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From: chabot@amber.DEC (l s chabot)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: female writers and male writers
Message-ID: <284@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Jan-85 16:10:07 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.284
Posted: Mon Jan 21 16:10:07 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Jan-85 05:47:55 EST
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I have to disagree with a statement made in a review recently posted on Uhura's
Song. 

Saul Jaffe  ==  >
> Why is it that male authors have the females hidden in the background and
> female authors tend to have everyone fade into the background *except* the
> female character that represents them? 

It's not Saul's review with which I disagree (since I have not read the novel),
it's the generalization about authors.  Perhaps this is true in the subset of
novels consisting of startrek novels, I don't know, I haven't read much in that
area, and if that is the context of this generalization, I apologize for
misunderstanding.  But in literature general and even in science fiction and in
fantasy, this is not the case.  It is actually a kind of nasty generalization
to make, since it labels female writers as lacking the objectivity and male
writers as being reluctant or unable to create convincing female protagnists;
moreover it is largely a mistake to look for impersonations of an author in the
author's work.  The novels for which Saul's generalization fails are too
numerous to --er-- enumerate, a large enough number to discredit the term 
"tend" as used above. If I am to be pressed for examples, I suggest that
instead we move such a discussion, since we will be discussing non-startrek
matters, to net.women or net.books. 

L S Chabot
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