Hmm, I think it depends on how we're defining genre. It's hard for me to come up with female authors who are non-genre (which in its broadest sense seems to just mean non-lit fic) because I as a rule am bored silly by literary fiction. But I can name a to of women authors I like in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror/speculative/mystery/thriller/historical/humor. Hell, I'll even admit to a few romance writers (well, they're kind of on the line, anyway
( ... )
Yeah, lit fic is a difficult proposition with me. It's gotta be *really* good. Most of them are just sorta okay. I've definitely read way more female sci fi authors.
the same book about a person dealing with a change in life and reflecting on where they've been and where they're going and the relationships with people around themi
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't read it either way. But you're probably right.
it's a disconnect between what culture tells women they should be and what I as a woman actually think and experienceHmm, that's interesting. I've always seen most women as this sort of great faceless mass of hair-clothes-makeup-omgboys!-screech and then later kids-SUV-boring-boring-uninteresting-gettingdrunkontheweekend-omg!manicures! But there have to be other types of women out there, right? They're just not being marketed to
( ... )
Some contemporary and classic female magic realists: Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Amy Bender, Mary Gaitskill, Louise Erdrich, Angela Carter, Toni Morrison, etc. There are tons more.
Kelly Link has all her stuff downloadable and free at her website.
I think it's more than there are other women than the hairclothes-makeup-kids-SUV-boring women that aren't being marketed to. I think it's that "hair/clothes/makeup/kids/suv" is what's being *marketed to women*. And that even the women that superficially fit that mold have more going on usually, actually have an inner life beyond that ...the ones that are nothing but that are fairly rare, I think. Which is not to say all of them are interesting! There are plenty of boring people in this world who have no ambition, no passion. But that's not a gendered thing. It applies equally to the guys
( ... )
Oh yeah, I like Kage Baker, I keep meaning to read more but there are so many of those Company books and you never find them all in once place at one time. :( But her style is really brisk and fun. Also now I'm sad because I didn't realize she'd died. Boo.
That's creepy about the 'trappings' thing, but I'm glad to know there's more going on there than it looks like. I mean I see these people around but I have no idea what goes on in their lives, beyond the surfacey stuff. It's nice to know that there's, well, more to know. Although it comes across as sorta Stepford-y.
Honestly growing up it never really occurred to me that there might be something weird about reading science fiction or fantasy, aside from the fact that nothing I did really fit in a 'normal' category. And I mean a lot of those writers *were* women, and initially I wanted to be a fantasy writer. That never seemed weird to me. I guess to me, normal is weird, and weird is normal. For what that's worth.
Well, a lot of that may have been my own personal neuroses. But in this case, the neuroses was not being able to not care what my peers might think. Still. I was...hmm. I was very aware of being weird, and so when I went from the small artsy charter school full of unusual kids to the big high school , with its very firm unspoken rules of what was acceptable and what was not acceptable....well, I already knew I didn't fit in, and I guess I was trying to minimize what i could.
Kage Baker is awesome. I fell in love with the company novels, but more recently, I've been astounded by the fantasy world books. Anvil of the World was very good, but I recently read The Bird of the River and just was stunned by how good it was. And in looking up titles of things, I realized that both Judith Merkle Riley and Kage Baker both died in 2010 of reproductive-system cancers. (Ovarian and uterine, respectively).
I hung out with the theater kids for a while. But yeah, I'm there with the 'trying to minimize' thing, though that wasn't really until later. It's frustrating because you expend so much energy on it, so it's impossible not to foster some resentment.
I guess I should look for more of her stuff, huh? I've never even heard of Bird of the River.
I agree with you strongly on all these points! Especially this:
I've often felt a disconnect between myself and those "girly" things (chick lit! obsession with designer shoes! fashion magazines! Interior design!), but I've come to realize that it's not me that's disconnected from the experiences of other women...it's a disconnect between what culture tells women they should be and what I as a woman actually think and experience.
Yes! Huge agreement. Lots of things are, as you say, "coded" for women or coded for men.
And god help us when the women like the manly things. How much the popularity with women of various male-coded fiction disconcerts people (especially the producers/publishers/whatever) always kind of amuses me. (Well, better to laugh than cry.)
Though I don't think I've ever seen it as obvious as it was from the Stargate folks when SGU came out, and there were complaints from fans about the depiction of women. It was kind of like "Good riddance! Stupid girls, watching our show."
Reply
the same book about a person dealing with a change in life and reflecting on where they've been and where they're going and the relationships with people around themi
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't read it either way. But you're probably right.
it's a disconnect between what culture tells women they should be and what I as a woman actually think and experienceHmm, that's interesting. I've always seen most women as this sort of great faceless mass of hair-clothes-makeup-omgboys!-screech and then later kids-SUV-boring-boring-uninteresting-gettingdrunkontheweekend-omg!manicures! But there have to be other types of women out there, right? They're just not being marketed to ( ... )
Reply
Kelly Link has all her stuff downloadable and free at her website.
"Haunting Olivia" by Russell is available online here. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/06/13/050613fi_fiction
Reply
Free. Free is good. Yes.
Reply
Reply
That's creepy about the 'trappings' thing, but I'm glad to know there's more going on there than it looks like. I mean I see these people around but I have no idea what goes on in their lives, beyond the surfacey stuff. It's nice to know that there's, well, more to know. Although it comes across as sorta Stepford-y.
Honestly growing up it never really occurred to me that there might be something weird about reading science fiction or fantasy, aside from the fact that nothing I did really fit in a 'normal' category. And I mean a lot of those writers *were* women, and initially I wanted to be a fantasy writer. That never seemed weird to me. I guess to me, normal is weird, and weird is normal. For what that's worth.
Reply
Kage Baker is awesome. I fell in love with the company novels, but more recently, I've been astounded by the fantasy world books. Anvil of the World was very good, but I recently read The Bird of the River and just was stunned by how good it was. And in looking up titles of things, I realized that both Judith Merkle Riley and Kage Baker both died in 2010 of reproductive-system cancers. (Ovarian and uterine, respectively).
Reply
I guess I should look for more of her stuff, huh? I've never even heard of Bird of the River.
Reply
I've often felt a disconnect between myself and those "girly" things (chick lit! obsession with designer shoes! fashion magazines! Interior design!), but I've come to realize that it's not me that's disconnected from the experiences of other women...it's a disconnect between what culture tells women they should be and what I as a woman actually think and experience.
Yes! Huge agreement. Lots of things are, as you say, "coded" for women or coded for men.
Reply
Though I don't think I've ever seen it as obvious as it was from the Stargate folks when SGU came out, and there were complaints from fans about the depiction of women. It was kind of like "Good riddance! Stupid girls, watching our show."
Reply
Leave a comment