Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - V.S. Naipaul on the Arab Spring, Authors He Loathes, etc

Isn't the issue really whether the gender of the writer is what determines its quality, and in that context, whether gender is relevant?

Naipaul allows himself to first determine that a writer is a woman, and thus, that the writing is no good, or is inferior.  Thus he paints himself into a corner.  Philosophers and people who study logic or are a bit more alert than I am at this time of night will be able to explain this better, but it is something along the lines of 'All Englishmen speak English, therefore, all English speakers are Englishmen'.  He ends up having to deny that a particular piece of writing is good simply because the writer is a woman, since he has started from the premise that a woman's writing is ipso facto bad.  Which, with all due respect (as we say in the profession) to the literary knight, is silly.

Anyway, it seems to me that good writing is good writing, that bad writing is bad writing, and that both men and women are as likely to produce either.  Or as capable of producing either.  But since there is no absolute standard, and what is good or bad will therefore include some subjective decision, I shall leave VS to his particular form of silliness: it doesn't, after all, really affect me or my enjoyment (or lack thereof) of any writing.  Including his.

Ayo

I invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama

On 15 Dec 2012, at 20:00, Chidi Anthony Opara <chidi.opara@gmail.com> wrote:

Well Prof. the issue here is female writers, not the male.

--------CAO.

On 15 Dec, 17:16, kenneth harrow <har...@msu.edu> wrote:

well, now. can you say, some men writers, writing as men, have put

forward superlative literature??

(chidi, i think you have to eat those words!)

ken

On 12/15/12 8:20 AM, Chidi Anthony Opara wrote:

I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know

whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me

--------V.S Naipual

The above Naipaul sneer, in my opinion is a non issue. Some female

writers, while writing as women, have been known to put forward

superlative literature.

Moreover, it is even impossible to completely mask one s gender as a

writer.

---------CAO.

On 14 Dec, 04:07, "Emeagwali, Gloria (History)"

<emeagw...@mail.ccsu.edu> wrote:

( I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me ).

What do you expect of such a bigot?

Professor Gloria Emeagwali

Prof. of History & African Studies

History Department

Central Connecticut State University

New Britain

CT 06050www.africahistory.net<http://www.africahistory.net/>www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos<http://www.vimeo.com/user5946750/videos>

Documentaries on Africa and the African Diaspora

________________________________

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ikhide [xoki...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 9:25 PM

To: Toyin Falola; Ederi

Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - V.S. Naipaul on the Arab Spring, Authors He Loathes, etc

VS Naipaul must really be in the winter of his life. This interview is innocent of the old fighting Naipaul, innocent of substance really...

 http://www.tnr.com/article/110946/vs-naipaul-the-arab-spring-authors-...

- Ikhide

Stalk my blog athttp://www.xokigbo.com/

Follow me on Twitter: @ikhide

Join me on Facebook:www.facebook.com/ikhide<http://www.facebook.com/ikhide>

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