to discuss them with someone who had a similar experience with the first ones:D

Totally agree with all of this! I read the first three books and kept feeling like maybe it was just my own problem that the way the women were written bothered me so much.

I can go on and praise your review for 10 paragraphs but all I have to say is I love you for this 😂💕💕

Excellent video and I wish more people were open to have this conversation in the fantasy community. Unfortunately, the genre has so many problems of this type that people push it off as normal and get defensive when it is brought up. You can criticize something you like and with critique will come better stories. I enjoyed the first two Witcher books well enough but could not really put a finger on why I did not wish to continue. You explained so much that was going on in my mind. Amazing analysis. You made so many great points which can be applied to the genre as a whole. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in the youtube comment area to elaborate but there was so many things you said that had me screaming "Yes that's exactly it!" I am curious if you have read the Dresden Files? Because oh boy, does that series have its problems.

I think that you are totally right and bravefault💜

Thank you Bookborn, this was a thoughtful well presented video. It gave me a lot to think about. As a man those things did not stand out to me as much when I first read those two Witcher books, but my wife read it and was not very happy... I was confused. She sort of explained, I still did not really understand, but in some of the other fiction books I slowly started seeing the things she spoke about. I did not realize male authors did these things, over, and over, and over... Now that it has been brought to my attention, I can understand why it is upsetting. I appreciate that you took the time to clearly explain these points.

Wow, this was a very insightful video. I've read the last wish and the sword of destiny and didn't notice or think about any of this while reading but now that you've broken it down its so obvious! I love the games but even they contain elements of this. Thank you for all the work you put into this!

I think the book would have been markedely improved if the little eye/meemaid story had been omitted. Also, thank you for the explanations regarding sexism. As a male-bodied person its easy to overlook or just roll my eyes and move on because I haven't been the target of it. Still one of my favorite series of all time, but it's got problems and flaws. Especially early on

I agree on most of this. But isn't the breast heaving rather a description of the feelings of the person than an actual description of the breast? Like, after that line I don't know anything about how this person's breasts look but I know they are heaving, so maybe they are angry? Uncomfortable? Or just out of breath? It's just a thought as I don't know the context of these scenes of course. Neverthelesse, I really liked this video. I wouldn't have thought that I'd watch it till the end. I love how you dig deep into the book and give references to support what you are saying. Definitely a follow from me!

She never read the other books I wanna see her opinion on specifically later story Ciri and Milva

Note that there are hints that in universe the book is supposed to have been written by Dandelion, or at least based on his notes. Dandelions sexism and the narrator's sexism are thus the same.

I read all of the Witcher and I enjoyed most of it but I completely agree with you, the way it treats women always felt wrong to me but I guess that's just a lot easier to ignore when the real-life implications of that sexism don't affect you personally

Great, thoughtful, precise, well-supported critique.

Wow, thank you for making this video. It really expounded on your last wish video. This made more sense and I really agree with you

When I saw the title of your first witcher video my eyes rolled so hard they almost came unstuck from my head.. but after having watched both now, you made some good points and the only one I think you got wrong was regarding the women's "heaving breasts" he's describing them breathing heavily, not there tits both men and women have breasts armor that covers the front torso is called a breastplate.. I hope you read the rest of the story and I look forward to your review!! You've gained a sub :)

Great video (the previous one was as well), I think you put it very nicely when you said: there is a difference between a book that is sexist and book that has a sexist society. I see it so often that people try to justify racist, misogynistic books (pr movies) by saying it's only realistic and this is how a realistic society works. But just as you said, you could have such societies without the narrative agreeing with it. What really bugs me is the so called thermian argument (coined by Dan Olson aka Folding Ideas), where people try to justify (controversial) things by claiming that it has an in-universe explanation, it is consistent with the worldbuilding of the fiction in question. This argument disregards the fact that the creator(s) made concious choices to have these controversial elements in their stories. I think it's way more important to ask questions like: why was it necessary to create a world where sorceresses need to be attractive in order to be taken seriously? why create a world where sexual violence agains women is prevalent? In a fantasy book, you could literarly have anything, and somehow still the medieval Europe is the baseline (or what people thing that society was like). And the funny part is, that the question of realism only comes up when justifying somekind of bigotry. I never heard people saying: yeah, I want to read books with realistic description of things like menstruation, body hair, people dying of infection, people getting sick during a quest because of lack of hygiene and so on. Sorry for the long comment, I'm very passionate about the subject :D

It's really interesting the things people take away from these stories. I think, through the scope of our own experiences, the things described seem ridiculous, sexist and problematic, but, personally how I veiwed them, was the experiences through the lenses of the characters in this world. Dandelion is a chauvinist with very little control of his impulses. Geralt is inscure, lonely and often at odds with his own feelings and emotions. Some of the actions described by the dwarves aren't for the sake of showing anything other than the reality of the place the world written around them, it's not to fit an agenda of the writer, it's to just tell what happened, what those characters experienced and what they felt, wanted, heard and had chosen. A Little Sacrifice might be one of my favourite Witcher short stories because it feels so human. It's messy, and the choices the characters made don't always make sense, it's contradictory, it's fallible and the choices made are grey, just like humanity, just like real people; I think the story is excellent for that. I think I related to Essi and Geralt more in those pages than to any other character in any other series I've read. It's easy to say the story is sexist because it describes boobs, or it's sexist because Geralt wants to be offered a whore and has pity sex with someone, but without those things (and without the nuance), the story loses what makes it so special.

While I don’t necessarily agree with all the points you make, I have some bias since I think some of the details may be lost in translation to English. I think several remarks here in the comments section unfairly misrepresent both your views and the author, since I think your views are valid, and I do not think many are informed on the views of the author either. For example he has said “I believe that the feminine element dominates in nature. Women are generally stronger than men. All power of this world should be in the hands of women. Life, the world are too serious to leave it in our [man's] hands." While even the Slavic community likes to poke fun at him seemingly always mentioning a woman’s breasts, which is definitely silly, even in the earliest stories I like to think Sapkowski highlights how men are a cause of great strife in the setting and issues with toxic masculinity (I immediately think of Stregabor and Renfri, or Calanthe’s determination to be queen in the face of sexist prejudice). It only continues to build in the books going forward. I wouldn’t call it perfect by any means, but considering it’s origins in central and Eastern European writing as well as Sapkowski’s attempt at alluding to female heroes of Slavic mythology, I tend to lean positive. Thank you for your articulated and well discussed video. Edit: Apologies for continuing the long comment, if you have the time or ability here is a great video from a female Transylvanian KZfaqr Anna (who is very under appreciated imo) who went into great detail on the cultural elements, including sexism, in the Witcher books. It is a great watch if you can give it a chance. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/btmPgdmB2KzVZWg.html

I love Geralt in The Witcher 3 game, he was utterly hilarious. All I remember from the books is how whiny he was :D

Edit: Never mind. You're right. I should've watched the whole video before commenting. I'm not a fan of the Witcher. Read only The Last Wish. And I agree with the writing being sexist (although I wouldn't fault the writer yet since he might be trying to portray the world he is building as sexist and maybe he plays with that in the later books and I would know that if only I read them), except the writer describing female parts when the point of the view is a straight male or a gay female. That's just writing in POV (and if I remember correctly Witcher is written in 3rd person limited, so my argument should hold). I had similar debate with my friend who didn't like the Hannibal books (I didn't like them either) because my friend felt that the writing in the chapters from the killer's perspective felt like it was trying to convince him that the killer was the victim. I mean, of course it was! It was in the killer's perspective. The point for it is to try to put you in the shoes of the killer. And you should feel yucky being in the shoes of a killer (if you're normal). That's what good writing is. Basically, I think if it's not written in omniscient pov, the writing is never sexist just because it describes female body parts when it's in a straight male or a gay female character's perspective. The caveat is that if the writer objectify women when in straight men's or gay women's perspective but forgets to objectify men when in straight women's or gay men's perspective, then we can question the writer's character and the writing's value.

Thank you for being female fantasy fans' voice on this. I appreciate it. This was a great video and it made me a subscriber. I didn't read The witcher, but I am having similar problems with The Dresden files. How hard is for an author to understand that around half of potential readers out there do NOT want to read about female breasts and/or asses descriptions. To put it simply to all potential authors out there: When you write in a sexist manner, when breast, lips and ass descriptions come along with every female character introduced...you are making a big chunk of your readers feel like objects, less than a person. That feels very, very, VERY bad. No one wants to read to feel treated like crap.

I have too much to say I don't know where to start :cry:

Thanks for making this video. I've read 4 of the Witcher books now, and constantly get annoyed with these issues you mentioned. It's not that the books are bad, but i'm getting tired of feeling grossed out, lol. They're not for me, i guess.

Your moral prescription of the author being sexist and critiquing him for positioning the reader through geralts male perspective and sexuality, insinuates that male sexuality is inherently sexist. You are conflating your ideological beliefs that differences between genders and their sexuality is purely a social construct but do not recognize your own bias from your sexual experiences as a woman could distort what sexuality ought to be, (even though you argue using your experiences as a woman of sexual harassment during the video). In claiming impartiality, you implicitly place female sexuality as morally righteous and dismiss the critical importance of aesthetics of female anatomy for male sexuality. Female and male sexuality are distinct and need to be respected as such. They are generalized as differing combinations of biological imperatives AND sociological context. Male sexuality might cause disgust for you as a woman when you read it, but it's that grittiness that makes it an authentic insight into the mind of the Witcher that is tonally consistent with the vulgarity of its fantasy world. By just saying it's objectivication you mischaracterize and reduce the moral agency of geralt as a man, the intense sexual feelings upon looking at breasts for a man is not immoral, but rather how the man chooses to compose himself facing those intrinsic desires that CAN be immoral. The narrative theme of "everyone can be monsters" is illustrated here as Geralt is facing the sexual monster within himself, as every man does and while he doesn't get it right every time it provides referencing for the male reader on how to handle their own sexuality. The more references someone has the better men can handle their sexuality in social relations in the real world. Therefore it is moral to express the aesthetic desires of male sexuality within fiction indiscriminately.

This was my favourite short story in the book, but you’re right the descriptions are pretty ridiculous and objectify a bunch. I’m glad I can now look back at this story with a bit more criticism. I thought the story was tragic though with the ending. The loving Geralt after 2 days thing was really stupid. And Geralt is a dummy. I agree. But that short story nearly made me cry by the end of it. And yes, these characters are flawed people, not meant to be reflections of good people we want to aspire to be like in every facet. I’m glad both you and I can see the good and bad in these stories.

Amazing video 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 You said what needed to be said! I only read The Last Wish and was not a big fan but i do enjoy the tv show (it's not perfect but better).

Great vid! The Witcher certainly had its flaws.

The end of your video is very powerful. It helps people like me who haven’t experienced these things understand their gravity more seriously. Thanks for taking the time to lay all of that out so that we can all become more aware and careful how we treat each other, and how we choose to consume media.

This video is amazing.

Ok I just wanted to say that I watched this video to see if I should read the witcher series which I've been meaning to read for a while. I've heard some of this stuff before and that it doesn't pick up till the 3rd book or something. I'm about to finish the First Law Trilogy and honestly hate it. Love the characters but sick of reading 3 books to find something good. Especially since the only woman protagonist in the story has the same personality of many of the other protagonists in the series. Anyways I didn't agree with all of what you said but as the video went on, you convinced me not to read the Witcher series. I also agreed with almost every example you had of the sexist things in it. I haven't read it so I don't know everything :D

Hey, here's a fact of life: women have breasts, men notice women's breasts - often. Also, didn't you think that the sex scenes and female descriptions were there because the story was following Geralt an adult male, and when Ciri was the main character the storytelling obviously left those out. Isn't that pretty self evident?

It was written in the 1990s, but also in Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe's culture was way more sexist than American culture at that time.

Many good points but 2 I disagree with. 1). I don't think angry women's heaving breast is supposed to be sexual. Maybe they should have said chest, but it just means they are fuming/huffing in anger. 2). Geralt being the hero doesn't mean we should agree with him. Geralt's poor understanding of his own feelings is a big thing in the books. Also hes jaded from seeing the worst of humanity for so many decades

I found The Last Wish very entertaining. But it wasn't compelling enough for me to pick up the next book and continue reading its story. I may not notice its sexist nature but I guess you have a point. 🤓

As someone who only read Last Wish and SOD I didn't notice the sexism as much at the time but now seeing your video it is way more prevalent than I had originally thought. I wish all of the book was as good as the stories with Ciri since they were much better in my opinion. Also great video in general!

Your arguments were awesome, i agree with your conclusions, you are based as fuck, i’m subscribing.

You made claims about the author saying you think he is not a great person from his fantasy novel.

You've done an excellent job in this video, spelling out your argument with patience and giving specific and unambiguous examples to back up your analysis. In short, you're right: Sapkowski does objectify women in both The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny. Those are the only two Witcher books I've read so far, and that was the one thing that prevented me from fully enjoying them. There's a lot to enjoy about the books -- some good character work, some interesting work around the theme that the humans are the really aggressive monsters, etc. You could even argue that Sapkowski presents a strong and liberated female character in Yennefer. Ciri is fantastic too, as you said. But, as you have carefully and persuasively argued, the instances of objectification are numerous and form a pattern that hindered my full enjoyment and immersion in both books. Thanks for this!

It gets better in future books.

I’ve not read the Witcher but from what you’ve said I agree with you, the only thing I’d say is that ‘breast’ as in ‘her breast was heaving’ was maybe just meant to mean chest? I’ve seen both men and women that are out of breath described as they’re breast heaving. As for in real life I totally agree that objectification still exits, just not only for women, I’ve been objected myself by women while working. We all need to do better. Great video! 👍🏻

One advantage of e-books is search (don't worry, I prefer paper). I searched for two words I thought would come up in problematic scenes - breasts & blouse (or I could have looked for straining against...). The Last Wish 7 total, Sword of Destiny 14, and the first novel Blood of Elves 4. In the short stories, pretty much always in disagreeable scenes. In Blood of Elves, mainly Dandelion/Jaskier. I tend to read past romance scenes (not why I'm reading them), so did not pay attention. One throw away scene with Dandelion would be one thing... I agree with the sexism based on your observations. Most fans will say the novels are better than the short stories. I think the sexism improves, but would have to reread to confirm. Reading Blood of Elves is worthwhile, if you want to give it another chance. The novels are more like the 2 short stories you enjoyed. Do you watch the Netflix show? Best -Matt

I can only vaguely remember the details of the story since I've read the books about six years ago. I knew there were problematic or ridiculous parts but the only things that stuck with me over time were the characters (at least the fleshed out ones with an agenda), the world building with its Eastern European influences and the comments on a racist society. It was really interesting and insightful to get your perspective spelled out like this and I definitely agree. I feel like this should have been discussed more often, even if there is a lot to like about the rest. Concerning the topic if you would read on... I would say give the next book a try. The style differs from the first two since they are novels with a coherent storyline that revolves more and more around Ciri. I honestly can't remember if the objectification of women still as bad as in the short stories, but the potential ist there. What I can say for sure is that if you don't like the next one, you won't like the rest. Great video, great channel. Finally the KZfaq algorithm recommended something worthwhile. :D

I think ur projecting on the book

We arent nerds, just like different things. No one gets called jock anymore.

I understand your points, but I don’t think it rises to a level where it ruins the stories, and it feels like you’re missing a lot of the story by only focusing on one aspect of it

Subbing. Great job.

Wow. Awesome video. I love how methodical you analyzed this subject. And I 100% agree with you. I think it’s so important to reflect on the sexism in our society and try to become better.

Awesome video!

Yeah there's definitely a case to be made about the objectification of women in these books. I'd like to know though, if describing a woman's bossom qualifies as objectification, what would be the equivalent for men? I'm not asking for a pointless debate here, i'd really like to know. Like, what's the physical attribute for men which would work in the same way? (english not my first language, hope I'm clear enough)

I really don't want to be "that guy" because I do understand what are you saying about constant depiction of breasts. Short stories are definitely more comic book like and pulpy, and overly sxual etc, etc. To be honest it is not like this issue doesn't appear in five books of Saga, but female characters are much more developed in the, they have agency and overall it is a story that takes upon of theme of why neutrality is wrong, why power corrupts, that bodily autonomy is indisputable ‘right’, it criticizes bigotry and hatred etc, etc. In times it is not really woke for today’s standards though. What I want to say is that I think if you give the series a chance you may not regret it. Or you might I don’t know. Having said that I want to point that in original language there is no reference to Borch owning his bodyguards as slaves. Him saying “those are my girls” in polish do not suggest that he “owns” them. Also, at least for me, scene with Essi on the balcony doesn’t read so aggressive and rapy. It should be translated that she says: How so? or How come? But I’m a guy so I might not be alert enough to such a thing. People saying that those books are written in different culture or times are full of shit to be honest. I don’t buy that argument. It says that we in estern europe have a leeway to be sexist because we are some kind of backwards society what is ridiculous. Plus, equality and women rights were like big thing for communist, so you can't say it is because of that. edit: i am not saying that you are wrong with your reading of scene with essi. And i don't try to say that there are no sexist scenes and themes across books, but i want tho say that there is more to witcher and you may find many female characters interesting later in the saga. Also translation is really mediocre to be fair and it is sad for me that english readers will not experience how great Sapkowski can write. oh, and there is progressively more Ciri in the saga than there is Geralt, and he changes as character a lot. Short stories are more of stand alone books, written earlier when Sapkowski didn't have in plan to write rest of the saga.

I don't think I said last year how much I appreciated this video even I disagreed at first until I had to step back and think about the female representation in the books. I do wonder why people do not have the same problems with poor male I guess it's because there is more sexism within media.

I can honestly say I have no interest in The Witcher, be it the books, video games, or tv show.