Men writing women writing men
Natasha was telling me that she wants to read more books by women. I think the phrase she used was, "I am sick of reading men's stories." I've never given this much thought before.
I think that there are two different issues here. First, female writers, and the support and recognition (or lack thereof) they receive for their writing. See: the Miles Franklin prize, the Pulitzer etc.
Second, the issue of men's stories vs women's stories. This is a very interesting one. I like to read stories that open up other perspectives. So I like men's stories sometimes.
I realise in hindsight that we were prescribed a lot of 'women's stories' in my high school literature classes: Pride and Prejudice, A Doll's House, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary. But there were men's stories too: The Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet and A Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich.
And of course, this is a false dichotomy. The Grapes of Wrath tells women's and men's stories.
So can men write women's stories? Can women write men's stories? I think that some men write women, and women's stories, very well. The contemporary examples that spring to mind are Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom' and Geoffrey Eugenedis' 'The Marriage Plot'. I found Emma Bovary more convincing than Anna Karenina.
Other men confine themselves to men's stories. These are the 'boy books': a phrase I used to dismiss a lot of (probably outstanding) literature which is not to my taste. See: Cormac McCarthy.
An audit of the books I have read this year reveals that of the 23 books read, 13 are by women:
I think that there are two different issues here. First, female writers, and the support and recognition (or lack thereof) they receive for their writing. See: the Miles Franklin prize, the Pulitzer etc.
Second, the issue of men's stories vs women's stories. This is a very interesting one. I like to read stories that open up other perspectives. So I like men's stories sometimes.
I realise in hindsight that we were prescribed a lot of 'women's stories' in my high school literature classes: Pride and Prejudice, A Doll's House, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary. But there were men's stories too: The Grapes of Wrath, Hamlet and A Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich.
And of course, this is a false dichotomy. The Grapes of Wrath tells women's and men's stories.
So can men write women's stories? Can women write men's stories? I think that some men write women, and women's stories, very well. The contemporary examples that spring to mind are Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom' and Geoffrey Eugenedis' 'The Marriage Plot'. I found Emma Bovary more convincing than Anna Karenina.
Other men confine themselves to men's stories. These are the 'boy books': a phrase I used to dismiss a lot of (probably outstanding) literature which is not to my taste. See: Cormac McCarthy.
An audit of the books I have read this year reveals that of the 23 books read, 13 are by women:
The Forrests- Emily Perkins
Melbourne- Sophie Cunningham
The Stranger's Child- Alan Hollinghurst
All that I am- Anna Funder
My Brilliant Career- Miles Franklin
Death in Venice, Jeff in Varanasi- Geoff Dyer
[sic] -Joshua Cody
the Observations- Jane Harris
The Bridge- Jane Higgins
Berlin Syndrome- Melanie Joosten
Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
Room- Emma Donoghue
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| The Sense of an Ending- Julian Barnes Queen of the Night- Leanne Hall Everybody Dies- Ken Tanaka Skippy Dies- Paul Murray The Young Doctor's Notebook- Mikhail Bulgakov The Twyborn Affair- Patrick White How I Became a Famous Novelist- Steve Healy Mad About the Boy- Maggie Alderson Club Dead- Charlaine Harris Living Dead in Dallas- Charlaine Harris The Convalescent- Jessica Anthony Of the list, my favourites are: The Convalescent- Jessica Anthony Skippy Dies- Paul Murray The Twyborn Affair- Patrick White Room- Emma Donoghue The Forrests- Emily Perkins Everybody Dies- Ken Tanaka
So, I think I'm doing okay.
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