I think what she was doing was seeking protection from men, but it went the other way, she was often beaten up, abused and she simply used herself up,"
Yeah, the men had nothing to do with that. Damn sexual freedom for making my sister beat herself up.
@J.D.Regent: On the one hand, we're uptight boner-killers who need to be more "sex positive", on the other, we're forcing women to have so much sex we end up all messed up.
One personality disorder ... er "trait" that many ultra-conservatives have is that they tend to be able to hold two opposing and contradictory thoughts in their head at the same time without cognitive dissidence. Go figure.
@shevralay: I guess it's good for her sake, then, that he waited until after her death to be so offensively dismissive of both her personal experiences and those of women in general
@whats_in_a_name: In context, this can pretty clearly be read as "It would've taken the Taliban to protect her." Which is one of the most common wordings around.
I agree that there's a definite possibility the end result might be problematic, but I wouldn't be able to tell it from this article. It's just a snip job that doesn't really say anything conclusive about the book.
Hell, the quote you're taking so uncharitably is trying to make precisely the point that it wasn't the 'fault' of the sexual revolution or the feminists that she ended up as she did, and that a simple 'return' to some unrealistic-yet-imagined "earlier, better time" wouldn't have saved her.
To the extent that we know anything from this article, it sounds pretty clear that he's making a book about how people fared in the sexual revolution, for good and for ill, *without* blaming the sexual revolution itself or claiming that society should have collectively 'done something else'.
What, exactly, is novel or controversial about the idea that with more freedom often comes new and different pressures, for better or for worse? Isn't this the basic idea behind schools that institute school uniforms?
I think a lot hinges on the book's portrayal of men -- whether or not their bad behavior is put under the microscope, subjected to real analysis.
If anyone deserves not to have pointlessly snarky conclusions jumped to, it's Martin Amis.
I'm an Amis fan. I put off reading the Guardian article until just now - mostly because I had little faith in the Guardian's ability to deal with Amis objectively given their general distaste for him but also because I didn't want to have to defend Amis for another poorly thought-out declaration. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts. For the most part.
I've read most of his stuff and I'd be quite surprised if he didn't put his men under the microscope. I don't think he protects any of his characters and certainly not his male characters - they are unreliable, violent and desperate in London Fields ; unreliable, violent and untrustworthy in Other People; inhumane, violent and delusional in Time's Arrow. He is just in the treatment of his characters and I look forward to his commentary on the sexual revolution. Though, really, he's commented on it all along and what I really look forward to is a synthesis of this commentary.
And anyway, this isn't the first time he's written about his sister. There's a little Sally Amis in all of his female characters.
Robin McKinley's reimaginings ftw. Everything else pales for me. She also writes original fairy tales, usually as novella-length pieces; they can be found in "A Knot in the Grain and other stories" and "The Door in the Hedge" books. #fairytales
I have a paperback collection of short stories that are all classic fairy tales told with a strange twist or from an alternate point of view. I forget the name of it, but I love every single story.
Little Red Riding Hood lives in a futuristic wasteland ruled by man-eating clams, Snow White's witch works at an abattoir until she becomes obsessed with beauty pageants...you get the idea.
My favorite though? Cinderella, told from the point of view of Prince Charming, who has a foot fetish and a crush on his (male) tutor. #fairytales
I'd put a word in for Marina Warner's From the Beast to the Blonde, too. Also, Maria Tatar has a book just focused on Bluebeard that I love. Oh, and the Terri Windling fairy tale series--I don't know if there are any still in development, but those are some AMAZING books. There are some great stories and essays in the collection The Armless Maiden, too. #fairytales
Hey Anna, I used to LOVE Andrew Lang's fairy books (i had the Red One). The story that most jumps out at me (the title of which escapes me) is the one about the princess who is kept in a tower and not allowed to see any men, until she catches sight of an envoy/diplomat guy through a hole in the tower and becomes infatuated with him. She runs away with him to an island with no food or water, and when she finds food/water she gives it to him, and he eats it all without offering any to her, and basically is a total jerk. So she realizes he is a jerk, and ends up marrying the prince instead.
I wish I could remember the title. Darn! #fairytales
I have always been an enormous fanatic of fairy tales and mythology and most of what I write in my career use these stories for a base.
Do yourself a favor and check out Monty Python's Terry Jones and his fairy tale books. I was given this book on my 8th birthday and have loved its wit and wisdom ever since. And ATTENTION TEAM CAKE! There is a story about a cake horse that comes alive! Mmmm Mr. Edible.
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
Parents who use contrarian sexist banalities have children who use contrarian sexist banalities.
11/20/09
Yeah, the men had nothing to do with that. Damn sexual freedom for making my sister beat herself up.
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
One personality disorder ... er "trait" that many ultra-conservatives have is that they tend to be able to hold two opposing and contradictory thoughts in their head at the same time without cognitive dissidence. Go figure.
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
11/20/09
Am I just misunderstanding that sentence, or did he just refer to his sister as "It"?
11/20/09
11/20/09
I agree that there's a definite possibility the end result might be problematic, but I wouldn't be able to tell it from this article. It's just a snip job that doesn't really say anything conclusive about the book.
Hell, the quote you're taking so uncharitably is trying to make precisely the point that it wasn't the 'fault' of the sexual revolution or the feminists that she ended up as she did, and that a simple 'return' to some unrealistic-yet-imagined "earlier, better time" wouldn't have saved her.
To the extent that we know anything from this article, it sounds pretty clear that he's making a book about how people fared in the sexual revolution, for good and for ill, *without* blaming the sexual revolution itself or claiming that society should have collectively 'done something else'.
What, exactly, is novel or controversial about the idea that with more freedom often comes new and different pressures, for better or for worse? Isn't this the basic idea behind schools that institute school uniforms?
I think a lot hinges on the book's portrayal of men -- whether or not their bad behavior is put under the microscope, subjected to real analysis.
If anyone deserves not to have pointlessly snarky conclusions jumped to, it's Martin Amis.
11/21/09
I'm an Amis fan. I put off reading the Guardian article until just now - mostly because I had little faith in the Guardian's ability to deal with Amis objectively given their general distaste for him but also because I didn't want to have to defend Amis for another poorly thought-out declaration. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts. For the most part.
I've read most of his stuff and I'd be quite surprised if he didn't put his men under the microscope. I don't think he protects any of his characters and certainly not his male characters - they are unreliable, violent and desperate in London Fields ; unreliable, violent and untrustworthy in Other People; inhumane, violent and delusional in Time's Arrow. He is just in the treatment of his characters and I look forward to his commentary on the sexual revolution. Though, really, he's commented on it all along and what I really look forward to is a synthesis of this commentary.
And anyway, this isn't the first time he's written about his sister. There's a little Sally Amis in all of his female characters.
.
10/31/09
10/30/09
Little Red Riding Hood lives in a futuristic wasteland ruled by man-eating clams, Snow White's witch works at an abattoir until she becomes obsessed with beauty pageants...you get the idea.
My favorite though? Cinderella, told from the point of view of Prince Charming, who has a foot fetish and a crush on his (male) tutor. #fairytales
10/30/09
10/31/09
10/30/09
I wish I could remember the title. Darn! #fairytales
10/30/09
I have always been an enormous fanatic of fairy tales and mythology and most of what I write in my career use these stories for a base.
Do yourself a favor and check out Monty Python's Terry Jones and his fairy tale books. I was given this book on my 8th birthday and have loved its wit and wisdom ever since. And ATTENTION TEAM CAKE! There is a story about a cake horse that comes alive! Mmmm Mr. Edible.
[www.amazon.com] #fairytales