Subject: Re: Avoidance of stereotypes and the true themes of "Eskimos"
Hotspur8@aol.com
Date: Tue Feb 25 1997 - 16:35:33 GMT
In a message dated 97-02-25 15:05:22 EST, you write:
<< I do not believe that using stereotypes to indicat a
character's leanings, wants, economical stance, OR sexuality is beyond
what J.D. would do. It is a worthwhile literary technic which allows for
ambiguity and questions to arrise >>
i whole heartedly agree. i've been watching these discussions jump back and
forth regarding the bashing of stereotyping as a descriptive function in an
author's attempt to descriptively clarify a character's position.. whether it
be what he or she wants, intends to do, or simply "is"-- such as being a
homosexual as a result of the author's conscious choice to set that
character's mannerism/behavior code.
Stereotypes, to me, are not a "bad" thing... theycan be used as a simple
convention in order to represent an oversimplified conception or opinion
regarding a race, a gender, a certain 'type' of person, animals, what have
you-- it aids the reader in recognizing that these unvarying 'PATTERNS' of
'BEHAVIOR' indeed exisit... that we are essentially just stereotypes-- if you
break out of the stereotype, fine. good for you. if you remain in that
patterened system of behavior, fine, who really cares anyway.
the fact remains to me that the character that JD is creating for me in this
story plays every stereotype of the stereotypical homosexual that i have
encountered.. whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is irrelevant-- the
fact is that the character fits the stereotype, the very convention that
writers have been utilizing to convey certain ideas of people, groups,
events, or issues considered to "typify or conform to unvarying patterns or
manners that lacks individuality" since civilization felt the need to retell
a story to a group.
just look at the bible.. if that isn't one of the greatest novels ever
written-- it's full of stereotypes.. JD is just following in a long line of
writers that have successfully mined characters out of the deep wells that
are stereotypes.. and his does it pretty damn well, if i do say so myself.
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