Are old questions OK?

Rex Lycanthrosaurus · 20 Oct 2006, 15:40 · from 2006-October.txt.gz

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From: lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm (Rex Lycanthrosaurus)
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 10:40:53 -0500
Subject: (urth) Are old questions OK?
In-Reply-To: <eb986fc38daae2c59b75cf56ba59bb5b at skatemonk.com>
References: <eb986fc38daae2c59b75cf56ba59bb5b at skatemonk.com>
Message-ID: <1161358853.30152.273827084 at webmail.messagingengine.com>

On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 02:21:41 -0700, "Scott K" <scott at skatemonk.com>
said:

>the misogyny streak is kinda starting to 
> bore me 

Aw, shucks. Just when I was about to upload my Wolfe pastiche, "The
Shapechanger and the Prostitute." <gr>

But seriously, I'd love to see an interviewer ask Wolfe about (or an
academic address) this fascination he seems to have with prostitutes,
which begins in FIFTH HEAD and runs all the way through to the latest
Latro novel, where, once again, we are "graced" with yet another
low-rent girl as a major character. For my money, this comes very close
to Wolfe's jumping the shark moment and he's now looming dangerously on
self-parody.

I also find it curious that no one has mentioned the skiffy premise in
THERE ARE DOORS yet: i.e., mate with women even once, fellows, and
you'll die -- now there's an inducement to chastity! Though the tone and
style are different, this is something I expect more from the likes of
Richard Calder than a happily-married father of four children.

Then there's Wolfe's barbed attitude toward feminism, present in both
his non-fiction and some of his shorter work like "In Looking Glass
Castle." Methinks he's not particularly fond of it.

And lastly, if Wolfe's work appealed equally to men and women, wouldn't
we be likely to see more of the fairer sex in this august forum? I don't
remember seeing any statistical breakdown, but it seems to me there have
never been more than one or two women posting at any particular time,
even during the list's heyday.     

-- 
  Rex Lycanthrosaurus
  lycanthrosaurus at fastmail.fm

-- 
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