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Hi Theydon,
But David Gemmell doesn't try to pass his work off as anything other than what it is - fantasy fiction. If he was trying to make out that his work was the fantasy equivalent of Joyce, or Shakespeare, or Proust, then maybe any woman (or man) who slagged off Gemmell may have a point. As his work is just fantasy fiction, and nothing more, then no one can claim it to be any less than what it is. Therein lies the problem... 
The same would apply to Tolkien: he knew his work wasn't a masterpiece, and he never claimed it was. The fact that lots of literary critics labelled it as a masterpiece, however, is another issue altogether.
J.K. Rowling wants people to think that her HARRY POTTER works are great works of fiction. They aren't. They're just pretty decent kids books. Nothing more, nothing less.
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY is being passed-off as an amazing literary acheivement by lots of female readers in the UK, who are gushing over it with their praise of how superb it is. The fact it's now become the highest and quickest-selling paperback book in UK history, says it all. (Report can be found here.)
But, if the book had been written by a man, for male readers, these very same women would be:
1) Damning it as exploitative filth,
2) Labelling it as pornography, calling for the book to be banned,
3) AND damning every man who dared read it, all at the same time!
It's the sheer hypocrisy that bugs me: that when adult novels are written by and read by women, it's called "erotica" and is seen as respectable. When the same stuff is written by and read by men, it's slated as "porn", and is labelled as misogynistic filth.
There's nothing wrong with any trashy novel (or film, or music) being popular with the masses. My problem, is that FIFTY SHADES... is a trashy novel, but is being labelled as high art, which it absolutely is not.
And that's why I have a proverbial bee in my bonnet about it.
Pooch |
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Author: Elrond
25-11-2019 04:46:53
