And now male writers bend over backward to emphasize the superiority of their female characters. I meet the same paragon in book after book: high IQ, great personality, firm moral purpose, dazzling wit. And the trick is to get it across that she’s also very attractive without ever appearing to be somehow disrespecting her. It would be funny if it weren’t so boring. But the truth is, no man today would ever attempt to create an Emma Bovary or an Anna Karenina.
