3 ms·

This is one persons opinion, not some affirmative action quota that needs to be met to be accepted. Write your own list and submit it.

mykowebhn 8y ago
I hear you, but the implication that you make is that these writers would not merit making it to these lists were it not for a quota. My take is a lot of these female, non-white writers have not made it due to the echo-chamber that is the Western Canon. This list effectively rehashes this canon. Here's an example from my life. Many years ago, I was a music student. Part of being a music student means taking theory and history. We learned about all of the Western Classical composers, and I remember learning, very briefly, about Clara Schumann. She was taught as a footnote, as the object of desire of Robert Schumann, Brahms, and others. I never knew, until recently, what a gifted and talented composer she was. Her compositions, imo, stand at the same level as her male contemporaries.
thicknavyrain 8y ago
Perhaps rather fittingly, Virginia Woolf's essay "A room of one's own" is an absolutely brilliant read on _why_ precisely women are and were so often neglected and left out of the cultural conversation and literary landscape. One of the cruxes being that opinions matter and the reinforcements culture (such as the compilations of widely shared lists like these) provides sustains their exclusion. I'd give it a look, it's not preachy and it's thoroughly entertaining. http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/PikliNatalia/Virginia_Woolf_-_A_Room_of_Ones_Own.pdf http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/PikliNatalia/Virginia_Wo...
yesenadam 8y ago
Thanks. Well, it's not really my opinion - the more modest and accurate subtitle to that first list is "Some of my favourite essays", and I am an - in fact the only authority there is - on what should be on that list!

3 ms·

This is one persons opinion, not some affirmative action quota that needs to be met to be accepted. Write your own list and submit it.

by casefields 8y ago

mykowebhn 8y ago
I hear you, but the implication that you make is that these writers would not merit making it to these lists were it not for a quota. My take is a lot of these female, non-white writers have not made it due to the echo-chamber that is the Western Canon. This list effectively rehashes this canon. Here's an example from my life. Many years ago, I was a music student. Part of being a music student means taking theory and history. We learned about all of the Western Classical composers, and I remember learning, very briefly, about Clara Schumann. She was taught as a footnote, as the object of desire of Robert Schumann, Brahms, and others. I never knew, until recently, what a gifted and talented composer she was. Her compositions, imo, stand at the same level as her male contemporaries.
thicknavyrain 8y ago
Perhaps rather fittingly, Virginia Woolf's essay "A room of one's own" is an absolutely brilliant read on _why_ precisely women are and were so often neglected and left out of the cultural conversation and literary landscape. One of the cruxes being that opinions matter and the reinforcements culture (such as the compilations of widely shared lists like these) provides sustains their exclusion. I'd give it a look, it's not preachy and it's thoroughly entertaining. http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/PikliNatalia/Virginia_Woolf_-_A_Room_of_Ones_Own.pdf http://seas3.elte.hu/coursematerial/PikliNatalia/Virginia_Wo...
yesenadam 8y ago
Thanks. Well, it's not really my opinion - the more modest and accurate subtitle to that first list is "Some of my favourite essays", and I am an - in fact the only authority there is - on what should be on that list!