sigelphoenix (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigelphoenix) wrote2005-07-05 07:38 pm
sigelphoenix) wrote2005-07-05 07:38 pm
Entry tags:
Books!
My Fourth of July weekend was lovely. Went home with ![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
kyonkun and Michio, spent time with the parents (making up for the fact that last time I saw them, I was half-delirious with The Sickness and provided little in the way of engaging conversation). As is tradition when we go home, my mom took us shopping for clothes. >_> (I will not complain, though, because my mother has an uncanny ability to find exactly what I want. Because apparently, as I am approaching 21 years of age, I still cannot dress myself.)
Sunday night, we celebrated the birth of our country by blowing up a small part of it. (Points if you get the Simpsons reference. :D) Doing the whole fireworks thing one day early was actually good, as we didn't have to compete for sky space with the rest of the neighborhood.
I thought I'd give some mini-reviews of the books I've read so far this summer, since I've gone through some pretty good stuff. And also, that's about all I've done that's of any interest. XD
Starting off with Wicked by Gregory Maguire -- this is the book that was the (loose) basis for the musical. The musical took a lot of liberties, actually, but Maguire has said he really enjoyed it. The book is a lot less ... endearing, for lack of a better word. There's less fun stuff to get you sentimentally attached. Elphaba herself is less endearing; she lacks much of the vulnerability and hopefulness that was played up in the musical. She's withdrawn, cynical, and bitter almost from the start. Still, the traits she displays make you shiver with recognition.
rivendellrose and I agree that the novel is very frustrating. Maguire leaves out large chunks of Elphaba's life, leaving you with just enough to guess at what must have happened, and how it shaped her. Elphaba experiences traumas that are not only unjust, but at times incomprehensible -- in the end, she understands very little about what has happened to her in her life, and I felt the same way. I think that's the strongest message of the book, really. The book club guide (which I realize I shouldn't really rely on) in my copy would say otherwise, emphasizing the ideas Maguire brings up about the nature of evil. But this isn't a story about how a good person like Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West; it's about how a good person like Elphaba was misunderstood and misperceived until others saddled her with the identity. Perception and perspective, and the ways in which they fail, seem to be the main focus.
After Wicked I read Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, which was one of those books that has been on my List for years. I think most people who are interested in the book have read it already, so there isn't much to say. I liked it, and found a lot in it quite familiar. (What it says about Asian mothers is all true. XD)
For the first time in a long time, I went on a little non-fiction streak, indulging in my burgeoning interest in feminist writings without the respite of novels. My first book was The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, which is considered a seminal work in Third Wave (post-modern, 1990s) feminism. As I mentioned before, it's an examination of how the idea of Beauty -- a single, static ideal of beauty, purported to be objective and eternal -- is disseminated by Western culture to the detriment of women. In fact, Wolf says, Beauty is used to keep women in line, to prevent them from stepping out of line by taking advantages of the progress won by feminism. It's not a conspiracy theory, she asserts, and I agree. Instead, it's a very readable and comprehensible description of behaviors and practices that I easily recognized, tied together and told in a way that makes you think pretty hard about the ways in which women's bodies are portrayed, idealized, and essentially co-opted to maintain the status quo.
Any woman who finds herself dissatisfied when she asks her significant other "Do you think I'm beautiful?" no matter what answer he gives her, would find something worthwhile in this book. (So would any man who has been faced with that impossible question, poor thing.)
I already mentioned Jane Sexes It Up. XD It's a collection of essays, all written by Third Wave feminists (mostly women), put together by Merri Lisa Johnson. The purpose is to reveal, reclaim, and vindicate feminists' -- women's -- desires, often in the form of sex, but sometimes just desires for things that aren't usually approved of in the feminist movement. (The opposing force is typically Second Wave feminism, the movement that took place in the 1960s/70s, and which notoriously focuses more on professional and political advancement to the point of disregarding or villifying sex.)
The intent is good, and some of the essays are quite insightful -- ranging from prostitution and stripping, to being a feminist wife, to the advocacy of traditionally male objects and characteristics. To be fair, *all* of the pieces have at least one worthwhile idea they explore. But, besides the few stellar essays, this book really works as more of a primer for modern/Third Wave feminist attitude towards sexuality. (In a nutshell: it's all good.) There's a limited amount of political theory, and sometimes disappointingly little self-critical analysis. It seems that the greatest attraction for these writers is the idea of rebellion; it's too bad that only a few of them really look hard at what they're rebelling against, and what might be worthwhile in the 'old' ideas. Despite what it may sound like, I did enjoy reading the book -- it's just that, if you stop there, you may be disappointed by (this portrayal of) Third Wave feminism and sex.
Then I went back to novels with Fifth Life of the CatWoman by Kathleen Dexter. I heard about it last year when I was interning at Wales Literary Agency; it was one of the few (the only?) fantasy books taken on by this agency. Of course, it's touted as "magical realism," but as far as I can tell the difference is negligible. The main character is a woman who has been blessed/cursed with nine lives by her mother, a woman who was killed for being a witch. Now in her fifth life, she has faced enough prejudice to drive her to live as a hermit out on a mesa, and the book is about her dealing with that prejudice, as well as her fear of it. (The back of the book also calls this an allegory, but I disagree with that, too; it's a story that has strong and well-drawn themes, like most fantasy writing does.)
There are, of course, cats, and their personalities are terribly accurate. There's also some beautiful prose, especially when the author is describing the Southwestern U.S. (New Mexico?) setting. The writing on the whole is clean and moves quickly; I finished it in two days. I recommend it, especially since it's a lesser-known book.
I haven't picked up anything new yet; instead, I've spent the last couple of days going back through some of my readings for the philosophy of feminism class I took last spring. Some of the selections came from the book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, an introduction of (mostly Third Wave) feminism for young feminists. I like the flavor of the writing, as it's thorough and equal-opportunity in its critiques, not really trumpeting one movement over another (some may call that wishy-washy, but I think it's healthily self-aware). I especially like the authors' treatment of the Third Wave's rebellion (as demonstrated in Jane Sexes It Up), because that's not what one would expect from a feminist book published in 2000. They approve of the pro-sex, pro-Girlie movement, but also insist on a political agenda and action to back it up. On the other hand, they also present a strong challenge to Second Wave assumptions about sex, beauty, and the trappings of 'femininity,' which imply that girly/sexually active/heterosexual women are somehow not liberated, not feminist enough.
In short, they say what I would like to say. To the conservatism of the Second Wave: Girlishness, playfulness, heterosexuality, men themselves -- the meanings behind these things are not set in stone, and need not signify patriarchal oppression. Believing that they are oppressive simply because the patriarchal culture has set them up to be is like believing women are weak and passive simply because the patriarchal culture has set them up to be. To the rebellion of the Third Wave: Liking sex is not a political ideology.
Any of these books are, of course, available for borrowing by whoever is interested!
kyonkun and Michio, spent time with the parents (making up for the fact that last time I saw them, I was half-delirious with The Sickness and provided little in the way of engaging conversation). As is tradition when we go home, my mom took us shopping for clothes. >_> (I will not complain, though, because my mother has an uncanny ability to find exactly what I want. Because apparently, as I am approaching 21 years of age, I still cannot dress myself.)Sunday night, we celebrated the birth of our country by blowing up a small part of it. (Points if you get the Simpsons reference. :D) Doing the whole fireworks thing one day early was actually good, as we didn't have to compete for sky space with the rest of the neighborhood.
I thought I'd give some mini-reviews of the books I've read so far this summer, since I've gone through some pretty good stuff. And also, that's about all I've done that's of any interest. XD
Starting off with Wicked by Gregory Maguire -- this is the book that was the (loose) basis for the musical. The musical took a lot of liberties, actually, but Maguire has said he really enjoyed it. The book is a lot less ... endearing, for lack of a better word. There's less fun stuff to get you sentimentally attached. Elphaba herself is less endearing; she lacks much of the vulnerability and hopefulness that was played up in the musical. She's withdrawn, cynical, and bitter almost from the start. Still, the traits she displays make you shiver with recognition.
rivendellrose and I agree that the novel is very frustrating. Maguire leaves out large chunks of Elphaba's life, leaving you with just enough to guess at what must have happened, and how it shaped her. Elphaba experiences traumas that are not only unjust, but at times incomprehensible -- in the end, she understands very little about what has happened to her in her life, and I felt the same way. I think that's the strongest message of the book, really. The book club guide (which I realize I shouldn't really rely on) in my copy would say otherwise, emphasizing the ideas Maguire brings up about the nature of evil. But this isn't a story about how a good person like Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West; it's about how a good person like Elphaba was misunderstood and misperceived until others saddled her with the identity. Perception and perspective, and the ways in which they fail, seem to be the main focus.After Wicked I read Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, which was one of those books that has been on my List for years. I think most people who are interested in the book have read it already, so there isn't much to say. I liked it, and found a lot in it quite familiar. (What it says about Asian mothers is all true. XD)
For the first time in a long time, I went on a little non-fiction streak, indulging in my burgeoning interest in feminist writings without the respite of novels. My first book was The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, which is considered a seminal work in Third Wave (post-modern, 1990s) feminism. As I mentioned before, it's an examination of how the idea of Beauty -- a single, static ideal of beauty, purported to be objective and eternal -- is disseminated by Western culture to the detriment of women. In fact, Wolf says, Beauty is used to keep women in line, to prevent them from stepping out of line by taking advantages of the progress won by feminism. It's not a conspiracy theory, she asserts, and I agree. Instead, it's a very readable and comprehensible description of behaviors and practices that I easily recognized, tied together and told in a way that makes you think pretty hard about the ways in which women's bodies are portrayed, idealized, and essentially co-opted to maintain the status quo.
Any woman who finds herself dissatisfied when she asks her significant other "Do you think I'm beautiful?" no matter what answer he gives her, would find something worthwhile in this book. (So would any man who has been faced with that impossible question, poor thing.)
I already mentioned Jane Sexes It Up. XD It's a collection of essays, all written by Third Wave feminists (mostly women), put together by Merri Lisa Johnson. The purpose is to reveal, reclaim, and vindicate feminists' -- women's -- desires, often in the form of sex, but sometimes just desires for things that aren't usually approved of in the feminist movement. (The opposing force is typically Second Wave feminism, the movement that took place in the 1960s/70s, and which notoriously focuses more on professional and political advancement to the point of disregarding or villifying sex.)
The intent is good, and some of the essays are quite insightful -- ranging from prostitution and stripping, to being a feminist wife, to the advocacy of traditionally male objects and characteristics. To be fair, *all* of the pieces have at least one worthwhile idea they explore. But, besides the few stellar essays, this book really works as more of a primer for modern/Third Wave feminist attitude towards sexuality. (In a nutshell: it's all good.) There's a limited amount of political theory, and sometimes disappointingly little self-critical analysis. It seems that the greatest attraction for these writers is the idea of rebellion; it's too bad that only a few of them really look hard at what they're rebelling against, and what might be worthwhile in the 'old' ideas. Despite what it may sound like, I did enjoy reading the book -- it's just that, if you stop there, you may be disappointed by (this portrayal of) Third Wave feminism and sex.
Then I went back to novels with Fifth Life of the CatWoman by Kathleen Dexter. I heard about it last year when I was interning at Wales Literary Agency; it was one of the few (the only?) fantasy books taken on by this agency. Of course, it's touted as "magical realism," but as far as I can tell the difference is negligible. The main character is a woman who has been blessed/cursed with nine lives by her mother, a woman who was killed for being a witch. Now in her fifth life, she has faced enough prejudice to drive her to live as a hermit out on a mesa, and the book is about her dealing with that prejudice, as well as her fear of it. (The back of the book also calls this an allegory, but I disagree with that, too; it's a story that has strong and well-drawn themes, like most fantasy writing does.)
There are, of course, cats, and their personalities are terribly accurate. There's also some beautiful prose, especially when the author is describing the Southwestern U.S. (New Mexico?) setting. The writing on the whole is clean and moves quickly; I finished it in two days. I recommend it, especially since it's a lesser-known book.
I haven't picked up anything new yet; instead, I've spent the last couple of days going back through some of my readings for the philosophy of feminism class I took last spring. Some of the selections came from the book Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, an introduction of (mostly Third Wave) feminism for young feminists. I like the flavor of the writing, as it's thorough and equal-opportunity in its critiques, not really trumpeting one movement over another (some may call that wishy-washy, but I think it's healthily self-aware). I especially like the authors' treatment of the Third Wave's rebellion (as demonstrated in Jane Sexes It Up), because that's not what one would expect from a feminist book published in 2000. They approve of the pro-sex, pro-Girlie movement, but also insist on a political agenda and action to back it up. On the other hand, they also present a strong challenge to Second Wave assumptions about sex, beauty, and the trappings of 'femininity,' which imply that girly/sexually active/heterosexual women are somehow not liberated, not feminist enough.
In short, they say what I would like to say. To the conservatism of the Second Wave: Girlishness, playfulness, heterosexuality, men themselves -- the meanings behind these things are not set in stone, and need not signify patriarchal oppression. Believing that they are oppressive simply because the patriarchal culture has set them up to be is like believing women are weak and passive simply because the patriarchal culture has set them up to be. To the rebellion of the Third Wave: Liking sex is not a political ideology.
Any of these books are, of course, available for borrowing by whoever is interested!