Why be scared of the f-word?


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Posted by Beck on May 17, 1999 at 08:00:27 from 203.61.4.237:

In Reply to: Childhood and Literary Nihilism posted by Alan Hakim on May 12, 1999 at 07:25:04:

I couldn't agree more with Anne. How can anyone be offended by a feminist response to AR - unless it threatens your own response to him? When people complain about academics and their -isms, remember that academics also have the right to interpret authors how they like. Their readings of AR don't cancel out our own, but add to the rich mixture of voices who find AR still worthy of discussion at the end of the century.

Of course AR can be described as a feminist writer - you just may not like the word. Try finding another 30s male writer for adults OR children with female characters equal in action and complexity to the male ones. His books are utterly remarkable for their lack of that tiresome sexism which grates on the ear of modern readers. There's none of that boring, sneering 'not bad for a girl' stuff that litters other books even those written much later on. Given the times, it's amazing that the only real stereotyping is in Susan & Peggy's domestic roles. And even then, in both cases they are seconds-in-command by age, not gender. Susan is necessarily more nativelike to ensure that adventure is believable, as has been pointed out lots of times.


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