A number of which terms had me raise my eyebrow in regard of Swordspoint. But hey! People read books are see different things in it. It happens.
True... but I have to say I'm a bit surprised at ErrantBard's commentary on Swordspoint. I didn't see most of that at all... In fact, it felt a bit like Dumas' writing, with the mixture of swordplay, sex and politics. It just happened to have a homosexual couple as the lead couple (and yeah, don't get me started about the implied homophobia of ErrantBard's comment). But this probably isn't the time or place for literary analysis. *g*
I find myself even more offended at Pat's comment that Privilege is "girly fantasy". Because hey, I'm a girl and... I hated the book. So according to his generalization, am I not girly? I am a manly girl or simply an especially enlightened female?
The thought that good writing = male and bad writing = female is infuriating. Either you liked the book or you didn't - why is gender assignment necessary? I sincerely doubt Pat would have said the same things had the author been male.
I'm also still curious about which elements are associated with specific genders and why.
I think generally the implication is that writing designed for women is mediocre at best. I've seen more than a few comments that say, "It's a good book... for that genre (usually meaning chick lit or a genre that people believe mostly appeals to women)."
I think I'm also bothered by the idea that if a man gets emotional in a book, it's not authentic. Men are not made from one mold; they have different emotional capacities and reactions. Some men cry a lot and are very "emo", as the reviewer put it; some men never cry. Some women cry constantly; others never cry. One is not better than the other, nor is one more authentic than the other. Am I a bad female because I rarely weep? Because I tend to act rationally and logically the majority of the time? Does this mean I'm acting like a male? No, it means I'm acting like myself.
Stereotypically "female" book elements:
- an overly emotional hero/heroine (usually the latter. rarely do heroes seem to be in touch with their emotions)
- a romance or established relationship, which may or may not go through turmoil
Stereotypically "male" book elements:
- lots of action, usually featuring a hero with a stoic exterior
- the hero is often surrounded by one or more sexy women who fall all over him (heterosexual relationships only)
no subject
True... but I have to say I'm a bit surprised at ErrantBard's commentary on Swordspoint. I didn't see most of that at all... In fact, it felt a bit like Dumas' writing, with the mixture of swordplay, sex and politics. It just happened to have a homosexual couple as the lead couple (and yeah, don't get me started about the implied homophobia of ErrantBard's comment). But this probably isn't the time or place for literary analysis. *g*
I find myself even more offended at Pat's comment that Privilege is "girly fantasy". Because hey, I'm a girl and... I hated the book. So according to his generalization, am I not girly? I am a manly girl or simply an especially enlightened female?
The thought that good writing = male and bad writing = female is infuriating. Either you liked the book or you didn't - why is gender assignment necessary? I sincerely doubt Pat would have said the same things had the author been male.
I'm also still curious about which elements are associated with specific genders and why.
I think generally the implication is that writing designed for women is mediocre at best. I've seen more than a few comments that say, "It's a good book... for that genre (usually meaning chick lit or a genre that people believe mostly appeals to women)."
I think I'm also bothered by the idea that if a man gets emotional in a book, it's not authentic. Men are not made from one mold; they have different emotional capacities and reactions. Some men cry a lot and are very "emo", as the reviewer put it; some men never cry. Some women cry constantly; others never cry. One is not better than the other, nor is one more authentic than the other. Am I a bad female because I rarely weep? Because I tend to act rationally and logically the majority of the time? Does this mean I'm acting like a male? No, it means I'm acting like myself.
Stereotypically "female" book elements:
- an overly emotional hero/heroine (usually the latter. rarely do heroes seem to be in touch with their emotions)
- a romance or established relationship, which may or may not go through turmoil
Stereotypically "male" book elements:
- lots of action, usually featuring a hero with a stoic exterior
- the hero is often surrounded by one or more sexy women who fall all over him (heterosexual relationships only)