I still enjoy the stories and the characters and the world. And I acknowledge the issues and don't shy away from pointing them out or discussing them.
I really respect that you can think and speak intelligently this way. It really riles me when people use "But I like it!" as a way to dodge criticisms of a book/show/etc. I don't begrudge people liking a problematic source material, only when they think that not having their fun "ruined" is more important that other people being able to examine the source material's issues. But if someone is willing to own up to the problems, and still enjoys the good parts? More power to you.
I don't have much patience, and when a series has enough problems to catch my attention, it feels like someone is flicking me in the ear while I watch or read. I'm more likely to just leave behind a series in this case, so the fact that you can balance the enjoyment with the critical analysis impresses me.
That bothers me, too. It's fine that you (general you) like something. But it's really, honestly okay to say '...but this, this and that make me uncomfortable' or whatever. A book or television show or whatever is comprised of a lot of different aspects. You don't have to like them all to get some enjoyment out of it. And it doesn't matter what it is. As I was saying above, Mercedes Lackey gets sort of a 'pass' from a lot of people, just because her books aren't considered serious or quality literature. Which always makes me roll my eyes, because that doesn't matter. Her books are widely read, she's a very popular fantasy and science fiction author, and her books are mainly targeted at women. To see so many problematic instances with the treatment of women (and queer culture and racial issues) in her books is not something to gloss over
( ... )
I don't believe that any source of entertainment, regardless, deserves some sort of free pass because it's 'just a silly book'.
Exactly, exactly. It's a strange combination of respect and disrespect when people do this - act protective because they love something, while at the same time telling you to leave it alone because it's "just a _____." Fantasy novels, to use your example, are a genre worthy of being taken seriously, criticized, and improved.
(Not that it's easy, I acknowledge. When someone points out a problematic character or plot in something I like, yeah, I feel uncomfortable that this thing I enjoy is doing something crappy. It almost feels like a criticism of your interest, and, by extension, you. I have to remember to get over that feeling.)
Arrows of the Queen was one of the first fantasy-novels I ever read, and I believe it's a crush I still haven't gotten over. Summoned to Tourney and Born to Run were my first urban fantasies - and they're still two of my favorite comfort-reads, even if they sometimes seem a bit cheesy. (The er 'good elves make money by racing cars and bad elves make money by producing porn and/or snuff movies' device is just one of those things I don't consider too deeply. Ahem. But the 'elven horses can transform themselves into racing cars' bit? Hee!)
Unless Stephenie Meyer's written a lot more books than the ones I know about though, your essay may need to wait a while - although it might be interesting to see what Stephenie Meyer will be turning out ten years from now. (Or, er, if she'll be writing anything at all by then.)
Since I mentioned in the post above, I'd planned to only compare and contrast one and a half series' of Lackey's to Meyers'. The difference in the quantity of books doesn't change the content. I look at it the same as say...comparing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Shelley only wrote a few novels while Stoker wrote over a dozen, but the themes and tones and driving forces are similar enough to warrant comparison. The same with Meyer and Lackey. Four books to four books is a nice even ratio. :D
I'm...in the same boat as you, pretty much. I devoured Mercedes Lackey books by the dozen when I was younger, and I still have and re-read most of them to this day. They're my fluffy escapism books. But there are still problems with some of my own particular favorites of hers, and I'd like to explore that more deeply and look into parallels between her writing and the writing of a woman I see as her contemporary.
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I really respect that you can think and speak intelligently this way. It really riles me when people use "But I like it!" as a way to dodge criticisms of a book/show/etc. I don't begrudge people liking a problematic source material, only when they think that not having their fun "ruined" is more important that other people being able to examine the source material's issues. But if someone is willing to own up to the problems, and still enjoys the good parts? More power to you.
I don't have much patience, and when a series has enough problems to catch my attention, it feels like someone is flicking me in the ear while I watch or read. I'm more likely to just leave behind a series in this case, so the fact that you can balance the enjoyment with the critical analysis impresses me.
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That bothers me, too. It's fine that you (general you) like something. But it's really, honestly okay to say '...but this, this and that make me uncomfortable' or whatever. A book or television show or whatever is comprised of a lot of different aspects. You don't have to like them all to get some enjoyment out of it. And it doesn't matter what it is. As I was saying above, Mercedes Lackey gets sort of a 'pass' from a lot of people, just because her books aren't considered serious or quality literature. Which always makes me roll my eyes, because that doesn't matter. Her books are widely read, she's a very popular fantasy and science fiction author, and her books are mainly targeted at women. To see so many problematic instances with the treatment of women (and queer culture and racial issues) in her books is not something to gloss over ( ... )
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I don't believe that any source of entertainment, regardless, deserves some sort of free pass because it's 'just a silly book'.
Exactly, exactly. It's a strange combination of respect and disrespect when people do this - act protective because they love something, while at the same time telling you to leave it alone because it's "just a _____." Fantasy novels, to use your example, are a genre worthy of being taken seriously, criticized, and improved.
(Not that it's easy, I acknowledge. When someone points out a problematic character or plot in something I like, yeah, I feel uncomfortable that this thing I enjoy is doing something crappy. It almost feels like a criticism of your interest, and, by extension, you. I have to remember to get over that feeling.)
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Unless Stephenie Meyer's written a lot more books than the ones I know about though, your essay may need to wait a while - although it might be interesting to see what Stephenie Meyer will be turning out ten years from now. (Or, er, if she'll be writing anything at all by then.)
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I'm...in the same boat as you, pretty much. I devoured Mercedes Lackey books by the dozen when I was younger, and I still have and re-read most of them to this day. They're my fluffy escapism books. But there are still problems with some of my own particular favorites of hers, and I'd like to explore that more deeply and look into parallels between her writing and the writing of a woman I see as her contemporary.
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