tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post9147793086539270035..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: Reading in the BorderlandsAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-28380137530626054732016-02-28T10:32:10.056-05:002016-02-28T10:32:10.056-05:00(In case that looks like spam, this really is Jere...(In case that looks like spam, this really is Jeremy, linking to a <i>Carol</i> parody.)Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-44773637614328212062016-02-28T10:31:36.477-05:002016-02-28T10:31:36.477-05:00Someone just pointed me to this:
https://www.yout...Someone just pointed me to this:<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QljnNIBtaIJeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-4656351976904135442016-02-16T10:09:07.679-05:002016-02-16T10:09:07.679-05:00And I've now finished the book. It feels much ...And I've now finished the book. It feels much more real there, and the ending made way more sense to me because I understand the thought process behind Therese's return much better.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-37608034289526351922016-02-16T10:08:31.020-05:002016-02-16T10:08:31.020-05:00These are all good points, Jean. I think that the ...These are all good points, Jean. I think that the thing you bring up (about the mother giving up her child) is actually much stronger in the book than the movie. In the book, Therese seems to need that proof of Carol's love, and that did bother me.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-76708553896939040902016-02-16T10:07:20.908-05:002016-02-16T10:07:20.908-05:00Fair point!Fair point!Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-30607013012378476102016-02-16T10:07:11.547-05:002016-02-16T10:07:11.547-05:00But is Kundera's non-fiction?
As far as what ...But is Kundera's non-fiction?<br /><br />As far as what you're saying about mixed-race people, I'm really not sure what you mean by it.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-57006888468392434552016-02-15T10:01:24.858-05:002016-02-15T10:01:24.858-05:00Now that I've seen the movie, I agree: the lov...Now that I've seen the movie, I agree: the love between Carol and Therese looks unconvincing, though the movie is a beautiful period piece.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-36820157600150040242016-02-13T09:28:20.621-05:002016-02-13T09:28:20.621-05:00I look forward to seeing the movie version on Vale...I look forward to seeing the movie version on Valentine's Day with my sweetie. I think it's important to remember that the novel was published under a pen name in the early 1950s, when lesbians were very closeted. I see the older woman/younger woman dynamic is being almost necessary for several reasons: women in general didn't earn much money, and "out" lesbians often found it hard to survive at all. An older woman with access to a husband's money could pay for dates and enable a woman/woman couple to consider living together. In some cases, the older woman would have valuable knowledge about the culture of a hidden lesbian culture to pass on to a protegee. In other cases, the younger woman (who might be more butch, and therefore more "out") could rescue the older woman from married conformity. The diversity of this couple could give them a fighting chance. What I think I'll find problematic about the movie is Carol's willingness to give up her child to be with her lover. This probably seemed like a necessary sacrifice in the 1950s (and judges would have enforced it in custody hearings), but IMO it would make the mother wonder if leaving "respectability" behind was worth it.Jean Robertahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08805088081675965859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-81079155965787831852016-02-12T22:56:27.006-05:002016-02-12T22:56:27.006-05:00I can see being uncomfortable with the age differe...I can see being uncomfortable with the age difference--I'd be uncomfortable with it myself--but as someone so far along on the age scale as to be pretty much insignificant, I'm looking forward to seeing "Carol" partly because older women, even those as relatively young (to me) as Cate Blanchette, so rarely get to be the focus of movies involving sexuality. Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-45779082481756565522016-02-11T18:04:28.763-05:002016-02-11T18:04:28.763-05:00The Suki Kim book sounds along the same lines as M...The Suki Kim book sounds along the same lines as Milan Kundera's The Joke, which I've just begun.<br /><br />And... Annabeth... There will be a time when mixed-race people will be the norm. It's a matter of survival for human beings. A wider gene pool produces a more perfect human being.<br /><br />Of course, all that hinges on whether or not we kill ourselves off first.Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-88652074852211698262016-02-11T13:35:04.308-05:002016-02-11T13:35:04.308-05:00You're right that there are people who seem to...You're right that there are people who seem to be in that sort of situation and handle it well. I meant to be clearer that I personally can't picture how that works but that I allow it might be the case for others. I do think it's a big difference when people initiate a relationship with an age difference when they're already adults.Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-1297171840294478282016-02-11T13:06:03.492-05:002016-02-11T13:06:03.492-05:00Ah, I see. I can imagine it being healthy dependin...Ah, I see. I can imagine it being healthy depending on the individuals, but I understand the scenario you're describing as a potential risk. I know at least one apparently well-functioning long-term couple with a 20+-year age differential. I will mention, though, in case it's relevant, that the couple I'm thinking of got together when the younger party was close to 30 and was an established professional who'd been living an adult life for a long time—which of course is a big difference from being 18.Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-9013060972404136832016-02-11T12:54:44.610-05:002016-02-11T12:54:44.610-05:00Thanks for the comment, Jeremy!
Private email an...Thanks for the comment, Jeremy! <br /><br />Private email answered. <br /><br />As far as age differences, my discomfort has to do with real-world experiences (both mine and those of my friends) that involved power dynamics that felt coercive/abusive. I think it's very hard for the power dynamics to be right when there's a large age gap. I also experimented briefly when I was 18 with being someone's hot young thing, and it felt really horrible to me. So I just can't picture that kind of relationship feeling good and I'm very alert to those unhealthy dynamics. <br /><br />My discomfort in fiction is my real-world discomfort spilling over.<br /><br />In the movie, I read Therese and Carol as very far apart in age: Therese around 19 and Carol in her 40s. (Perhaps because Cate Blanchett is 46). In the book, though Therese is 19, and Carol is 32. I found that age difference bothered me a lot less. You're no longer talking about someone who could actually be a parent to the other partner. Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-62595900510565346532016-02-11T08:21:46.134-05:002016-02-11T08:21:46.134-05:00I'm not familiar with Carol (book or movie), b...I'm not familiar with <i>Carol</i> (book or movie), but I'm interested in your take on the age-difference element. (My take is that wide age disparities can be part of an unhealthy template of one kind or another—such as "trophy" partners or unrealistic hero worship—but that it doesn't have to be that way.) Do you tend to feel uneasy with age disparities in fiction specifically (as opposed to real life)—like it tends to be wielded as a narrative element in a problematic way?<br /><br />(I have a second comment—a question/suggestion about your antho—but I'll write to you privately. Congratulations on that! [On the antho, that is, not on getting private e-mails from me. (:v>])Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-77458474184210611452016-02-11T07:53:14.940-05:002016-02-11T07:53:14.940-05:00Yeah, the call literally just went up, so I'm ...Yeah, the call literally just went up, so I'm still spreading the word! Glad you're interested. The deadline is July 31st (it's off to the left under the picture, so a bit of a weird spot). <br /><br />So glad you enjoyed the post. :)Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-77926468422739188812016-02-11T07:42:49.105-05:002016-02-11T07:42:49.105-05:00Do you have a deadline for this collection? I skim...Do you have a deadline for this collection? I skimmed the CFS without finding one.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-76980625623839622032016-02-11T07:40:07.653-05:002016-02-11T07:40:07.653-05:00When you say your reading is diverse, you're n...When you say your reading is diverse, you're not kidding!<br /><br />I didn't know you were editing a CT book. That's fantastic! A difficult theme, though.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.com