Hazel Kevlihan
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi Lois, I'm a huge fan of your work, I'm finishing up Shards of Honor right now and am thoroughly enjoying it. I noticed that violence against women is a major feature of this story. What's your opinion on how to appropriately depict sexual assault in fiction given the tendency (especially in fantasy/sci fi) for it to be romanticized? Would love to hear your thoughts. Best, Hazel.
Lois McMaster Bujold
Well, keep in mind that Shards was written in 1983, when the public conversation around these issues was quite different. But in general, I don't think violence against women should be portrayed erotically. Given Rule 34, it really is impossible for a writer to control how their prose is read, though it's at least possible to control how it is written.
My own views on the matter are more bio-evolutionary than social (not that the latter isn't the costume the that former wears.) Primate studies are most interesting to me, because they actually provide a control group for comparison. In primates, non-reproductive mounting (and reproductive, for that matter) a very clearly expressions of bio-social dominance or would-be dominance, a statement of "I am more important than you and this proves it!" (Obviously especially urgent to someone who has internal doubts about their status.) Extension to the highest primates left as a mental exercise for the student.
The deepest work I've ever read on these issues, which I recommend to everyone, is Nick Lane's Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... It's 14 years old now, which is, like, 98 bioscience-years at the current pace, but much of it covers fundamental aspects that have been well-established and aren't likely to be changed.
Ta, L.
My own views on the matter are more bio-evolutionary than social (not that the latter isn't the costume the that former wears.) Primate studies are most interesting to me, because they actually provide a control group for comparison. In primates, non-reproductive mounting (and reproductive, for that matter) a very clearly expressions of bio-social dominance or would-be dominance, a statement of "I am more important than you and this proves it!" (Obviously especially urgent to someone who has internal doubts about their status.) Extension to the highest primates left as a mental exercise for the student.
The deepest work I've ever read on these issues, which I recommend to everyone, is Nick Lane's Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... It's 14 years old now, which is, like, 98 bioscience-years at the current pace, but much of it covers fundamental aspects that have been well-established and aren't likely to be changed.
Ta, L.
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Recently I read parts of my first book, published 11 years and books ago, to get details for a sequel. I was surprised at the skill of that alien time-lost author. Have you ever experienced anything similar? By the way, as I do every few years, I'm re-reading the Vorkosigan stories starting with Cordelia's books. I'm buying the ebook versions despite having the print books. Eyesight changes make ebooks easier to read.
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