“The line is, you’re not black enough,” Yul, Monk's literary agent, declares to Monk as he learns the latest of his novels is amongst a stack of rejections. This proclamation marks Monk’s seventeenth rejection by publishing companies. The lead character and protagonist, Monk, also known as Thelonious Ellison, is an avant-garde novelist and professor of English literature, much like his creator, author Percival Everitt, who published Erasure in 2001. Monk prides his literary writings of obscure papers and does not see them, nor any of his works, as works of color. He describes himself as a man of many different interests, and even tells the reader of the things he is not capable of doing, but allows the reader to take his inferences to come …show more content…
It is important for the author to bring awareness to the conflict between writers and mainstream media, desiring his readers to understand better the complexities of trying to get one's work published, particularly in a market controlled by the pious opinions of publishers. Everitt's frustration is evident as he illustrates Monk's arrival back to his home in California. Monk begins to go through his mail when met with yet another rejection letter from his agent. Yul had attached the copy of a rejection notice which read, in part, “It shows a brilliant intellect, certainly. It’s challenging and masterfully written and constructed, but who wants to read this [shx!]? It’s too difficult for the market” (Everitt 42). There it is, while Monk’s work is considered to be an intelligent piece of writing –a masterpiece, even-- the publisher is the one who pedantically suggests no one would be interested in it, insinuating no one of Monk's race would even care to try and comprehend the complex content of his material. It is apparent the author is well aware of the ignorance perpetuated by publishing companies who try to dictate a writer's identity according to some unspoken rule, defining what is marketable, and what is not. This practice of stereotyping is not an issue which is widely spoken about outside of the literary world and perhaps is why Everett …show more content…
Gender profiling is another atrocity controlled by the hands of publication companies. Not to suggest the similarities between race and gender are identical, but to point out that injustices being handed out from the media are nothing new. For example, women in centuries past used pseudonyms to get their work published, such as Louisa May Alcott who penned her early writings under the name of A.M. Barnard, gaining notoriety first as a male writer before publishing works under her real name. Society and publishers have long held an ideology as to what material would be best-suited for writers, according to society's impression of one's race and gender. The struggle still exists for writers today. For example, publishers thought it acceptable for author Scott Westerfeld to pen the Uglies series, whose main character is a fifteen-year-old girl, yet, the famous Harry Potter series author, J.K. Rowling was told it was not wise for a woman to be writing from the perspective of a young boy. Therefore, she was asked by her publisher to forego the usage of her first name and also to create a middle initial. Rowling also wanted to write crime novels, but to do so successfully, in the world of literary critics, she adopted the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. After all, who would buy any other type of genre after the success Harry
Whether it is because they think it is easier to be taken seriously or not. In “Doe Season” by David Kaplan, Charlie Spoon is very critical of Andy’s choice to go by Andy when her real name is Andrea. Spoon is condemning of Andy’s choice saying “you’re half boy anyway. You go by a boy’s name”(149).Throughout history many females have gone by male names, this is most easily seen in authors. According to CNN “most female authors purposefully opt for a male pseudonym to appeal to a wider audience” (Lytton). In an interview with CNN Carmela Ciuraru, author of “Nom de plume: A history of pseudonyms”, states that sometimes it’s easier to be taken seriously as a man (CNN). By going by male names female authors prove that regardless of the name on the cover of the book the content is still just as appealing. This is seen in “Doe Season” as well. Regardless of what Andy chooses to go by she proves girls can still hunt just as well as the boys can. Just as the authors proved that no matter what you go by, the book will still sell. Andy challenged social norms by going by a ‘boys’ name , by doing this it proves that girls are just as capable as
Women writers, this is to say, have been treated differently from men because they were women; and this has affected how they developed.
The commentary on My Pafology is almost identical in its claim that the novel reflects the real African-American experience. Even the scholars and writers on the board of judges with Monk for The Book Award are not able to see that it is a parody. Monk has written the novel with the intention of illustrating what society’s representation of Black life is and then caricaturizing it to show how absurd and narrow it is. Yet, instead of recognizing the novel and its protagonist, Van Go
Often heralded as the world’s greatest nation, the United States is also considered home to the world’s greatest authors. Reputable authors such as Fitzgerald, Twain, and Steinbeck remain relevant even through the washing waves of time. One such timeless author, Ray Bradbury, ventured the hazardous path of taboo to write of change. Through his novels of innocent youths evolving into children enlightened beyond their years, Bradbury utilizes the motif of time, innocence, and the philosophical movements of existentialism, transcendentalism, and romanticism to describe catastrophic events the American culture could face if existing destitute judgments continue to prevail. Ray Bradbury dared to reveal his voice.
Anne Bradstreet wrote, The Author to Her Book to share her experience of being a self-conscious writer exposing her work to the public view. She effectively wrote her view on this subject by expressing her feeling and emotion directly to the audience, being able to relate and make a connection, and siding with the victim of this argument, the artists. She helps everyone be aware of the viewpoint of the artist taking that bold step and sharing their talent. Their thoughts, feelings, obstacles were on display to inform as well as for her own personal utility.
During the struggle to rise to a higher social class, many African Americans have chosen to embrace white ideals while rejecting their heritage and anything that associates one with their “blackness” This type of rejection to one’s culture has been shown many times in African American literature. In “The Wife of His Youth,” by Charles Chesnutt, and Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, the authors use their writing to show this disconnection; both Chesnutt and Ellison are able to capture the struggle and help their characters to overcome it by embracing their pasts, which can be a very difficult ideal in African American heritage.
Ellison intends to write about the African-America society in 1930. He tells us the African Americans are constantly discriminated. They are blind to the fact that they are being mistreated and avoid knowing the truth. They try to find their identity in a White-dominated society. The Narrator thinks that he is alive to support and gain recognition of white people. He spends many years trying to blend into society. Another example is Mr. Bledsoe. He is an African- American person who puts blending into white society above his own people. He declares that he would bring down every African-American before he loses his job. Ellison shows how African-Americans try to join white society and those that have been excepted keep it as an accomplishment and would never give it away.
Whether society desires to recognize it or not, race defines human behavior in America. In a benign world, society would see race as a countenance to culture, and therefore endeavor to exalt one another’s way of life. However, that is not the case. For example, in literature, an African American writer cannot just be great; they are often looked as a great writer— for a Negro. Society is quick to presume African American writers as great for their heritage, rather than great as an all-encompassing ideal. Therefore, this matter is prevalent in Ralph Ellison’s writing. By assuaging the issue, Ralph Ellison pursues the process of an American classic novel; he is then able to be to deliver his message with a broad perspective. With these difficulties
2). In fact, a new genre has emerged, that is, become much more popular, called “trans lit.” Meaning that these novels are written for trans people, by trans people (Rollman, 2015, p. 2). This encourages trans writers and readers alike. Even though transgender representation in literature is great and varying, some novels still poorly represent the trans characters they include. Canadian author and journalist Casey Plett shared her insight on cis writers writing trans characters, “Trans people have historically always been written in certain ways to serve certain interests by cis people… a lot of these novels which have storylines written by cis people tend to put trans people on pedestals and make them look like one-dimensional Disney heroes” (Rollman, 2015, p. 2). Even with the best of intentions, trans characters are often misrepresented. It is not just books either. The comic book industry is catching up as well. Andrew Wheeler comments:
There are many female writers, some known better than other. Female writes most of the time focused their stories in experiences or personal point of view on what is going on around them. Other women write fiction of unusual worlds and character that people can relate to with the struggle or experiences. Margaret Atwood the “Canadian nationalist poetess is a prominebt figure concerned with the need for a new language to explore relations between subjects and society“ (Omid, Pyeaam 1). Atwood wrote her first novel called, “The Edible Woman”; this first novel categorized her as feminist, based on the main character of a strong woman. In an interview with Emma Brockes, Atwood affirms, "First of all, what is feminism? Second, which branch of
The American literary canon presents a one sided view of women, due to the dominance of male authors. Classic American books generally present images of women in a male-centered viewpoint, creating a biased representation of women in literature. In “Feminist Literary Criticism: From Anti-Patriarchy to Decadence,” Anne Barbeau Gardiner states that the American literary canon is “strikingly narrow…prepared by white men whose judgment was prejudiced and whose language was full of gendered meanings.” (Gardiner 395). Gardiner
An alternative perspective on women’s inability to achieve a rapport with men in an intellectual space is through the Victorian literary canon. For instance, authors such as George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) used male pseudonyms to publish their work. They did this in-order to escape the stereotypes of female writers only being able to create Romantic novels rather than serious psychological and satirical dramas. In this way, George Eliot reflects the struggle of the female SAOs not being considered as “tough enough” to accurately handle serious material in the Education Board. This also demonstrates how females often had to compromise to fit a male view in-order to be publicly successful. In contrast, George Eliot has the agency to present her
Yet, the main argument one can point out is this, “Women read books, about women, with women’s ideas in mind, about women, for women, but are written by men” is true. You can see this in many literatures such as Matilda, Madeline, and even Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to name a few. Questions come to play, why do men write books about women, when in fact they are males? In Cheryl Lange’s paper, Men and Women Writing Women: The Female Perspective… she discusses Alan Williamson, a male feminist’s theorist, who mentions male writers could be outcasts, gay, or rejects of male cultures. Williamson describes that many male writers feel shame at not being accepted as “real men” by other males, because of their ability to identify with women. Does
Literature, no matter what the topic of form it comes in, has the ability to raise issues, spark thought/imagination, and/or draw out emotions that have been buried deep within us as people. It is expected, from the authors, that readers will form opinions and criticisms for their works. Be it that the readers’ emotions parallel those of the writer or differ; some thoughts and opinions are expected.
The desire to write anonymously is common among people who do not wish to risk their reputation with their own name. Authors created a pseudonym to be the face of their writings. Pseudonyms have helped provide authors with an opportunity to become successful while hiding their true identities. Women in particular used male pen names to avoid bias from males who thought women should not be in the field of writing. Also, having a male name offered women power and authority from the reader’s and the author’s perspective while avoiding being second-guessed about their ideas (Phillips 223). Men did not believe women could think on their own, let alone write and publish interesting narratives (Marcus 214). Women wanted to be perceived as equal with men, so they metaphorically became one.