tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post8284365150677512770..comments2023-09-15T03:09:51.119-07:00Comments on the bumpidee reader: The Way Home by George PelecanosTobi Vailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052149126555935296noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post-59392297932874784382009-12-04T20:50:10.037-08:002009-12-04T20:50:10.037-08:00I also would dispute that it would be unbelievable...I also would dispute that it would be unbelievable to show working class/poor men respectful of women--both sides of my family prove this to be very believable, as does my experience growing up around strong working class women and girls who commanded respect from all of their peers, male or female.Tobi Vailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052149126555935296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post-50368918113118045462009-12-04T20:45:06.628-08:002009-12-04T20:45:06.628-08:00Right, but that is not realistic. Men do not exist...Right, but that is not realistic. Men do not exist in a world without women, ever. No man does! Why should we accept such a bizarre, mythical world as "real"-- it's a familiar Hollywood, TV-baby, fake version of the world that passes as "real" because we are used to this kind of storytelling.<br />I actually like Pelecanos a lot (and Hammet, Hemingway, Fante, Chandler etc)Tobi Vailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052149126555935296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post-154646986189154542009-12-04T19:18:37.336-08:002009-12-04T19:18:37.336-08:00But his books are indeed ABOUT men. If these char...But his books are indeed ABOUT men. If these characters - working class if not outright poor - started waxing poetic about the strength of their wives, girlfriends or mothers, I personally would find it suspect within the world Pelecanos has created. If the book actually contained more women and all of them were paper-thin or stereotypical, then I might have a problem. But seeing how this is CrimeNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01864714204900048660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post-15368867813104944042009-12-04T18:06:24.509-08:002009-12-04T18:06:24.509-08:00Are you saying that writers using the 3rd person a...Are you saying that writers using the 3rd person are not responsible for the ethics of their work?<br />I think there is a difference between depicting reality--which is patriarchal--and producing a sexist text, though you are right, this is tricky.<br />I just got sick of it. And, no, I don't think his books are particularly realistic or believable. If that is what he is going for I think heTobi Vailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052149126555935296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7631060751308358987.post-29491997284325337152009-12-04T17:56:59.273-08:002009-12-04T17:56:59.273-08:00How is it sexist if he's writing a 3rd person ...How is it sexist if he's writing a 3rd person limited omniscient novel? He could have made it third-person straight-up omniscient and then - as the all-seeing god narrator - interrupted the flow of the story and said directly to the reader in some lame-ass meta-bullshit passage, "Isn't it just horrible how these characters treat their women!" Instead, Mr Pelecanos is honest CrimeNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01864714204900048660noreply@blogger.com