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HeroIsAGirlsName t1_je0a403 wrote

Reply to comment by Bookanista in This one by LM Montgomery did not age well by Bookanista

I thought your post was funny OP and I'm not sure why everyone is getting so upset when you are just sharing your observations about the book without trying to cancel or boycott it in any way. It was clearly written in a lighthearted tone and I'm sorry people are missing that. There's a review site called SmartBitchesTrashyBooks, which your style reminds me of. I think you might enjoy it and honestly I would read longer book reviews from you, if that was something you were interested in producing.

While it's unreasonable to expect books from previous time periods to conform to modern social norms, it's as unreasonable IMO to shame modern readers who decide that the book is outdated and even perhaps write a lighthearted post making fun of it.

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Bookanista OP t1_je22ldz wrote

I love that review site! ❤️ And yes, this was meant as a lightheaded poke at one of my childhood favorites. 😁

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bellefleurdelacour98 t1_je0rnka wrote

> livello 3HeroIsAGirlsName · 2 h faI thought your post was funny OP and I'm not sure why everyone is getting so upset

Because god forbid women call out the sexism and creepyness in books eye roll standard reddit behaviour

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HeroIsAGirlsName t1_je0t5gm wrote

It's funny how when people talk about women's issues suddenly everyone starts to nitpick over the most trivial shit imaginable to derail the discussion. Would people be this bothered about historical accuracy if the topic was more neutral?

And I would argue that it does matter in the modern day, especially for children's books, because people should be able to make an informed choice about whether or not they want to sit down with their kids and explain the context.

Edited for clarity.

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spotted-cat t1_je20mey wrote

Uh, no, I’m a woman and my problem with this shit is, honestly, its a by-product of toxic purity culture and gender essentialism. Like if it a 22-year-old guy is dating a 18-year-old woman people act as if he’s a child molester even though:

  1. The woman in question is legally an adult and the relationship is consensual.

  2. Scientific studies have disproved the theory that the human brain reaches full maturity at the age of 25. New studies suggest that the brain NEVER reaches full maturity regardless of age which is why boomers are……BOOMERS! Google it.

  3. The main complaint about this type of relationship is that there is a power imbalance between the man and woman in question which implies that: Women between the ages of 18-25 are dumber than a sack of rocks, easily manipulated, and therefore have no autonomy because her actions are being subconciously controlled by the man, who must be inherently abusive. Cause all men are, right? No matter who he is — he could be fucking Clark Kent and people would tear him to pieces.

Fyi, the Italian thing is because the majority of Italian immigrants to the US were Sicilians and Sicily was the birthplace of the Italian mafia.

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Bookanista OP t1_je229cn wrote

I never said he was a “child molester,” either. I said I find it “squicky” how much he rhapsodizes about how ignorant, innocent, unspoiled, and childlike Kilmeny is. No one is advocating for rewriting this book so they are ages 46 and 45.

And even if they did this book would still have the major flaw that the main characters are both too perfect in every way, which is boring.

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spotted-cat t1_je27h1f wrote

You ever watch The Big Bang Theory — its literally the same concept in a different context. And, believe me, you spend enough time with some guys like Sheldon Cooper and Howard Wolowitz you’ll appreciate naiveté, too. Or at least someone who isn’t a pretentious asshat. The dude in the book was a teacher — a professional know-it-all.

No offense intended to actual teachers.

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