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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I agree he gets it about right. Wolfe is
unlikely to win any awards for feminist SF, but accusations of misogyny are a
bit strong, unless misogyny is defined so widely as to be useless for
descriptive purposes..</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Definitions of misogyny vary from the literal
"hatred of women" to "holding a distasteful opinion about women as a
group". Clearly anybody holding an opinion about women as a group
is at risk of falling into the latter category for someone, even if
the opinion might be considered complimentary by many.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I think the accusations of misogyny stem from two,
perhaps three sources. First, Wolfe's female characters are typically
not so much in the forefront or as strongly delineated as the males.
This may reasonably be excused on the grounds that Wolfe is male; for most
authors, writing one's own gender seems likely to be an easier task.
I would not harshly criticise a woman author for writing stronger
female characters!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Second, Wolfe clearly believes that traditional
gender roles reflect certain realities of human nature, and his books tend to
reflect that. For many, this belief is so obviously true as to need no
debate. For others, to state or imply it is to take a reactionary stance
that opposes all that is pure and good according to current progressive
thinking. In their view, making such a statement is in itself a
thoughtcrime sufficient to warrant the accusation of misogyny, even when
the gender roles are just different, without one being intrinsically
inferior.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The third source is exemplified by rantings such as
those of 'Lepton', who asserts in effect that any mistreatment of women depicted
in a book demonstrates the author's misogyny, even when equal or greater
mistreatment of men is depicted just as prominently. My guess is that
Lepton is actually motivated at base by the second sourse above, but does not
have the wit to express it in coherent form, so he falls back on this. His
argument might have some force if Wolfe were wrining porn, or torture porn, but
clearly he is not. Wolfe's sex scenes are not lubricious. The most
visceral torture scene is that in which Thea's maidservant has her leg
flayed, and I find it hard to believe anyone would read it to enjoy the
evocation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>- Gerry Quinn</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=danielottojackpetersen@gmail.com
href="mailto:danielottojackpetersen@gmail.com">Daniel Petersen</A> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV>On a wholly different note, have
you all read the latest Silk for Calde blog post on Wolfe? A really well
reasoned article on this issue of misogyny in Wolfe:
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://silk4calde.blogspot.com/2011/03/king-rat-and-abuse-of-women-in-gene.html">http://silk4calde.blogspot.com/2011/03/king-rat-and-abuse-of-women-in-gene.html</A></DIV>
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