> I stand corrected, Robin.
Well, I had to look up the bit I quoted, otherwise I wouldn't have known
<g>.
> Nevertheless, perhaps I can be permitted a certain justice in my hastily
> sensitive response - women are judged on their looks in ways that men
> seldom have been. The only sign of change I can see is that it is
> spreading to men, which is hardly progress.
>
> So much more to this argument, and no time.
And to turn against my own argument, maybe the various comments on ugly
male writers get their force from their relative rarity.
And the issue does go beyond simply appearance -- there was a time (gone
now, I hope) when criticism of Jane Austen would refer to "Miss Austen".
MR. Dickens? MR Thackery? Hm ...
And what does it say to refer to Emily Dickinson as "the sainted Emily"?
Would a male writer be referred to in these terms?
I'd agree with Alison that there's a lot more to this issue to be teased
out.
Robin Hamilton
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