Lack of perspective in literature (or in readers) often causes a contemporary condition I've heard referred to as "presentism"; that is, a disposition to judge all literature by the narrow standards of present time and present culture. This leads to the phenomena such as the denunciation of classic novels such as Huckleberry Finn, on grounds that they deal with issues such as slavery, women's civil rights, ect., in a way not consistent with the notion of present-day political correctness.
- "Presentism" The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon
Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. For other contributions click here.
Exactly!
ReplyDeleteMine this week is a drama about a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder (and there may be a bit of romance in there too...)
http://pdworkman.com/latest-updates-and-excerpt-from-other-people-teasertuesday/
I didn't realize that attitude had a name! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post features THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE.
Wow, I really like having a name for this phenomenon. I'm sure I've probably judged books like that before, but she's right. Its a really unfortunate practice. Cool pick! I'm planning to re-read Outlander (and maybe the rest of the series as well) and I hope its as good as I remember. My Teaser.
ReplyDeleteI recently reread Outlander and found it a surprisingly rewarding experience. There were lots of little things I missed the first time. Hopefully it's the same for you.
DeleteI love given the phenomenon a name. I try to judge the book not if it is political correct. Thanks for sharing. Here’s My Teaser
ReplyDeleteI do too. It makes it easier to talk about if nothing else.
DeleteYou are totally hooked!
ReplyDeleteOK, look, this wasn't my fault. The library made me do it. It put the book on my screen and I mean I said 'ok I'll read it', but who wouldn't it's all about shiny things like writing and history, and plants, and food, and *happy sighs*
Delete