Men Explain Lolita To Me

[matthew cissell]

As most people involved in literary discussions can atest, the exchanges we
have are often based on differing and competing readings of a text. In some
cases one might be so crass as to say: "Your wrong, that's misreading the
book." It would be offensive to anyone whatever the source, surely moreso
when it takes the form of a paternalistic or chauvanistic attitude.

However, "Batshit" isn't just being spouted by white men. I hope her
article isn't what passes for enlightened writing. "Privelobliviousness"?
Doesn't roll off the tongue like phallogocentrism, does it?

The existence of symbolic violence in the language used between various
agents in a social field is hardly new and here treatement of the subject
strikes me as a bit trite.

Good job of throwing "guys" into one bag and sealing your judgement by
invoking an exemplar of the Other with recently awarded Symbolic capital.
Perhaps she should consider her own strategies and the position she
occupies in the social field?

White western women have come in for criticism over their own role in
repression. Remember Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the young female reporter
that accused him of assault? "Tristane Banon, 31, said that she had not
made the formal accusation before because she had been persuaded by her
mother – a Socialist politician – to say nothing." The Independent.

Solnit's writing perpetuates a myth that the world would be ok if it
weren't for White Men (not just W.A.S.P.s, notice she includes Seinfeld and
Maher). Get rid of the Mansplainers and Whitesplainers and the Subaltern
Other will head to Zion. Babylon your thone gone down!

"If it is true that the principle of the perpetuation of this relationship
of domination does not truly reside (or, at least, not principally) in one
of the most visible sites in which it is exercised - in other words, within
the domestic sphere, on which some feminist debate has concentrated its
attention - but in agencies such as the school or the state, sites where
principles of domination that go on to be exercised within even the most
private universe are developed and imposed, then a vast field of action is
opened up for feminist struggles, which are thus called upon to take a
distinctive and decisive place within political struggles against all forms
of domination." Pierre Bourdieu "Maculine Domination" 2002

    What would Ms. Solnit say about Marguerite Duras' The Lover?

Ciao
mc otis


On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 9:50 PM, Matthew Taylor <matthew.taylor923 at gmail.com
> wrote:

> Thoughts on Rebecca Solnit's latest?
>
> http://lithub.com/men-explain-lolita-to-me/
>
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