It seems peculiar to me to say all these things about women writers and then tack that disclaimer on the end, "Unless it's genre fiction." I mean, obviously women writing genre fiction are not any the less women for writing genre fiction? Why would their gender suddenly not count if they're writing about spaceships rather than family picnics?
I suspect that at least some of what you're getting at here is that you dislike the kinds of genres that are typically marketed to female readers. Publishers have a fairly clear idea of what sorts of books they think women want to read, and they not only to cater that idea but continually reinforce it. That doesn't make women uninterested in domestic lit less female, except perhaps for a few annoyed marketing specialists whose statistical models fail
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Also, now that I think about it, I think I'm confused by your definition of "genre." I assume you include mysteries, thrillers, SFF, historical fiction...? But I see chick list and family sagas as just two more genres. And if a person considers literary fiction a genre (I do), it's not obvious what's left after you've removed all the genre fiction.
Well I used to work in libraries, so I think of it as 'all genres' and 'general fiction.' In a categorization sense. Genres are mystery, romance, western, science fiction, fantasy, horror (and I might be forgetting some). Non-genre is anything that doesn't get a little sticker on the spine.
Why would their gender suddenly not count if they're writing about spaceships rather than family picnics?
Oh well, no my issue's not with them being more or less female, and it's not a thing to do with gender at all--it's that when I go looking for books and pick one up, I read what it's about and if it looks boring, back on the shelf it goes. This happens all the time with non-genre fiction by women, but I've read tons of genre fiction by women. I mean that I pick up books and read them if they're interesting, but the only female writers I can think of that I've read and enjoyed lately are genre writers.
Maybe the gender does count though. I don't know. That's part of what I'm wondering. I mean it's no shock to me that I find the average interests of non-genre (i.e. non-geeky non-nerdy non-science fiction or fantasy-reading and writing) female dull. Deadly dull. So I think this goes beyond gender into a gender-culture thing. We're not part of the same culture. I wasn't culturally indoctrinated. I'm still not.
I suspect that at least some of what you're getting at here is that you dislike the kinds of genres that are typically marketed to female readers. Publishers have a fairly clear idea of what sorts of books they think women want to read, and they not only to cater that idea but continually reinforce it. That doesn't make women uninterested in domestic lit less female, except perhaps for a few annoyed marketing specialists whose statistical models fail ( ... )
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Oh well, no my issue's not with them being more or less female, and it's not a thing to do with gender at all--it's that when I go looking for books and pick one up, I read what it's about and if it looks boring, back on the shelf it goes. This happens all the time with non-genre fiction by women, but I've read tons of genre fiction by women. I mean that I pick up books and read them if they're interesting, but the only female writers I can think of that I've read and enjoyed lately are genre writers.
Maybe the gender does count though. I don't know. That's part of what I'm wondering. I mean it's no shock to me that I find the average interests of non-genre (i.e. non-geeky non-nerdy non-science fiction or fantasy-reading and writing) female dull. Deadly dull. So I think this goes beyond gender into a gender-culture thing. We're not part of the same culture. I wasn't culturally indoctrinated. I'm still not.
Publishers have a ( ... )
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