Subject
Re: Gender distribution among Nabokov admirers (fwd)
Date
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From: Galya Diment <galya@u.washington.edu>
I wonder if Sylvia's friend reads only those writers who show
respect for, and understanding of, women as intelligent beings.
If that is the case, I also wonder how many writers she has allowed
herself to read in her lifetime. That would apply to writers of both
sexes, incidentally, since, in many literatures, including Russian,
mild or severe misogyny is not limited to male authors.
It is an interesting question, and I am not trying to make light of it.
I have heard it asked not only of female Nabokovians but also of female
Joyceans. Since I happen to be both, I also have had plenty of opportunity
to ponder the issue. I think the premise of the question is all wrong,
though. A critic may choose this or that writer to write about for
many reasons but, hopefully, not because one wants a perfect being
with all the right sentiments, views, and moves. After all, it's not a
search for a god or an idol. It is, rather, a quest for intelligence and
artistry which somehow connect with one's aesthetical, analytical and
critical senses.
Obviously, if I want to somehow reassert my sense of pride in being
a woman, I am not going to go to Nabokov and Joyce for help. Conversely,
if I want to reaffirm my belief in the magical power of art, I will not be
well served by many of the authors who could help me in the first
instance.
There are significant exceptions -- like Woolf or Austen -- and I have to
admit that there is something very special for me in their combination
of high artistry and female sensibility.
Galya Diment
I wonder if Sylvia's friend reads only those writers who show
respect for, and understanding of, women as intelligent beings.
If that is the case, I also wonder how many writers she has allowed
herself to read in her lifetime. That would apply to writers of both
sexes, incidentally, since, in many literatures, including Russian,
mild or severe misogyny is not limited to male authors.
It is an interesting question, and I am not trying to make light of it.
I have heard it asked not only of female Nabokovians but also of female
Joyceans. Since I happen to be both, I also have had plenty of opportunity
to ponder the issue. I think the premise of the question is all wrong,
though. A critic may choose this or that writer to write about for
many reasons but, hopefully, not because one wants a perfect being
with all the right sentiments, views, and moves. After all, it's not a
search for a god or an idol. It is, rather, a quest for intelligence and
artistry which somehow connect with one's aesthetical, analytical and
critical senses.
Obviously, if I want to somehow reassert my sense of pride in being
a woman, I am not going to go to Nabokov and Joyce for help. Conversely,
if I want to reaffirm my belief in the magical power of art, I will not be
well served by many of the authors who could help me in the first
instance.
There are significant exceptions -- like Woolf or Austen -- and I have to
admit that there is something very special for me in their combination
of high artistry and female sensibility.
Galya Diment