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From: hsf@hlexa.UUCP (Henry Friedman)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.sf-lovers,net.motss
Subject: Should book ads disclose sexual slant?
Message-ID: <4729@hlexa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Dec-85 11:29:38 EST
Article-I.D.: hlexa.4729
Posted: Fri Dec 27 11:29:38 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Dec-85 01:45:45 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Short Hills, NJ
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Xref: watmath net.books:2689 net.sf-lovers:11701 net.motss:2374

Recently I bought an sf novel from the Quality Paperback
Book Club, Samuel R. Delany's "Stars in My Pocket Like Grains
of Sand."  The book club's blurb had read something like:
"drama of life, death and sexuality in the distant future."
The problem I have with this is that the ad didn't disclose
that the "sexuality" was predominantly gay sexuality.
Despite some features of interest, I stopped reading the 
book about half way through, when it became evident that just
about all the romance and sex was to be gay.

Upon opening the cover, I had noted that Delany had also written
"Dhalgren", which I HAD enjoyed (because of its unusual dreamscape
development), even though much or most of the sex in that was
also gay. (My only real annoyance was when the hero said something
like, straights who won't engage in bisexual affairs must have
a mean-spirited streak.)

Now, I'm not saying that I couldn't enjoy ANY novel with a gay
theme, any more than I'm saying that gays wouldn't enjoy any
straight novel.  But, if the novel isn't "great literature," 
an important component of one's enjoyment is usually the ability
to identify with the major characters.  This leads to my questions
(at the risk of getting flamed as homophobic, etc.):

1) Should ads for novels at least suggest whether the sex/romance
   is predominantly straight or gay?  (I don't think this would be
   necessary if the main themes are not romantic, such as novels
   about social/political oppression.)

2) Should it make any difference? In other words, should it have
   mattered to me?

3) Was it my fault for not remembering or knowing that Delany's
   sf writing has a gay slant?

4) Do I have a point in objecting to the way the book club advertised
   the book?

5) Was the book such a work of creative genious that it transcended
   such considerations?

--Henry Friedman