Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cstvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!mcvax!ukc!cstvax!db
From: db@cstvax.UUCP (Dave Berry)
Newsgroups: net.books,net.sf-lovers,net.motss
Subject: Re: Should book ads disclose sexual slant?
Message-ID: <41@cstvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 6-Jan-86 09:27:18 EST
Article-I.D.: cstvax.41
Posted: Mon Jan  6 09:27:18 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jan-86 06:04:19 EST
References: <4729@hlexa.UUCP>
Reply-To: db@cstvax.UUCP (Dave Berry)
Distribution: net
Organization: Comp. Sc., Edinburgh Univ., Scotland
Lines: 38
Xref: linus net.books:2652 net.sf-lovers:10702 net.motss:2173
Xpath: ukc eagle

In article <4729@hlexa.UUCP> hsf@hlexa.UUCP (Henry Friedman) writes:
>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.)
AHEM - gay people are socially oppressed all over the world, and politically
oppressed in most places. (I guess SF & LA may be exceptions to this).

Anyway, the main theme of "Stars in my Pocket ..." isn't romantic, at least I
didn't think so.  It's about the uncertainty surrounding language; the family 
vs. the SIGN, the linguistic WEB (an image he used in Babel 17).  The central 
character is called Marq Dyeth (MARK DIE-ETH, geddit?).
The "romantic" bits are more concerned with sexuality than romance - which
sexual practices are tolerated in different societies, how people react to this.

>4) Do I have a point in objecting to the way the book club advertised
>   the book?
No.  Gayness is perfectly normal, and shouldn't require any warning notices,
bell-ringing, or crying of "unclean, unclean".

>5) Was the book such a work of creative genious that it transcended
>   such considerations?
No.  I don't think a book ever transcends the considerations you apply when you
read.  If you mean "was it so good in other ways that these considerations
are outweighed", that's for you to decide.  Since you only read half of it, I
guess for you it wasn't "great literature".

I think it's Delany's worst book since babel-17.  It preaches too much (the
epilogue is particularly bad at this).  Parts of it are brilliant, but overall
I rate it lower than his other recent stuff (still worth reading though - I
rate Delany pretty highly!)

Try "Neveryona" for similar ideas done better, and with less gay content.
You probably want to miss "Flight from Neveryon" though - it's much more
explicit than "Stars in my Pocket ...".
-- 
	Dave Berry. CS postgrad, Univ. of Edinburgh		
					...mcvax!ukc!cstvax!db