Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site globetek.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!globetek!chris From: chris@globetek.UUCP (chris) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Re: Should book ads disclose sexual slant? Message-ID: <205@globetek.UUCP> Date: Sat, 28-Dec-85 17:42:51 EST Article-I.D.: globetek.205 Posted: Sat Dec 28 17:42:51 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 29-Dec-85 01:25:51 EST References: <4729@hlexa.UUCP> Reply-To: chris@andor.UUCP (chris) Distribution: net Organization: Globetek Ltd., Toronto Lines: 76 Summary: In article <4729@hlexa.UUCP> hsf@hlexa.UUCP (Henry Friedman) writes: >Recently I bought an sf novel ... 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. > ... >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.) You are going WAY out on a limb here. Why pick sex? What's wrong with politics (no answers in detail, please...:-)? Haven't you ever picked up a book where the political or religious views offended you? You pay your money and you take your chances -- but if you didn't like it, that's your problem. Stop reading it. Tell your friends you didn't like it. But don't complain because the people who advertised the book didn't know what *your* preferences and hang-ups were. > >2) Should it make any difference? In other words, should it have > mattered to me? That's also your problem -- deciding whether or not you care if it makes a difference. *Anything* can make a difference to how one feels about a book -- you might not like something because the hero wears green shirts, and you HATE green shirts. If you are worried about being bothered by your reactions to the sexuality presented in the book, maybe you should try talking to someone with some counselling experience about it. If your sexual orientation is straight, then gay sex shouldn't appeal to you -- but it shouldn't be *repulsive*, either -- just not what you're interested in. >3) Was it my fault for not remembering or knowing that Delany's > sf writing has a gay slant? Good Grief, what's this *FAULT* nonsense? You bought a book, you didn't fancy it, you stopped reading it. Why do you feel it's such a big issue? I gather you feel the advertisers ripped you off because they didn't warn you you might not like it. In reading SF -- *especially* SF -- you ought to be prepared to find strange concepts and practices which you may find personally offensive. The whole *point* of SF is strange new concepts! > >4) Do I have a point in objecting to the way the book club advertised > the book? > No. See above. >5) Was the book such a work of creative genious that it transcended > such considerations? > Don't know -- haven't read it. This is sort of irrelevant anyway. >--Henry Friedman Why don't you just return the book to the book club with a letter stating you felt they should have included the word "gay" before "sex" in the blurb, and that you feel they misrepresented it? Argue with the *book club*, not net.motss, for heaven's sake! Writing an article to this newsgroup panning a book because it has gay sex is not likely to gain you much sympathy, you know! -- Christine Robertson {linus, ihnp4, decvax}!utzoo!globetek!chris Money may not buy happiness, but misery in luxury has its compensations...