Thursday, October 16, 2008
Porter the Woman writer
I think what Michelle says about the short story having a romance aspect goes along with what was mentioned in class about Porter writing like a women (whereas Flannery writes more like a man). While reading the story, I could not help but think how whiny and overly romantic the writing and focus of the piece is. Porter emphasizes Miranda's yearning to be with Adam outside of the time and place of the war. Miranda is always fretting about getting to see Adam and worries a lot about how she looks. The themes actually reminded me a lot of Hemingway's story, A Farewell to Arms. I especially find the relationship of Miranda and Adam similar to the relationship between Henry and Catherine. Of course, the main difference would be in the style of writing, however both women are portrayed as semi-whiny and weak (at least to me). What do you guys think?
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4 comments:
Dana, you bring up an excellent point, and I find it curious that O'Connor and Porter would be pigeon-holed that way, and am disappointed that as a society, and a literary community, their contemporaries felt the need to label them as such.
I haven't really detected anything particularly feminine about Porter's writing, or at least I didn't until given the schema through which to view her as a more feminine writer than O'Connor.
I find that ironic, because looking at Porter's life, she seems to have been a very empowered woman. I'm really impressed with her biography and am looking forward to reading her letters.
It seems that she overcame a lot, including an abusive first husband, but seemed to really assert herself on her environment after that and dictate the terms of her existence.
In light of that, I find it interesting that some would try to dismiss her work for "writing like a woman."
I do not exactly agree with the comment that she is really whiny. Yes, ok she is a little obnixious about her relationship with Adam, but he is just as bad like when she thinks she is getting a cold he tells her not to catch cold because he is about to leave for good. Adam does not make the situation any better for her and he just reminds her about how little time she has with him. I think the whole romantic aspect of the story comes from both sides, no matter how obxious they both are. I think that it is important to have this romantic relationship to elaborate on how couples/people act during a time of devastation, we overdue a relationship because it brings joy in a joyless period.
I would agree with your statement that Porter writes more like a woman whereas O'Connor writes more like a man. I understand what you mean that the character of Miranda comes of as "whiny," but I do not necessarily think that she is, in fact, whining. To me. Porter's style of writing is similar to the style of Jane Austen, which is highly feminine. I feel that the "whiny" tone of this story is a reflection of the time in which the story was written in that, at this point in time, women were struggling to be seen as equals to men within society. This whiny-ness is more or less a reflection of the though process of both Porter as well as Miranda as they struggle to interject the process in which women think. This whiny-ness is Miranda's small voice in the sea of patriarchy.
The inclusion of a romance, in my opinion, does not categorize Porter's writing as more feminine than masculine. To find a romance, first of all, in Porter's stories is rare. This romance, secondly, is anything but a typical love story, and Miranda is anything but "semi-whiny and weak." Miranda holds her own in a career dominated by men, chain smokes, survives a life-threatening illness, risks a broken heart by falling in love with a man doomed to die, and is really not supportive of the war. A love story between a woman who refuses to buy a liberty bond and a man who is readily willing to die for his country seems a little more than a typical boy + girl = love drama. I really like that you delved into the discussion of whether Porter writes more like a woman than O'Connor, but I don't think an inclusion of a romance stands alone as evidence for feminine writing. We should talk more about this in class. I like the topic.
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