(note here that i tend to assert the male-female binary; that is because i'm talking about general trends. homosexual under-currents are outside the scope of this discussion, but not out of my opinions. as to transpeople, who have been on my mind increasingly since my friend came out as trans, i don't really have all that firm an opinion on. the "subverting of gender" thing doesn't really throw such a punch at my ideas, because i'm not really one of those who believe in impermeable gender identies. i mean, the male/female continuum clearly is a gamut, but there is also such a clear clumping at the poles that for the purposes of broad strokes, i don't mind generalizing. maybe it is the utilitarian in me. so anyhow!)
partly this came up out of reading the fantastic shadow of the torturer, by gene wolfe. his girls are a little bit of a throw-back towards misogyny. or at least, so far. maybe not thecla, but dorcas & agia are pretty fucking clearly products of the author's issues with women. we'll have to see how it goes eventually. i don't mind polarizing of gender roles, since i think that the depolariziation of those roles are really only possible in a resource saturated environment. probably not the most politically correct opinion to have, but i think the basic facts of sex & reproduction kind of take precendence. anyhow, i'm kind of just wandering afield now, since i didn't really have a point. partly i really like nicola griffith so much on account of her understanding of gender roles. she uses them so fucking deftly, & so unapologetically, that it always leaves me baring my teeth in a grin. good for her!
