04-02-2023, 10:49 PM | #16 | |
Guru
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04-02-2023, 10:53 PM | #17 |
Groupie
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The problem I see is that authors have agendas also; some are extreme and sometimes representations aren't necessarily accurate or complete. An author's personal biases needs to be taken into account, and I don't know how to do that without knowing more about an author's background than I usually do.
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04-03-2023, 12:04 AM | #18 | ||
cacoethes scribendi
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From C.S.Lewis - An Experiment in Criticism (1961). Quote:
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04-03-2023, 06:01 AM | #19 |
Grand Sorcerer
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It depends. I've read books that made me uncomfortable but I knew that from the start and I read the book because the topic interests me (often about racism). I've also read books written in a time where racism is normal (e.g. Gone with the Wind, Robinson Crusoe) and I can place it in a historical context.
However, if I'm reading a book for pleasure and it makes me uncomfortable I will DNF it. I can remember a book by Nicci French with a lot of sexual violence. And the second was an adventure thriller set in Africa, written and set in 1972. In the first couple of chapters one of the main character referred to black people with a very derogatory term and later he threw some coins to a group of children "to see them scramble about". And this was not written as bad behavior of the character. Reading other reviews the racism only gets worse. That one was DNFed quickly, too. |
04-03-2023, 07:56 AM | #20 | |
Wizard
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We see it now for what it is, but at the time there were entrenched racial attitudes. I remember watching The Black and White Minstrel Show on TV, sit-com characters like Alf Garnett were routine, comedy shows like The Benny Hill Show abounded and of course, don't forget politicians like Enoch Powell. |
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