Comments on: American literary fiction: No Girls Allowed, “feminist Franzenfreude” edition

By: Hattie

Hattie — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:46:17 +0000

What about the intrusive and pornographic portrayals of women in *Freedom?* Since there are incredible amounts of porn around these days, do novels have to compete with porn to draw male readership?

By: Historiann

Historiann — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:56:33 +0000

Western Dave: so not a failed academic! I think you ought to send your analysis of Shock the Monkey to a cultural studies journal.

By: Freedom is mine! Or, “Melodramas of Beset Manhood,” redux. : Historiann : History and sexual politics, 1492 to the present

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:43:31 +0000

[...] Meanwhile, upon Mamie’s recommendation a few days ago in our discussion of Jennifer Weiner’s and Jodi Picoult’s critique of the American literary establishment , I’ve been reading Nina Baym’s classic essay, “Melodramas of Beset Manhood: How Theories of American Fiction Exclude Women Authors,” American Quarterly 33: 2 (1981), 123-139. Dandelion made the same point that Baym elaborates on in her essay about American literature: “In my reading, it seems the bulk of American literature deals with main characters individuating and separating. Since it’s ’selfish’ for women to individuate and separate, the bulk of American literature doesn’t involve women. If women writers are writing stories about women’s lives, then, they are, by definition, not going to be writing literature.” [...]

By: Western Dave

Western Dave — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:37:42 +0000

I think I read the Corrections my first year teaching at a girls school while giving up searching for a TT college job. The fact that Chip is so loathsome is one of the reasons why I hated the book. The fact that Frantzen and I both went to Swat where we both did Honors (although he graduated the Spring of the year I started I believe), and Chip is a failed academic and I’m a failed academic and well, maybe I should re-read it now that I’m in a happier place.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:30:22 +0000

dandelion–great point. There is no such thing as a female liberation story that’s not a moral indictment of the said woman.

By: quixote

quixote — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:30:42 +0000

Well, my regular reading is P.G. Wodehouse so I don’t belong in this discussion at all, but …

To me, the epitome of dick lit is Hemingway. Gaaah. Just gaaaah.

By: dandelion

dandelion — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:12:32 +0000

In my reading, it seems the bulk of American literature deals with main characters individuating and separating. Since it’s “selfish” for women to individuate and separate, the bulk of American literature doesn’t involve women. If women writers are writing stories about women’s lives, then, they are, by definition, not going to be writing literature.

By: Monocle Man

Monocle Man — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:47:39 +0000

Remember that scene from “The Corrections” where the guy is in the fancy grocery store and he gets some salmon and then he realizes that he can’t afford it and then he like shoves it down his trousers and it start to disintegrate?

Yeah, well Jodi Picoult couldn’t carry Jonathan Franzen’s salmon-infused jockstrap.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:41:42 +0000

Wow–thanks, Mamie. Baym has written so many very important articles surveying American literature.

By: Mamie

Mamie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:35:30 +0000

This was new when I was young, but reading the discussion above makes me think its time has come again–or maybe never left: Nina Baym, “Melodramas of Beset Manhood: How Theories of American Fiction Exclude Women Authors,” AQ 33 (1981).