Gene Wolfe

Sara Beck · 05 Apr 1992, 06:14 · from sf-lovers.1992.mbox

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From: BECKS at taunivm.tau.ac.il (Sara Beck)
Subject: Gene Wolfe
Date: 5 Apr 92 06:14:35 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v17-160-10 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V17 #160
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-17a

I admire Wolfe's style, but his books definitely put me off.  I think I
know why and I wonder if other people have thought the same or if it's only
me.

Here follows an attempt to discuss an inherently loaded question
thoughtfully and without either using or exciting flames.  For my next
trick I will check the gas tank with a lit match.

Anyway, I think that Wolfe's (or his characters) consistently have a weird
attitude towards women.  Women in Wolfe's books seem to be a somewhat alien
species.  They are assumed to have their own agenda which is completely
hidden from men, and to be more or less dangerous to men.  "There are
Doors" is exhibit A, of course.  Also check out the references to sexual
activity in the Torturer books (honesty compells me to admit I only read
the first 2); the atmosphere is like a soldier reporting on an encounter
with the enemy.  Yes he has a right to feel that way, yes it may be part of
his character's psyches, and yes it is infinitely preferable to the violent
misogyny of so much modern writing (have I deflected all the incoming
flames?), but it puts me off.

S. Beck

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