Re: meanders by againoyceterJune 15 2006, 18:07:09 UTC
Unfortunately, I haven't read enough about either Tiptree or Norton to know how they fit in... most of what I know about them is via hearsay =(.
On a side note, because you do bring up "literature is defined by men" - do you hold that quality in literature is without affect by cultural norms - that what Russian readers find to be "great" would be the same sort of thing that American readers find as great?
No, I think quality in literature and what's defined as literature is greatly affected by cultural norms. I can't say if a list by women in a gender-neutral society would be different from a list by men, though I'd argue that right now, because most of what's considered as "great" literature has been defined by men, it's hard to talk about it without that filter.
I think many women write within a male tradition (aka, the "mainstream" tradition), largely because there is no documentation of a female tradition. It's hard to write in a tradition that you don't know exists.
While Russ' book is intended to be confrontation with its use of the term "suppress," which is why I think she wrote it in the style of a manual, I think she makes a good point. People don't have to deliberately intend to oppress something on an individual level if the societal strictures are already in place to do that for them.
On a side note, because you do bring up "literature is defined by men" - do you hold that quality in literature is without affect by cultural norms - that what Russian readers find to be "great" would be the same sort of thing that American readers find as great?
No, I think quality in literature and what's defined as literature is greatly affected by cultural norms. I can't say if a list by women in a gender-neutral society would be different from a list by men, though I'd argue that right now, because most of what's considered as "great" literature has been defined by men, it's hard to talk about it without that filter.
I think many women write within a male tradition (aka, the "mainstream" tradition), largely because there is no documentation of a female tradition. It's hard to write in a tradition that you don't know exists.
While Russ' book is intended to be confrontation with its use of the term "suppress," which is why I think she wrote it in the style of a manual, I think she makes a good point. People don't have to deliberately intend to oppress something on an individual level if the societal strictures are already in place to do that for them.
Reply
Leave a comment