3 Links, Not Linked
Very busy this weekend, as you no doubt know-I realize I've practically been going up to everyone, clutching them by the shoulders and saying "Do you know how much work I have??"-but I've been working on posts about these various links for a while now so I should really put them up.
1) On a somber note, I was interested by this article from io9: Do DC and Marvel Need a Special Victims Unit? It's a discussion of comic book plotlines which involve male superheroes being raped (generally after having been slipped some kind of mickey by a villainess). It's not a topic everyone can read about, but I thought it brought up points which were worth addressing (not that I am a comic reader, but the larger concepts apply other media).
"For female characters, rape is often used as a sort of origin story, or a restart for the character. The character will make mention of it, recognize the pain caused by it, and use it as a motivation to build up strength and toughness. For male characters, rape seems to be a by-product of the need to explain the existence of a child by an extremely inappropriate woman. Unfortunately, when modern audiences... identify the conception of the child as rape, the creators are hemmed in. They cannot explain it away, and yet they cannot have the characters deal with it."
An interesting question: has our pro-gender-equality society reached a point yet where an adult man can express emotional pain at having a woman take sexual advantage of him? Sadly, it seems like the answer to that is no.
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2) A lighter link for Elizabeth Gaskell fans: this unintentionally hilarious article I came across on How to Study Gaskell Using the "Internet." Oh 1997! With your World-Wide Web and your external modems and your dial-up service!
"We can make 'e-mail pals' with other Gaskellians all over the world."
"Most people would reasonably argue against the wisdom of sending an important message by e-mail."
"Nowadays people of all ages know the word Internet, but the most widespread misunderstanding is that which assumes the Internet means homepage."
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3) A bit of entertainment news I read the other day: Amy Sherman-Palladino, writer/creator of Gilmore Girls*, is going to have a new series on HBO. This is the premise:
"[The show] chronicles the complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne'er-do-well brother."
I wasn't that interested by this description (too soapy) until I scanned through the comments, in which someone pointed out: Hello, does that sound like the Brontes to anybody?
A modern take on the weird, histrionic lives of the Bronte sisters? Okay, now you have my attention. Guess we'll have to wait and see if that's actually the inspiration. A nice clue would be if she calls it Haworth Girls...
*By the way, my mom and I stalled halfway through GG season 3, so no casual spoilery comments plz!
1) On a somber note, I was interested by this article from io9: Do DC and Marvel Need a Special Victims Unit? It's a discussion of comic book plotlines which involve male superheroes being raped (generally after having been slipped some kind of mickey by a villainess). It's not a topic everyone can read about, but I thought it brought up points which were worth addressing (not that I am a comic reader, but the larger concepts apply other media).
"For female characters, rape is often used as a sort of origin story, or a restart for the character. The character will make mention of it, recognize the pain caused by it, and use it as a motivation to build up strength and toughness. For male characters, rape seems to be a by-product of the need to explain the existence of a child by an extremely inappropriate woman. Unfortunately, when modern audiences... identify the conception of the child as rape, the creators are hemmed in. They cannot explain it away, and yet they cannot have the characters deal with it."
An interesting question: has our pro-gender-equality society reached a point yet where an adult man can express emotional pain at having a woman take sexual advantage of him? Sadly, it seems like the answer to that is no.
_____
2) A lighter link for Elizabeth Gaskell fans: this unintentionally hilarious article I came across on How to Study Gaskell Using the "Internet." Oh 1997! With your World-Wide Web and your external modems and your dial-up service!
"We can make 'e-mail pals' with other Gaskellians all over the world."
"Most people would reasonably argue against the wisdom of sending an important message by e-mail."
"Nowadays people of all ages know the word Internet, but the most widespread misunderstanding is that which assumes the Internet means homepage."
_____
3) A bit of entertainment news I read the other day: Amy Sherman-Palladino, writer/creator of Gilmore Girls*, is going to have a new series on HBO. This is the premise:
"[The show] chronicles the complicated relationship between three adult sisters, all writers sharing the same upper east side apartment building, and their mother, a domineering literary lioness who reserves most of her affections for their ne'er-do-well brother."
I wasn't that interested by this description (too soapy) until I scanned through the comments, in which someone pointed out: Hello, does that sound like the Brontes to anybody?
A modern take on the weird, histrionic lives of the Bronte sisters? Okay, now you have my attention. Guess we'll have to wait and see if that's actually the inspiration. A nice clue would be if she calls it Haworth Girls...
*By the way, my mom and I stalled halfway through GG season 3, so no casual spoilery comments plz!