Art & Creativity Quote by Ken Follett

Follett’s line lands like a polite indictment wrapped in industry shorthand. By calling thrillers “traditionally very masculine,” he’s not just describing a readership or a marketing category; he’s naming a default worldview baked into the genre’s machinery: agency belongs to men, urgency belongs to men, and women are often positioned as atmosphere. “Rather decorative” is the tell. It’s a damning phrase precisely because it’s understated, the kind of euphemism that mirrors how the problem has been normalized. Decorative characters don’t make decisions; they get looked at, rescued, endangered, avenged. They exist to motivate the plot, not to generate it.

The intent feels twofold: a critique of older thriller conventions and a quiet permission slip for readers to see the seams. Follett came up in the era when the blockbuster thriller was dominated by hard-edged male protagonists and women as love interests, victims, or prizes - archetypes that made the pages turn without challenging the audience’s assumptions. His phrasing acknowledges that this wasn’t accidental; it was “traditional,” meaning reinforced by editors, cover design, film adaptations, and the commercial belief that “relatable” meant male.

Subtextually, Follett is also positioning himself within a shifting cultural landscape. By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the genre’s center of gravity moved: more women writing thrillers, more women demanding interiority on the page, more public impatience with cardboard “strong female characters” who are still basically props. The quote works because it’s blunt without being performative - an admission that the old model sold well, and a nod that it shouldn’t keep getting a free pass.