"When It Changed" is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

short story by American writer

Joanna Russ Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as '' How to Suppress Women's Writing'', as ...

. It was first published in the anthology ''

Again, Dangerous Visions ''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972) is a science fiction short story anthology, edited by American author Harlan Ellison. It is the follow-up to ''Dangerous Visions'' (1967), also edited by Ellison. Cover art and interior illustrations are by Ed ...

''.

Synopsis

Janet Evason lives on Whileaway, an all-female human colony planet whose inhabitants produce offspring by combining

ova , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

because all their males died in a plague 30 generations earlier. When male astronauts arrive from Earth, they say that Earth has become genetically deficient and tell her that they would like to reproduce with women. Janet's wife tries to kill the astronauts; Janet stops her, but realizes that their very existence will change Whileaway society forever.

Reception

"When It Changed" won the 1972

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short sto ...

,When It Changed
at

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

; retrieved October 27, 20128 and was a finalist for the 1973

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction of ...

.1973 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved October 28, 2018

Themes and historical time period

In the afterword, Russ states that "When It Changed" was written to challenge ideas in

that had not, at the time of writing, been addressed. These ideas were related to the way women—and societies consisting solely of women—were handled by writers who are male. She wrote: (Note: The Laumer story was actually named "War Against the Yukks".) Russ also mentions

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...

's novel ''

The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the f ...

'' as an influence on the story. In the "Image of Women in Science Fiction", Russ asserts that women have not been accurately portrayed in science fiction. She wrote: "When It Changed" contains themes of

queer theory Queer theory is a field of post-structuralist critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of queer studies (formerly often known as gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies. The term "queer theory" is broadly associated with the study a ...

and its contribution to the non-rigid definition of women's image. This in turn gives women the opportunity to not follow the defined past role of feminism and partake in queer relationships. The story's conclusion alludes to the ending of such an ideal when masculine/heterosexual forces threaten the character's way of life, and in turn, queer as a concept. The story emphasizes the rigidity of such forces through the steadfast beliefs of the alien species about the traditional gender roles. The alien's language equates the word people to men, implying the implicit sexist and masculine connotation behind the non-native's words, contrasting with Whileaway's current opinion on the role of women.

Awards and nominations

, 1973 *

nominee, 1973 * James Tiptree, Jr. Award (retroactive, 1996)

References

External links

* {{Feminist science fiction 1972 short stories James Tiptree Jr. Award–winning works Again, Dangerous Visions short stories Feminist science fiction Single-gender worlds Nebula Award for Best Short Story–winning works