Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsFamiliar feminist responses to traditional literary criticism--relied out in sarcastic, shrill, admittedly scattershot form by gifted sf writer Russ. (To give you an idea of the viewpoint here, Russ will probably regard ""gifted sf writer"" as an attempt to suppress her writing through genre-pigeonholing.) The first of a dozen brief essays recalls past prohibitions against women's writing, now still operative in the form of discouragement (""the message that women cannot or should not he artists""). Then come examples of criticism that ""denies"" a woman's real authorship, that ""pollutes"" that authorship with ""the idea that women make themselves ridiculous by creating art."" (Unconvincingly, Russ equates the 19th-century pejorative of ""impropriety"" with today's ""confessional."") And more subtle, insidious forms of degradation are seen in: ""the double standard of content"" (Wuthering Heights must be a love story, not a study of evil, because it's by a woman); ""false categorizing"" (calling Kate Chopin or Willa Cather ""reglonalists""); the myth of the isolated achievement, which ignores C. Bronte's Villette; and the restrictions on the quantity of woman-writer visibility--on reading lists, in anthologies. (""There is much, much more good literature by women in existence than anyone knows."") How do women writers respond to this situation? By appeals to truth, by redefinitions and evasions, by direct confrontation, by feminist solidarity--and, regrettably, says Russ, by turning away from the problem. But Russ urges them to reject the premises of male/white/middle-class-centered literature (today ""there can be. . . no single center of value and hence no absolute standards""), exploring new forms and embracing new criteria. Slapdash, full of contradictions and exaggerations, sorely lacking in context--but lively, argumentative voicings that offer encouragement (and a neat way to discount all negative criticism) to struggling women writers.
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Sarah Buchmann - GoodreadsThirty years after publication this book should be out of date! I know that the author agrees with me. She wrote so in "The Female Man" in the most beautiful ending a book ever had. I'm sorry to say ... Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Rasha Gazzaz - GoodreadsEasy flow. A feminist perspective on the marginalization of women's writing during the 1900s. A good book for those interested in feminist literary works. Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Emma - GoodreadsIt's uncanny how 30 years after writing the same shit still gets said about women artists and writers. A great classic text. Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Rita - GoodreadsPublished in 1983. Five stars not because it's so well written, but because it is so important. Thanks to Djinnjer on goodreads for the ff quote followed by her own good summary: Russ: 'A mode of ... Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Allison Lorraine - GoodreadsThis was an assigned reading, or exerpts of it, in my Women's Studies classes at commnunity college when I was in my early 20's. Have forgotten it; would like to review it. I forgot it because I ... Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Allison Lorraine - GoodreadsThis was an assigned reading, or exerpts of it, in my Women's Studies classes at commnunity college when I was in my early 20's. Have forgotten it; would like to review it. I forgot it because I ... Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Ruby - GoodreadsYes, yes, yes, brilliant! Needs to be read much more widely (and revised perhaps? although sadly, very little of this is outdated 30 years after publication). But seriously, Russ is really really good. Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - Brigid Keely - Goodreads"How To Suppress Women's Writing," by science fiction author Joanna Russ, is a look at the writing of women through history and how their work and words have been and continue to be marginalized ... Read full review
Review: How to Suppress Women's Writing
User Review - MrsJoseph - GoodreadsNot sure how much of this I'll get through before it has to go back... Read full review
