Thought had while making bed

Question: Should good literature - good, true writing - transcend gender, like some say androgynous Shakespeare did? Or should it remain true to one's own experience? (ie. Jane Austen is writing clearly as a woman; Cormac McCarthy as a man.)

Comments

Jon Brock said…

It's an interesting question, but perhaps it is being posed incorrectly. You must first answer the question of what makes literature "good". In essence, your question appears to be backwards.

You should also recognize the truth you posited in the question: regardless of whether good literature transcends gender or not, it is still good literature.

July 21, 2009 at 11:49 AM

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A Shelf of One's Own

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