Re: CHAT: Conlang and Writers

On Sat, 13 Mar 1999, Sally Caves wrote:

> > Okay. I haven't read any of her texts. I suspected, from things that I'd
> > heard, that "Native Tongue" might be radically feminist. But I have so
> > little time for fiction reading these days, I'll probably focus on other
> > authors who I know I can enjoyably read.
>
> It's not the radical feminism that's the problem.  It's not GOOD
> feminism, radical or otherwise. And it's not good story-telling.
Ah, I thought that was just me :-)

> You want a feminist novel that is chilling, gripping, and
> beautifully told, go read _The Handmaid's Tale_, by Atwood. I got
> as far as the men's club chapter in E's novel, where they all sit
> around and make jovial and patronizing remarks about women, and I
> thought what a pale imitation this is of the "Don't let the
> bastards grind you down" chapter in Handmaid.
I didn't read _The Handmaid's Tale_ until after I'd finished _Native
Tongue_ (yes, I managed) and ploughed through a few chapters of _The
Judas Rose_ (which is infinitely more tedious, perhaps because it's
even more pushily political). You're right that Atwood did it much
better, though I still don't agree with the feminist issues - I
simply don't think men and women are enemies. Perhaps because I've
never had any quarrel with men in general and those that I've had
with individual men were much like those with individual women: about
issues nothing to do with gender.

   Irina

               ira@rempt.xs4all.nl (mailing list address)
                     irina@rempt.xs4all.nl (myself)
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