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Apparently PD James used initials so that she wouldn’t be dismissed as a woman writer. I hate the fact that she had to think along those lines. (am I right in thinking that JKR did the same thing?)
Reading through this thread, I realise that, unless I'm looking for something by a specific author, I don’t immediately register the gender of the author. I'm much more attracted by titles rather than the fact that the writer is a man or a woman.
In fact, I tend to avoid anything promoted as ‘written by women for women’. Of course an author can write with a specific market in mind but statements like this immediately alienate half of the reading public. Could it be that this little phrase is causing a Pavlovian response in male readers whenever they see a female name on the cover?
Dee
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Certainly when I skim the shelves in a bookshop, unless I'm already looking for something by a particular author, I'm not consciously[/] aware of checking the author's gender. Like Dee I'm more interested in the title and whether or not it looks like the sort of book I'd be interested in. This, of course, means that I give anything with a cover that's remotely pink and girly a wide berth. Not my scene at all.
It was interesting that out of the 44 books I've read this year so far, only 16 were by women. I thought it would be more.
Cas
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Apparently Bloomsbury encouraged JK to use initials as they felt a female name might alienate the target market of young boys. Ridiculous, isn't it?
There's A S Byatt as well and more - particularly in traditionally male genres, like sci-fi. Have things really not changed that much since the days of George Eliot and Currer Bell??
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Yes, but to couterbalance that I've heard that male authors who write romance adopt female names!
I noticed with my own books that my previous titles had a more female quality to them; when choosing the title for this one I deliverately selected one that would have a more masculine appeal, or at least neutral.
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Slightly at a tangent - but on the gendered theme - I went to Hay during the festival and saw a talk given by a woman YA writer.
During her talk she referred to herself as an 'authoress'.
I was surprised as I feel this is a very old-fashioned term.
What does anyone else think?
Nikki
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Yikes! To each his own - but I will never call myself an authoress. The trend now is more in the opposite direction - acrtesses these days prefer to be called actors.
I lived in Germany for many years and there the politically correct thig was to always name the profession by both sexes: doctors and female doctors, authirs abd feamle authors. Since in German words are very long it's very clumsy and boring.
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Yes, our German friends have an interesting take on forms of address. I used to be a Bankkauffrau or Analystin. The former didn't really bother me, as Frau seems equal to the Mann in Bankkaufmann, but the later sounds too much like a diminutive for my liking. Then there's the thing they do of a wife taking her husband's professional title, e.g. Frau Doktor, which seems really antiquated.
However, we still have anachronisms in Britain, like the wives of today's Birthday Honours Knights being styled Lady X, whilst the husbands of the Dames get nothing. As for authoress, I prefer author, but don't have a big problem with it, other than that it's a bit of a mouthful.
Adele.
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Authoress does sound archaic, like Agatha Christie or Barbara Cartland would refer to themselves as that when drinking Pimms and watching the cricket at Lords. It's a little snobby, and seems to imply a certain kind of novel.
I think that in this age of equality, the differences aren't really necessary anymore.
JB
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Oy watch it, JB! I've been known to watch cricket at Lords and to drink Pimms but I ain't no Barbara Cartland!
Adele.
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Haha, JB!
I'm not keen on any kind of -ess - for the good ol' fashioned feminist reason of it sounding like an add-on, as if it refers to a woman doing what's naturally a man's profession.
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Yes, Skippoo, that's how I feel, about the old 'ess' situation.
Why should the word author be gender specific?
Incidentally, she was a bit of a Barbara Cartland stylie - even though you can't tell that from her writing.
Nikki
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Adele, believe me, when I think of who you might be or what you might look like, Barbara Cartland is the furthest thing from my mind. To be honest, I picture a rather slim woman in a pinstripe suit. She has long dark hair, and the cut of her dress is a little severe. Her eyes hold a deep intelligence, and her overall impression is one of measured seriousness - instantly dissolving of course, the moment she smiles...or someone mentions Silverelli.
How did I do?
<Added>Cath I couldn't agree more. Why should the sex of a person be indicitive of what they can do? I though we were far beyond that.
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JB, babe, you are back in my good books
Slim, though, hmmm, I'm working on it. However, in a piece of major synchronicity, a friend just called to invite me to the 20-20 match at Lords today, so I'm off. Being unemployed rocks sometimes!
Adele.
<Added>Actually it was 50 overs each side, MCC vs The Rest of the World. MCC won. Nice drinks in the sunshine!
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I'm delighted you had a good time, but I've never been able to get my head round cricket. Pimms is ok though - if one ignores the social stigma!
JB
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Speaking of cricket - perhaps one of you experts could help me! One of my characters is talking about cricket and I want the first part of a sentence... it doesn't matter what, but is should start with the words "Gary Sobers...." and the next few words should be about something wonderful gary Sobers has done (it's taking place back in the 50's)
Any suggestions? Just to show what they are talking about.
This 40 message thread spans 3 pages: < < 1 2 3 > >
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