Re: CHAT: Conlang and Writers

Sally Caves wrote:
>
> Okay, I should have put "feminist" in quotation marks.  Atwood's novelis good
> because it's a terrific science fiction novel, told by a master
> narrator.  Men and women aren't necessarily "enemies" even in the
> Handmaid's tale, but the premise is a harrowing one: that women are
> coopted in the near future to make babies for a right wing Christian
> Oligarchy.  If anything, Atwood's criticisms are directed at the Christian
> right more than they are at men.  But that's not the case for Elgen, who
> just seems generally pissed off, and her anger deforms her writing--
> a perfect example of what Virginia Woolf inveighed against.
Yup. Everything I heard about it said that it was just too close to
possible for my taste. I can't read stuff like that, even knowing that
it's fiction, without getting horribly depressed. And of course the
better it's written, i.e. the more believable it is, the more I have to
stay away from it. It's my failing. Sort of the mental/emotional
equivalent of a weak stomach.

>
> I wish I could get hold of her LAadan grammar, though.
>
Here's a link that might help:

http://www.interlog.com/~kms/Laadan/

They claim materials are available through Amazon.com, and they also
give a direct link to Elgin's affiliation.


Laurie
milo@winternet.com
http://www.winternet.com/~milo