Read like a man?
Mar. 5th, 2007 08:43 amTara's column is up over at Readers Gab. I had some thoughts gathered for Smart Bitches Day, but reading her post made my head explode. I haven't commented yet because I want to gather my thoughts and not spew like a volcano.
ETA: the Interweb hates me today. I've tried to post a comment at Readers Gab and at Dear Author, but they aren't going through.
So here's my comment.
I'm perplexed by the comparison of romance/chick lit to action-thrillers for your intelligence factor. The focus of one genre is the relationship, with the action (even in romantic suspense) as the backdrop only; the focus of the other is the action, with any relationship or character development as ancillary. Are you saying that the heroines of action-thrillers are "smarter" because they are detectives? How does the choice of profession, crime-solver vs. copy editor, speak to intelligence? It strikes me as an apples and oranges comparison. Where do heroines like Eve Dallas, Sookie Stackhouse, Lily Bard, Roe Teagarden, Nell Sweeney and Anita Blake (pre-magic coochie) -- all written by women -- fall in your analysis? What about mysteries written by PJ Ryan, Marcia Muller, Deborah Crombie? Science fiction by LM Bujold? Jacqueline Carey? Anne Bishop? I think there are smart heroines written by women and by men. And there are TSTL heroines written by men and by women. Irritating characters are by no means limited to romance and chick lit.