Comments on Pens Fatales: Love as a Practice of Freedom

Love as a Practice of Freedom <-- that's ...

2011-09-23T14:09:38.714-07:00

Love as a Practice of Freedom <-- that's what i was looking for
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2010-06-18T22:08:03.985-07:00

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2010-03-08T11:42:06.852-08:00

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2010-03-08T06:48:21.600-08:00

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Well, Tom, that makes us even. I don’t quite get y...

2010-02-15T20:39:26.816-08:00

Well, Tom, that makes us even. I don’t quite get your response because that is not what I said either in effect or in actuality. Those are quite a lot of words and a position that you attribute to me that are not mine, and your analysis of my response really isn’t a valid or accurate one and is in effect, putting words in my mouth.

My comment ‘I don’t as a rule’ was me prefacing up front with my preferences, practices, and parameters coming into the discussion. Given that, the rest of my response was as follows: That based on what I had read from Ms. Smith, I was willing to look at the genre through a different lens, the one she had just provided for me, and rethink my position. Rethinking a position based on new information or a new perspective that’s been offered is a good thing, opening one up to new horizons, and the complete opposite of the closed-minded, out-of- hand dismissal that you seem to accuse me of making.

Sarahjayne, your response made my day. I studied r...

2010-02-15T12:28:58.334-08:00

Sarahjayne, your response made my day. I studied romance writers because my own experience was so entirely counter to what the prevailing conversations of the day said romance novels were all about. None of the academic work at the time came close to addressing the sense of freedom and meaning I found in reading and writing romance. I didn't think I was alone in that, so I studied what other romance writers' experiences were like.

It was hard to be working in universities where no one I knew had even read a romance but thought they knew all there was to know about the genre. It was important to me to be able to articulate why I choose romance and not another field of literature. More than anything, in doing that research, I wanted people to look more closely at romance, with more depth, and a willingness to think about why so many women read and write romance in the face of generalized and obligatory derision. That you might be willing to do that is all I can ever ask of anyone. It's a lot more than many of my fellow writers and teachers are willing to consider.

Tom, I love that you read romances and crow it for all the world to hear. That takes a special kind of confidence and good will that is a complete joy to find in the world. I do get what sarajayne is saying, and I appreciate both of your comments. Because of my experiences with professors, teachers, librarians, writers, newspaper editors, students and many others who have dismissed romance out of hand as inconsequential, I see a radical openness in "but this might make me rethink that."

I appreciate that very much, along with everyone else's comments.

Well said. Clearly if romance novels were written ...

2010-02-15T07:59:34.458-08:00

Well said. Clearly if romance novels were written only for needy housewives living dismal lives then they surely wouldn't resonate with guys like me who read them like crazy. You've gotta post more of that dissertation :^)

As to Ms. Smythe's comment I don't quite get it. In effect she said she never wanted to have a dog as a pet because she's scared of horses. and that if she wanted to see trash she'd look in the dumpster, except now she's willing to give it another look. Kind of a funny endorsement for a rather crucial genre.

oh, me too. I'm always thrilled when a smart,...

2010-02-15T07:52:25.730-08:00

oh, me too. I'm always thrilled when a smart, smart sister steps up and reminds everyone what's really going on between the covers.

I never liked Romeo and Juliet. The first time I s...

2010-02-15T06:58:44.474-08:00

I never liked Romeo and Juliet. The first time I saw it I wanted to scream at them. Too stupid to live is right, Lynn. I always thought of Romance as more Beatrice and Benedick.

Beautiful post. And of course I have to second Rachael's "Hell Yeah!"

OH HELL YEAH. (I know that's kind of a dumb r...

2010-02-15T05:25:50.448-08:00

OH HELL YEAH.
(I know that's kind of a dumb response to such a great post, but it's my gut reaction.)

I don't as a rule read romance. I don't wr...

2010-02-15T03:44:39.429-08:00

I don't as a rule read romance. I don't write romance. Because honestly, my reaction to "Romeo and Juliet' is about the same as yours. Poor impulse control I can see in and outside of my classroom at any time.

But this may make me rethink that, at least as far as reading goes. It's an insight that's never come to me, perhaps because I never looked. It's brilliant, actually, as is hooks.