*Warning: Public Spanking*
Back in early May, I wrote a post on why I felt having a ‘Best Male Erotica’ anthology was important to the genre as a whole. I said I felt that it was vital to the genre to have new, original male voices. It generated many thoughtful, interesting comments. One, however, stood out as unselfconsciously ironic.
GoodwriterMay 9, 2013 at 11:40 pmTry the new erotic romance WUTHERING NIGHTS, written by I.J. Miller, a male writer. It’s an erotic retelling of the Bronte classic Wuthering Heights.
I decided to ignore the fact that, considering the title and content of the post, the comment was a little comic. Since Wuthering Heights was originally written by a woman and erotic enough. I also decided to ignore what might be considered the rudeness of using my comment function for blatant sales promotion. Instead, I replied thus:
Wow, this is exactly NOT what I was hoping to engender in the erotica community. Because we so don’t need YET ANOTHER UNORIGINAL RETELLING of a classic tale with the sex dumped in. Wuthering Heights in its original form is an erotic masterpiece.
The commenter who I assume is in some way associated with the I.J. Miller, author of said ‘retelling’, responded:
GoodwriterJune 7, 2013 at 11:16 amSo sad that a fellow writer would label something an “unoriginal retelling” without having read the book. I’m sure you must really appreciate when people make judgments about you the same way.
I’m guessing Goodwriter and I.J. Miller may be one and the same person, since he took my criticism so personally. I never made a judgement about the writer at all. I made a judgement about what I didn’t think the genre required. Nonetheless, it would have been completely disingenuous to deny that I make judgements about the genre. I do, frequently. And so I responded:
I have no problem with doing so. I have a real ethical problem with retold, sexed up classics and particularly with Wuthering Heights because it is already overflowing eroticism. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m a VERY judgmental writer.
I do not give people cause to make those judgements about me, because I would never have the temerity to think that Ms Brontë needed retelling. The current postmodern fascination with recycling canonical literature disgusts me.
Still, I did feel that perhaps a longer explanation of why I disagreed with the practice of sexing-up classic literature was due and wrote a post about it. However, the commenter still felt the need to respond, and he did:
GoodwriterJune 9, 2013 at 11:06 amYou certainly do give people cause to see you as a sad jealous writer…
Right about now, it’s probably dawning on you why I put the warning at the top of this post. Yes, this is indeed a public spanking. Not of the commenter in particular, but of the level of discourse that pervades the erotica and erotic romance genre presently.
I have an opinion on certain literary practices; I’m entitled to hold that opinion and yet am very willing to hear rational, informed arguments to the contrary. What I am not entitled to do is personally attack a writer for indulging a practice I disagree with. There are quite a number of works within the erotica genre I find lacking in literary merit; I’ve also been harshly critical of certain types of formulaic erotic romance writing and some very narrow-focused types of fetish writing. But I never, ever attack the author personally. I critique the work, not the author. They are not one and the same anymore than a bad piece of plumbing is reflective of the personal character of the plumber.
Erotica writers, if you wish to be taken seriously within the literary community, please learn how to offer proper critique, not only to works, but to your fellow writers. Our inability to distinguish between our work and ourselves is professionally embarrassing. It makes us look bad, in a genre that already suffers greatly from a lack of literary respect.
* * Public Spanking Ends * *
RG,
That was delightful, one has to love a good public spanking. *Smiles*
Good for you for taking thw confrontational route and delivering a well-earned public spanking insteasd of taking the easier (and certainly deserved) path of merely deleting such a self-serving advertisement!! You can spank me anytime, although, hopefully, for something less obviously boneheaded!
It would be my pleasure, Miss Batto.
Bravo! I think your public spanking is most effective…and I’m sure it means you’ll have trouble sitting for the next few days.
You say you’re commenting on “the level of discourse that pervades the erotica and erotic romance genre presently.” If you remember, one of your very first comments was “because we so don’t need YET ANOTHER UNORIGINAL RETELLING of a classic tale with the sex dumped in Wuthering Heights.”
And I commented, “So sad that a fellow writer would label something an ‘unoriginal retelling’ without having read the book.”
So there you have it, RG, you used your forum to say the world doesn’t need a particular book, which is written by a fellow writer; you label it “unoriginal”; you say the sex is “dumped”….ALL WITHOUT HAVING READ THE BOOK!
This is where your disservice lies. You are completely entitled to be judgmental, to have an opinion about a genre, but you do a great injustice when you comment about a PARTICULAR book, with PARTICULAR criticism without having read it.
So yes I agree totally: the level of discourse that pervades the erotica and erotic romance genre presently needs to be improved…and hopefully it will start with you.
Sorry your spanking has my handprint on it. But you were a bad (Remittance) girl. Hopefully, this has helped you learn that you can be supportive of the erotic writers community and when you do have something to say that is constructively critical, you do the proper research first.
p.s. I’m done with this discussion. I’m sure that won’t stop you from commenting to amuse your friends. But I won’t be reading about this anymore. Personally, I’d rather be writing a story. And hey, I just got a great idea: it’s about a girl who thought she was a top, but ended up on the bottom.
And also, you don’t know squat about who I am.
Sounds like an excellent plot for a story. Original, too. I look forward to reading it.
To clarify, I said the world doesn’t need a certain TYPE of book, i.e. sexed up classics. But even if, as I then went on to say, the world doesn’t need an erotic retelling of Wuthering Heights, I’m still not attacking the writer. I’m critiquing the concept of ‘retelling’ the work. That you don’t seem to be able to conceptually distinguish between a criticism of the work (a retelling of Wuthering Heights) and a criticism of the person of a writer (I’m sad and jealous) is vaguely disturbing. Your very personal vitriol just goes on to allow me to sit back and let you make my point for me.
The really sad thing about it is that I.J. Miller has written some extremely good erotic short stories. They have been included in a number of well-respected and prestigious anthologies. So the tone of your response is not doing him the justice he deserves as a writer.
Goodwriter, please note that the word “hopefully” is an adverb. “Lady gazed hopefully from the back of the cart where the Dog Catcher had thrown her. Surely, her Tramp would come to free her, and once again chew her silken ears, nibble her collar, fill her with the true meaning of female canine carnality…”
What you mean, I believe, is “it is to be hoped…”. Editorial point only.
The main problem I have with your posts, Goodwriter, is different than the one Remittance Girl or the other commenters have. I find it absolutely absurd to throw around phrases like “fellow writers” and “supportive of the erotic writers’ community” without qualification. Just because a person writes or is a member of a community does not gain my unqualified support. That defeats the entire point of quality (which comes with the assumption that some works are lesser in quality and some are high aka publishable). And I find that the writers who beg “community support” rather than trying to present the merits of a work often don’t have a leg to stand on.
We could argue back and forth whether retellings are valid and quality forms of erotic fiction or not (because the debate is a genre one, not one about a singular work) but when you resort to the “be supportive” argument you’re not actually making any presentation about the merits of the genre.
… You know, RG, all I can say is…
I applaud your tact, restraint, courtesy and grace.
Because, personally, I would have thrown several tantrums. I positively LOATHE people who make these sorts of statements and then stomp away like angry children.
Personally, I’d rather read your commentaries than someone’s trite little ‘retelling’. And I LIKE fiction, so that should say something.
Well done.
First off, I have a special, perhaps snobbish, place in my mind for written works (therefore my ego agrees with you). However, a number of things crossed my mind on reading your post:
1. The structural or formal difference between “sexing up” Wuthering Heights and any other published work is, of itself, unremarkable (King Solomon’s Mines may be next). This has been done many times and in respect of many different media. Your own comparison between Fifty Shades of etc. and that teenaged vampire story – what was it again? – pertains (structurally).
2. The accessibility of eroticism varies from generation to generation. If the current set of soccer moms or young adults are not sufficiently well read to grasp the underlying language of Charlotte Bronte, at least they can see the innuendos that their acquaintances of the opposite sex can drop on Facebook.
By the way, where do you get all your wonderful illustrations?
Regards
Alec
Oh, you’re an elitist cunt after my own heart. *smile*
It really depends on the image. This one I found online at a vintage spanking image dump. Some are pictures I take myself. Some are off Flickr if they have a Creative Commons share permission on them. If they come from there, I credit and link to the photographer’s Flickr page. Usually, if they’ve got not credit, it’s either because I can’t find one – like this one, too old – or they’re mine.
Thank you. I could not have hoped for a better response ____ !
Seriously though, I love the visuals (and of course words) that you use. Lovely, and so evocative.
Dan Brown… ? Who is he? (Yes, I read that too. )
Alec
“I critique the work, not the author.”
I agree with you, RM, but you certainly know how is hard to accept that.
Usually a writer identifies him(her)self with his(her) own writing. Criticize his (her) writing is like criticizing him (her).
Many writers are touchy They say they want criticism but then they have difficult to accept it.
This is the price a writer pays for making their work public. It opens them up to criticism of the work, and of the choices they have made regarding that work. This is the reality of placing your work in the public sphere.
It’s a double-edged sword, but you need to accept it. We all love the stroking praise. You can’t get it without allowing for the opposite. To bask in the praise but not be able to accept the criticism is simply childish. Moreover, the best feedback we get – the stuff that makes us grow as writers – is not wholly positive. I’ve received some very uncomfortable reviews (I got one in a Dear Author post) that were absolutely spot on. They made me a better writer, because the reader could see the flaws in my work that I could not.
You have to care about the work MORE than you care about your own ego. It’s just that simple.
As to the defender of ‘Wuthering Nights’, there are robust, literary defenses and precedents for taking canonical works and re-working them. He should have used them instead of insulting me personally. It would have done both the author and his work more credit.
Many people despise others for various reasons … the are envious, they are frustrated, they are arrogant, they are stupid, or they have nothing better to do in life.
Shake the dust from your feet and move forward.
The writing speaks. And you have a writing style that I really like.