November 4th, 2009 / 12:46 am
Behind the Scenes
Blake Butler
Behind the Scenes
Blank Bodies
Imagine all authors did not have names or genders or races or other traits, and all books were no more than the sum of what they held or caused in on upon the world or you. Imagine the words are the words. How would this affect your ‘top ten’ lists and concerns? What would you say then about the problems with this list, and the perspectives (not bodies) of its creator(s)? [And yes, I do believe that the aura of author does affect something in the object’s presence, but we’re talking about books as books here, not commodities, or careers.]
Is the gender of the book the author’s gender? Is the history of the book the author’s skin? By what other, individual features might a creator’s identity be transmitted and/or formed?
Tags: all books
If not race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation, then class and ideology… If class and ideology are also excluded, we’d have to actually read the books…
If not race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation, then class and ideology… If class and ideology are also excluded, we’d have to actually read the books…
if all those things are excluded, what books? not aesthetically, i mean, but materially? reading is class. ask the 1 billion non-literate adults in the world.
if all those things are excluded, what books? not aesthetically, i mean, but materially? reading is class. ask the 1 billion non-literate adults in the world.
i’d like my shit even if i weren’t a hotass white dude/author.
i’d like my shit even if i weren’t a hotass white dude/author.
all authors do have names.
all authors do have gender.
unless they are as we speak under op.
all authors do have race
unless you’re one of those people who says there is no race
in which case
you might not read.
at all.
what?
i’m drunk.
i just danced with a girl at the bar named misty morning lake.
really.
cool name.
if somebody writes a book thats good they write a book that’s good regardless of whether or not their name has some lake or something in it.
all authors do have names.
all authors do have gender.
unless they are as we speak under op.
all authors do have race
unless you’re one of those people who says there is no race
in which case
you might not read.
at all.
what?
i’m drunk.
i just danced with a girl at the bar named misty morning lake.
really.
cool name.
if somebody writes a book thats good they write a book that’s good regardless of whether or not their name has some lake or something in it.
The bar or the girl was named Misty Morning Lake?
The bar or the girl was named Misty Morning Lake?
Impossible to imagine all DNA and identical experience as identical. The world as a bunch of me.
So gender of book is author’s, history of the book is author’s, so on. Impossible to get completely outside of oneself, even within the imaginative arts.
Everything reflects bias of whatever kind.
(As for the list, seems very Western, pragmatic, white, male, etc (even with Daniyal’s Pakistan book in there). But this is expected for PW right.)
Impossible to imagine all DNA and identical experience as identical. The world as a bunch of me.
So gender of book is author’s, history of the book is author’s, so on. Impossible to get completely outside of oneself, even within the imaginative arts.
Everything reflects bias of whatever kind.
(As for the list, seems very Western, pragmatic, white, male, etc (even with Daniyal’s Pakistan book in there). But this is expected for PW right.)
for writers you guys aren’t very good at imaginging
for writers you guys aren’t very good at imaginging
i like anonymous books, they’re usually pretty sexy / fucked up
i like anonymous books, they’re usually pretty sexy / fucked up
i didn’t not say identical. i said, not provided directly.
i didn’t not say identical. i said, not provided directly.
The bar or the girl was named Misty Morning Lake.
The bar or the girl was named Misty Morning Lake.
a list is a reflection of a person’s mind. it is personal.
dictating what is great and/or good is silly and arrogant.
replying with what you feel is great or good in your mind is okay.
as far as the above questions? people are dumb. they like to identify with others so they can feel safe and less alone.
women blindly support women.
blacks blindly support blacks.
hipsters blindly support hipsters.
academics blindly support academics.
and they love to bitch when they feel their identity is threatened or slighted. but really what is any one doing other than bitching?
a list is a reflection of a person’s mind. it is personal.
dictating what is great and/or good is silly and arrogant.
replying with what you feel is great or good in your mind is okay.
as far as the above questions? people are dumb. they like to identify with others so they can feel safe and less alone.
women blindly support women.
blacks blindly support blacks.
hipsters blindly support hipsters.
academics blindly support academics.
and they love to bitch when they feel their identity is threatened or slighted. but really what is any one doing other than bitching?
gender of the book is how you interpret it.
this is all a construct of your reality.
if i give you a plain covered book with no author name, just the words, it is up to your interpretation to determine the gender of the author.
i could easily give you a book written by a black woman and you’ll think it’s written by a horny whtie dude or at least always be unsure about the true nature of the author.
it’s all in the tone and the interpretation, the dance and the song.
gender of the book is how you interpret it.
this is all a construct of your reality.
if i give you a plain covered book with no author name, just the words, it is up to your interpretation to determine the gender of the author.
i could easily give you a book written by a black woman and you’ll think it’s written by a horny whtie dude or at least always be unsure about the true nature of the author.
it’s all in the tone and the interpretation, the dance and the song.
All writing is informed by the identity of the writer. The reader’s experience does not have to be. If I don;t know that the writer is a black, gay woman with one arm I will not be forced to read any of that into her writing. BUT – the writing will be informed by it.
All writing is informed by the identity of the writer. The reader’s experience does not have to be. If I don;t know that the writer is a black, gay woman with one arm I will not be forced to read any of that into her writing. BUT – the writing will be informed by it.
It all seems suspiciously New Critical to me…. If Deleuze and Guattari (among others) have taught us anything, it’s that nothing is autonomous, everything is interconnected, context is the object…..
It all seems suspiciously New Critical to me…. If Deleuze and Guattari (among others) have taught us anything, it’s that nothing is autonomous, everything is interconnected, context is the object…..
i can’t tell what your endgoal is in saying that. that seems an argument for both sides.
i can’t tell what your endgoal is in saying that. that seems an argument for both sides.