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Dec. 1st, 2013 07:21 pm1. Finished the romance novel by Megan McKinney entitled When Angels Fall - which reminded me a great deal of Wuthering Heights except not as well written (obviously), and with more likable characters and a happier ending (basically the Heathcliff and Cathy characters end up living happily ever after - come on it's a romance novel, that's a given.)
Have you ever considered it interesting how classic novels have create tropes which are endlessly copied by writers across decades? ( Read more... )
2. Romance novels do an excellent job of exposing and exploring the rape trope in fiction - possibly better than any other novel out there. What they show is how sex is used as weapon between the genders. Men often used it as a way to suppress or oppress women. Because historically, not so much now - depending on where you live, a woman's sexual background defined her prospects, her career choices and well whether she survived. Virginity was a valuable commodity. ( Read more... )
As an aside, regarding rape, which is an impossible topic to discuss online in any capacity because it upsets many people and quite righteously, I may add. It is possible to like a fictional character who commits the crime of rape without condoning or favoring the crime. You can actually like characters without condoning what they do - I know this can be difficult to understand, but there it is.
One of my issues with fandom is the inability a lot of fans have of understanding this concept. For some reason, they can't wrap their heads around the fact that you can find aspects of tv series, book, writer, etc extremely offensive, yet still love the writer, series, etc - without necessarily condoning any of those things.
For example? You may find Orson Scott Card's diatribes about homosexuality offensive (seriously, who doesn't? Don't tell me), but still enjoy and love Enders Game and that series, as well as the movie. Just as you may love Virginia Woolf or Flannery O'Connor's work, even though she was a blatant racist. Or you may love the characters of Spike and Angel, even though both were self-professed rapists, serial killers, and torturers at various periods in their character's histories. You can also, likewise, love the Buffy/Spike or Buffy/Angel relationships despite these items. Loving Spuffy and wanting them to end up together, happily ever after canonically or non-canonically after S6 - doesn't mean you condone rape, any more than loving Homeland means you condone racism or loving Breaking Bad means you condone violence and drug dealing. Just as loving boddice ripper romance novels, or erotica or 50 Shades of Gray doesn't mean you condone what occurs in those novels or want to be with a man or woman like that. You can love Twilight and hate or even be oblivious to its themes. It's possible. We can think and feel multiple things at once. Why don't people get that? I think the reason is - that people tend to react emotionally to what they see, and don't think it through. I know when I'm in a rage or rant over something or other, regardless of it is - it is impossible for me to think rationally about it. I'll often think - you have to be an insane nut job to love that! But I'm admittedly not rational as I'm thinking this.
3. Watched Reign - eh, not holding my interest. I keep getting distracted by the fact that Portugese Prince is permitted to speak Portugese and have an accent, and also look Portugese, while the French and Scottish basically sound and look like they all hailed from London, England by way of the Royal Shakespeare Academy. Oh well, it could be worse, they could all sound like Americans. I can't help but wonder what people in France must think of this series? Also, France looks quite a bit like Canada.
See, my suspension of disbelief is weird. I have no problems with the blatant historical inaccuracies, mainly because I didn't memorize that part of history - so can't remember. If it was the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or World War II - that would be another story (those I have memorized). But the fact that everyone acts and sounds like they are from England - to the point that I can't tell who the English bad-guys are supposed to be (apparently anyone with certain style of beard?) - except for the guy from Portugal, bugs me.
How hard would it be to find a few attractive French or French Canadian actors? There has to be a couple out there hunting a job?
I'm thinking of giving up on it. I don't care about anyone. And the politics is sort of silly. Game of Thrones this isn't.
Have you ever considered it interesting how classic novels have create tropes which are endlessly copied by writers across decades? ( Read more... )
2. Romance novels do an excellent job of exposing and exploring the rape trope in fiction - possibly better than any other novel out there. What they show is how sex is used as weapon between the genders. Men often used it as a way to suppress or oppress women. Because historically, not so much now - depending on where you live, a woman's sexual background defined her prospects, her career choices and well whether she survived. Virginity was a valuable commodity. ( Read more... )
As an aside, regarding rape, which is an impossible topic to discuss online in any capacity because it upsets many people and quite righteously, I may add. It is possible to like a fictional character who commits the crime of rape without condoning or favoring the crime. You can actually like characters without condoning what they do - I know this can be difficult to understand, but there it is.
One of my issues with fandom is the inability a lot of fans have of understanding this concept. For some reason, they can't wrap their heads around the fact that you can find aspects of tv series, book, writer, etc extremely offensive, yet still love the writer, series, etc - without necessarily condoning any of those things.
For example? You may find Orson Scott Card's diatribes about homosexuality offensive (seriously, who doesn't? Don't tell me), but still enjoy and love Enders Game and that series, as well as the movie. Just as you may love Virginia Woolf or Flannery O'Connor's work, even though she was a blatant racist. Or you may love the characters of Spike and Angel, even though both were self-professed rapists, serial killers, and torturers at various periods in their character's histories. You can also, likewise, love the Buffy/Spike or Buffy/Angel relationships despite these items. Loving Spuffy and wanting them to end up together, happily ever after canonically or non-canonically after S6 - doesn't mean you condone rape, any more than loving Homeland means you condone racism or loving Breaking Bad means you condone violence and drug dealing. Just as loving boddice ripper romance novels, or erotica or 50 Shades of Gray doesn't mean you condone what occurs in those novels or want to be with a man or woman like that. You can love Twilight and hate or even be oblivious to its themes. It's possible. We can think and feel multiple things at once. Why don't people get that? I think the reason is - that people tend to react emotionally to what they see, and don't think it through. I know when I'm in a rage or rant over something or other, regardless of it is - it is impossible for me to think rationally about it. I'll often think - you have to be an insane nut job to love that! But I'm admittedly not rational as I'm thinking this.
3. Watched Reign - eh, not holding my interest. I keep getting distracted by the fact that Portugese Prince is permitted to speak Portugese and have an accent, and also look Portugese, while the French and Scottish basically sound and look like they all hailed from London, England by way of the Royal Shakespeare Academy. Oh well, it could be worse, they could all sound like Americans. I can't help but wonder what people in France must think of this series? Also, France looks quite a bit like Canada.
See, my suspension of disbelief is weird. I have no problems with the blatant historical inaccuracies, mainly because I didn't memorize that part of history - so can't remember. If it was the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or World War II - that would be another story (those I have memorized). But the fact that everyone acts and sounds like they are from England - to the point that I can't tell who the English bad-guys are supposed to be (apparently anyone with certain style of beard?) - except for the guy from Portugal, bugs me.
How hard would it be to find a few attractive French or French Canadian actors? There has to be a couple out there hunting a job?
I'm thinking of giving up on it. I don't care about anyone. And the politics is sort of silly. Game of Thrones this isn't.