Friday, March 02, 2007

Amy Reads the Week (of March 2nd, 2007)

Super-Spectacular Women’s History Month Edition #1!

As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, Gentle Reader, I read books for a living. Some of them are old and dusty; some of them bright and shiny and new. That is to say, my area of specialization is Victorian literature, and one of my sub-interests is popular culture. I do lots of work on the first, and some fun work on the second, and sometimes, I even talk about the intersections between the two. It happens a lot more than you would expect.

For example, I believe that popular culture, as we know it, really got its start in the nineteenth century. Writers like Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins were so popular that their works would sell out before they even hit the shores in America, and writers like George Eliot, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Elizabeth Gaskell really cemented women’s role in a profession heretofore associated, mainly, with men: writing. While women always have written—let us ask Hawthorne how he felt about the “damned mob of scribbling women”—they didn’t always have the opportunity to make a true profession out of it, or even, to be considered professional writers. What pioneers like Aphra Behn, Jane Austen, Maria Edgeworth, et al did was open a doorway for Western women to make their livelihoods by writing the wacky newly popularized form, the novel.

But further, the nineteenth century allowed not only for professionalization of novel writing for women, it also allowed for a proliferation of genre writing as well. With the nineteenth century, we see the invention—or rediscovery—of such genre forms as the Gothic (Wuthering Heights), the Romance (Emma), Science Fiction (Frankenstein), Thriller (Lady Audley’s Secret), the list goes on and on. Two things go hand in hand at this point: the female writing public, and the female reading public. With the rise of the middle class comes the rise of leisure time, particularly for women; with the rise of leisure time comes, more often than not, time for reading. And, of course, with the rise of genre comes the rise of popular culture.

So many other things add to this mix: standardized education for both sexes and all classes, mass production of consumer goods, the department store, women’s access to the public sphere (partially in thanks to the department store), advertisement campaigns, magazines geared specifically towards interests and/or towards women, the list goes on and on. But popular culture, while existing prior to the nineteenth century, gets its firm footing in the 1800s.

In celebration of this reading-and-writing “damned mob of scribbling women,” I offer you a list of my Top Seven Greatest Genre Writers of All Time—one for every day that I Read the Week, of course! Novelists only, of course, genre writers only, of course, spanning the 18th-21st centuries.

In no particular order:

1) Connie Willis (science fiction) – it seems only fair to talk about Connie Willis’s work not only as “science fiction,” but also as “fiction about science.” Ms. Willis is, in fact, My Favorite Living Writer, and one of my Favorite Writers Of All Time. She shares the list with Emily Bronte, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Jane Austen, so that is, indeed, saying a lot. Her work is funny and brutal and witty and perfect, all at the same time.
Recommended Reading: To Say Nothing of the Dog, Bellwether

2) Dorothy Sayers (mystery) – I adore Ms. Christie, too, of course, but Ms. Sayers really creates more likeable—and loveable—characters. Lord Peter Wimsey and Ms. Harriet Vane, once they unite as a sleuthing team, are unstoppable. The humor is dry, the prose fun, and the stories never bore.
Recommended Reading: Strong Poison, Gaudy Night

3) Jane Austen (romance, social novels) – Any list of great novelists would be remiss without Ms. Austen’s presence. Her wit, her dialogue, her memorable characters all make you want to read her books, in bed, with chocolate close at hand. Further, her strong characters belie any belief that women were milk-and-water misses at the turn of the 19th century.
Recommended Reading: Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice

4) Barbara Michaels (gothic, thriller, mystery) – Also writes as Elizabeth Peters. Ms. Michaels is a powerhouse of a writer, with dozens of books to her name under either of her nom de plumes. Often, her heroines are of the Liberal Arts Persuasion, which makes her novels super-fun, and makes her characters possess interesting methods of solving mysteries. Great reads, with great historical research.
Recommended Reading: Be Buried in the Rain, Shattered Silk

5) Diana Gabaldon (romance, historical fiction) – I read Ms. Gabaldon’s first book, Outlander, when I was fifteen years old, and I haven’t stopped since. Not only does she write one of my favorite fictional conventions, time travel, she also writes amazing characters that live on long after you close the book. I believe that these books are, in large part, responsible for my Scotland obsession.
Recommended Reading: Outlander, then the rest of the series

6) Elizabeth Gaskell (romance, social novels) – Mrs. Gaskell is, without a doubt, my favorite Victorian novelist, and that’s saying a lot from This Humble Author, who has made it her life’s mission to read, teach, and write about Victorian novels! Her prose rivals George Eliot’s, in my opinion, while her storylines and characters are more entrancing than Ms. Charlotte Bronte’s.
Recommended Reading: Cranford, Wives and Daughters

7) Charlaine Harris (mystery, supernatural) – Ms. Harris is perhaps most famous for her Sookie Stackhouse series, which follows a telepathic barmaid from rural Louisiana through her trials and tribulations in the newly-revealed supernatural world surrounding her. While this series is loads of fun, Ms. Harris also has several other series under her belt involving amateur sleuths that are, perhaps, even smarter than the Stackhouse series.
Recommended Reading: Shakespeare’s Trollop, Dead Until Dark

5 comments:

Matthew E said...

I would never have thought of Jane Austen as a genre writer. In fact, I'm not sure I do now.

My top seven (only seven?) genre writers, selected by a combination of personal preference and prominence in the field:

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery, adventure). Not only for Holmes, but have you ever read the Brigadier Gerard stories? Swashbuckling and funny.

2. Stephen King (horror).

3. Terry Pratchett (fantasy). I sometimes like to argue that Pratchett is the greatest writer of the last hundred years. Who else has managed to create a world so cohesive and yet so ridiculous, while writing stories with real plots, complex characters, more humour than almost anybody, and occasionally a real point to make to the readers, over the span of so many books? I don't know if there's anything he can't do.

4. Rafael Sabatini (swashbuckling historical fiction).

5. J.R.R. Tolkien (fantasy). I'm trying to keep this list to the most prolific of authors, which Tolkien wasn't, but he pretty much has to be here anyway.

6. Donald E. Westlake (comic crime).

7. P.G. Wodehouse (Edwardian comedy of manners). Or whatever kind of genre you can come up with for him. I don't tend to think of him as a genre writer, but that might just mean that he's invented his own genre. And he's the funniest writer in the history of the English language.

Not on the list but I can't stand not to mention them: Ed McBain (police procedural), Georgette Heyer (Regency romance, mystery), Connie Willis (as stated above), Rex Stout (mystery).

I assume that the absence of a Legion Abstract link is due to your recent technical difficulties and not the result of an inadvertent slight on my part.

Amy Reads said...

Hi Matt,
I would never have thought of Jane Austen as a genre writer. In fact, I'm not sure I do now.

Out of curiosity, why not? I have things to say, but I want to hear what *you* have to say first ;)

My top seven (only seven?) genre writers, selected by a combination of personal preference and prominence in the field:

I know, I know, only seven, but with these kinds of things, I tend to go on forever. So I figured for the Women's History Month columns, I'm going to do lists of seven. Why? Just because :)

1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (mystery, adventure). Not only for Holmes, but have you ever read the Brigadier Gerard stories? Swashbuckling and funny.

I haven't! I'll definitely look into it.
Speaking of Holmes, have you read The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr? He's the guy who did the Alienist (GREAT book) and won a contest or something from Doyle's estate to do a Holmes story. Look into it if you haven't read it.

2. Stephen King (horror).

And how... and so much more. I just read Bag of Bones over my UK trip, and it was marvelous--might I recommend Joe Hill to you, as well? Apparently, Mr. Hill's full name is Joe Hill *King*. Apparently his family lives in Maine or something...

3. Terry Pratchett (fantasy). I sometimes like to argue that Pratchett is the greatest writer of the last hundred years. Who else has managed to create a world so cohesive and yet so ridiculous, while writing stories with real plots, complex characters, more humour than almost anybody, and occasionally a real point to make to the readers, over the span of so many books? I don't know if there's anything he can't do.

I have tried, and tried, to get into Pratchett, but I just can't. It feels like a failing on my part. Do you have a failsafe title you can recommend? Maybe I'll give him another chance.

4. Rafael Sabatini (swashbuckling historical fiction).

Duly noted! I adore swashbuckling...

5. J.R.R. Tolkien (fantasy). I'm trying to keep this list to the most prolific of authors, which Tolkien wasn't, but he pretty much has to be here anyway.

Eh... again, I've tried so hard to read Tolkien, but I just can't get into him. his books feel so exclusionary from women that I can't relate to any of the characters.

6. Donald E. Westlake (comic crime).

Never heard of him! Any good?

7. P.G. Wodehouse (Edwardian comedy of manners). Or whatever kind of genre you can come up with for him. I don't tend to think of him as a genre writer, but that might just mean that he's invented his own genre. And he's the funniest writer in the history of the English language.

I read some of his work a million years ago, and have him on my list of people to read. Anything I should start with?

Not on the list but I can't stand not to mention them: Ed McBain (police procedural), Georgette Heyer (Regency romance, mystery), Connie Willis (as stated above), Rex Stout (mystery).

You've recommended Rex Stout before to me, and he's definitely on my list. I taught Ed McBain in my Detectives class, and that was loads of fun. Connie is, of course, a given, but Georgette Heyer--I think I've read Lady of Quality. She's on the list, too!

I assume that the absence of a Legion Abstract link is due to your recent technical difficulties and not the result of an inadvertent slight on my part.

*hangs head in techie shame* Of course it's nothing to do with you. Check your email for abject apologies. And my recent blog post. And this post...
Ciao,
Amy

Matthew E said...

Pratchett always seems like Pratchett, and none of his books suffer from having-to-read-all-the-previous-ones-to-get-into-this-one syndrome. He co-wrote 'Good Omens' with Neil Gaiman, which is excellent, and some people think they can actually spot Gaiman's influence in there, so that may make it a good starter for you. But it seems to me to be not untypical of Pratchett.

You've never heard of Westlake?! He's great. Try anything from the Dortmunder series, or one of his recent ones like 'Put a Lid On It' or 'Money For Nothing' or 'Smoke' or his immortal classic 'Dancing Aztecs'. If you pick one up that I haven't mentioned, check inside on the 'by the same author' page to see if you've got a regular novel or a 'comic crime' novel. His serious ones are good too, but not always in the same way.

It's hard to go wrong with anything from Wodehouse. The Jeeves-and-Bertie-Wooster books are all good. The Blandings ones, Uncle Fred, the golf stories, the Mr. Mulliner stories, the Psmith books... Some of the early ones aren't that great, but you're unlikely to come across them unless you try.

As a mystery writer Heyer is second only to Sayers in quality, among that group that also includes Christie, Marsh and Tey. So that's a big point in her favour even before you throw in all the Regency stuff that she basically invented (my wife got me to read most of it, and it's pretty good. I've never seen so many stories about trying to get to Gretna Green).

No apologies necessary about the link thing; my mention of it came across a lot snottier than I intended.

Amy Reads said...

Hi Matt,
Pratchett always seems like Pratchett, and none of his books suffer from having-to-read-all-the-previous-ones-to-get-into-this-one syndrome. He co-wrote 'Good Omens' with Neil Gaiman, which is excellent, and some people think they can actually spot Gaiman's influence in there, so that may make it a good starter for you. But it seems to me to be not untypical of Pratchett.

I have read Good Omens, and absolutely adore it, so maybe rereading it will get me more in the mood for Pratchett. I really feel like it's a failing on my part, trust me. I also can't get into Hitchhiker's Guide, which is apparently blasphemy for a sci fi fan (!!!).

You've never heard of Westlake?!

:( Sometimes if it's before 1830 and after 1910, I have no bloody idea. Dissertating, you realize.

He's great. Try anything from the Dortmunder series, or one of his recent ones like 'Put a Lid On It' or 'Money For Nothing' or 'Smoke' or his immortal classic 'Dancing Aztecs'. If you pick one up that I haven't mentioned, check inside on the 'by the same author' page to see if you've got a regular novel or a 'comic crime' novel. His serious ones are good too, but not always in the same way.

Excellent! We have a fantastic library here, and a wonderful university ILL system. I will get on it, forthwith!

It's hard to go wrong with anything from Wodehouse. The Jeeves-and-Bertie-Wooster books are all good. The Blandings ones, Uncle Fred, the golf stories, the Mr. Mulliner stories, the Psmith books... Some of the early ones aren't that great, but you're unlikely to come across them unless you try.

I can't tell you how excited I am for book recommendations. I've started to cull writers off of my list and I'm itching to find new ones.

As a mystery writer Heyer is second only to Sayers in quality, among that group that also includes Christie, Marsh and Tey. So that's a big point in her favour even before you throw in all the Regency stuff that she basically invented (my wife got me to read most of it, and it's pretty good. I've never seen so many stories about trying to get to Gretna Green).

I've got to say that the recommendation from your wife carries much weight :) Mr. Reads and I have very similar tastes with many things, but so much is vastly different, as well. If I recommend something to him that he really, *really* enjoys? Then I feel as if I've accomplished something great.
Plus, you know, I adore stories that talk about Gretna Green!

No apologies necessary about the link thing; my mention of it came across a lot snottier than I intended.

It didn't come off snotty at all! My apologies were 100% sincere; I really am very sorry. You're on my daily blogroll, and I didn't notice (that pre-caffeine thing) for a day or two. I think that made me more upset with blogger than anything. It's just frustrated me for several days now. This was the icing, yeah?
I just am very competent with HTML, so I hate it when programs try to "make things easy" by taking *away* my access to HTML.
Ciao,
Amy

Matthew E said...

I neglected to answer your original question, about Jane Austen. I classify her more as a 'classic' writer than a 'genre' writer, mentally; I guess my hidden assumption is that anything that's lasted that long has shed any genre identity and is now just literature.

(Did you know that the mention of 'base ball' in... I think it was Northanger Abbey... is one of the first known references to baseball in all of history? I heard a talk by a guy who traced back the origins of the phrase (although certainly not the sport) to the area around (appropriately) Reading where she lived.)

There are a few Pratchett books that might be particularly fruitful for you to try first: Wyrd Sisters, The Wee Free Men (a YA book, but none the worse for that), and in particular Monstrous Regiment. All right up your alley in different ways.

Never heard of Joe Hill. I've read The Alienist but I can't recall if I've read The Italian Secretary or not. Have you tried Carole Nelson Douglas's Holmes pastiches? She's done a whole series of novels from the point of view of Irene Adler, including a couple (Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge) in which she comes up with a real neat theory about the identity of Jack the Ripper, and manages to tie the whole thing into Dracula also. Anyway, I like them better than the original Holmes stories, sometimes.