This was such a great read, thank you. It feels a bit like some of the worst writing about Zelda Fitzgerald, where she is wholly victim of Scott, as opposed to a woman with her own agency, her own complications... it's interesting too because in both cases, the women's personalities and talents are flattened in order to create a bad man victim woman narrative. (I found this via Helen Lewis' Substack and I am now subscribed to yours!)
I also got here via Helen's newsletter, so thanks Helen. And thanks Padrig for this diligent and nuanced piece. 'Wifedom' has been on my TBR list for months, so I'm very grateful for this perspective. As Sian says, this flattening to create a bad man/victim woman narrative is very tedious and not the act of feminist scholarship Fundar perhaps imagines.
Thank you, Padraig, for such concise and well considered criticism. I completely agree with your position, and my partner and I had similar concerns when we read it. Anna Funder is well respected, certainly here in her homeland Australia, (Stasiland was good) and it verges on blasphemy in some circles to be critical of this book, however, the damage she has done to Orwell's reputation, and much more seriously to O'Shaughnessy's, is troubling indeed.
This was such a great read, thank you. It feels a bit like some of the worst writing about Zelda Fitzgerald, where she is wholly victim of Scott, as opposed to a woman with her own agency, her own complications... it's interesting too because in both cases, the women's personalities and talents are flattened in order to create a bad man victim woman narrative. (I found this via Helen Lewis' Substack and I am now subscribed to yours!)
I also got here via Helen's newsletter, so thanks Helen. And thanks Padrig for this diligent and nuanced piece. 'Wifedom' has been on my TBR list for months, so I'm very grateful for this perspective. As Sian says, this flattening to create a bad man/victim woman narrative is very tedious and not the act of feminist scholarship Fundar perhaps imagines.
Great stuff P. I would be too irate to write straight
Thank you, Padraig, for such concise and well considered criticism. I completely agree with your position, and my partner and I had similar concerns when we read it. Anna Funder is well respected, certainly here in her homeland Australia, (Stasiland was good) and it verges on blasphemy in some circles to be critical of this book, however, the damage she has done to Orwell's reputation, and much more seriously to O'Shaughnessy's, is troubling indeed.