"American Dirt:" Cultural Appropriation, Polemical Fiction?

"In contemporary literary circles, there is a serious and legitimate sensitivity to people writing about heritages that are not their own because, at its worst, this practice perpetuates the evils of colonization, stealing the stories of oppressed people for the profit of the dominant."

That paragraph jumped out at me when it read Lauren Groff's review of the recent, rather controversial novel "American Dirt," by Jeanine Cummings, because it seemed to call into question the fundamental nature of fiction: it's invented so no holds barred.

Here's the very first thing the contemporary God of Knowledge, Wikipedia, has to say about it: "Fiction generally is a narrative form, in any medium, consisting of people, events, or places that are imaginary—in other words, not based strictly on history or fact."

Let's repeat that: not based strictly on history or fact.

So, whether "American Dirt" gets Mexican culture right or not doesn't matter. No one has to read -- or finish reading this book.  On the other hand, if you like the story whatever you think about the verisimilitude of the setting (how about any number of movies?), you can brush aside certain perceived shortcomings.  Groff said that despite her objections, weeks after reading "American Dirt," the story remained alive in her.

Novels are arguably mostly written to provide entertainment for readers and income for authors. But according to Groff, not all of them.  "American Dirt," she argues, falls into a category known as polemical fiction -- in effect, propaganda masquerading as literature. Polemical fiction, Groff says, is designed to make its readers act in a way that corresponds to the writer's vision and in her view, the purpose of "American Dirt" is "fiercely polemical."

If then, it is essentially propaganda, why was it  awarded a full-page review in the Jan. 26, 2020 New York Times Sunday "Book Review" section? Perhaps like the old comic strip "Pogo," which some newspapers eventually banished to the op-ed pages, Groff's review should have experienced a similar fate.

I wonder how she might characterize certain of Charles Dicken's novels, or Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness?"

But, then, when I first sent drafts my novella "Gina/Diane," which centers on a botched abortion, to female friends for comment, some were quick to see it as polemical, or to argue that if could be so interpreted even if I didn't intend it to be. But arguments could go either way, I pointed out. Because Gina's abortion had not gone well and had life-long consequences, it could be seen as a treatise against a woman's right to choose.  But it could also be seen as an argument in favor of safe, legal abortion procedures.

But what about perpetuating the evils of colonization by writing a story about a culture that is not one's own? I think I'll leave that one for another day -- and perhaps put on a CD of Puccini's opera "Madam Butterfly" to help me get through the pandemic.

 

What One Might Find on an Author's Website

The New York Times book review section had an interesting "Inside the List" column on the things one might find on an author's website -- beyond the expected stuff, such as biographical information,  a list of titles and various forms of promotional fodder.

The author of the column, Tina Jordan, checked out the websites of half a dozen very well-known authors, such as John Grisham and Ann Patchett, and discovered coffee for sale; letters to readers; music recommendations; news about dogs; movie reviews, and (no surprise) T-shirts for sale.

Which, of course, brings me to my own website -- www.fowlermartin.info -- where you will find, as you might expect, information on my two novellas ("Manhattan Morning" and "Gina/Diane)" plus the latest updates on my ongoing collaborative effort to have music composed for a proposed neo-baroque, one-act operetta called "Patricia," and a retrospective of an exhibition of prints by the British artist Patrick Caulfield.

Jordan mentions that Michael Connelly, an author of popular thrillers, has a photo gallery of real sites mentioned in his books.  So do I.  You can take a pictorial walking tour of the route of my protagonist, Dan, in "Manhattan Morning." Hmmm. Maybe I should offer T-shirts based on the cover of "Gina/Diane."

If you have read either of my books and have any thoughts about them, I would be delighted to post your comments on my website -- good, bad or indifferent.  Just reply to this blog and I will take it from there.

As for a performance of "Patricia," don't hold your breath -- yet.

Vulnerable Women and "What the Constitution Means to Me"

I was recently in New York and, among other things, saw a much-discussed play on Broadway entitled "What the Constitution Means to Me."

In truth, it is more of a one-woman monologue than a play, although at the end, there is a brief debate between Heidi Schreck, the author and chief actor, and one of two school-age girls as to whether the Constitution should be kept or scraped.  Audience participation -- cheers or boos for the various points made -- are encouraged at that part of the show.

I mention this because Schreck focuses mainly on the 9th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, the latter of which in particular underpins the Supreme Court's decision that a person's right to privacy (unmentioned explicitly in the Constitution) allows a woman to get an abortion without government interference at least in the first trimester of her pregnancy.

This is a hot topic at the moment because various individual states have recently passed legislation would undermine or overrule that decision. Moreover, because of recent changes in the make-up of the Supreme Court, it is possible Row v Wade, the landmark ruling on abortion, will eventually be revisited.

"Juno," Abortion, Elena Ferrante, "Gina/Diane" Linkage

“I never worry about constructing a story that illustrates, demonstrates, spreads some conviction, even if it’s a conviction that counted and counts for me,” Elena Ferrante told an interviewer who had questioned whether her first novel, “The Days of Abandonment,” was a feminist work.

I bring up that quote, which can be found in Ferrante’s “Frantumaglia,” because Diablo Cody recently expressed what might be considered regrets over having written the film-script for the 2007 Oscar-winning movie “Juno.”  That film was about a 16-year-old girl who becomes pregnant and decides to have the baby, and give it up for adoption, as opposed to having an abortion.

“I don’t even know if I would have written a movie like ‘Juno’ if I had known the world was going to spiral into this hellish alternative reality that we now seem to be stuck in,” she said in an interview on the “Keep-It”podcast. The interview was picked up by the Washington Post, which expanded on it.

Cody was referring to strict anti-abortion legislation that was very recently passed by legislators in states such as Alabama, Georgia and Missouri. 

The author said that when she initially wrote “Juno,” she was just trying to come up with “a story that’s never been told.”   

"I wasn't thinking as an activist. I wasn't thinking politically at all," she said.

But now, because the film has been depicted as sending a strong pro-life message in a highly charged political climate, Cody said “I think I probably would have just told a different story in general.” That's as opposed to the idea of changing the film so as to have its young protagonist grappling with legislation that would block a woman's right to choose.

From a literary point of view (and film scripts are literature), that’s the wrong attitude, as per the Ferrante quote that begins this posting. Stories should stand on their own inner truths.  If they don’t, they aren’t literature, they are propaganda. 

This issue is of interest to me because when I was writing my second novella, “Gina/Diane,” a story about a woman who had a life-affecting botched abortion when she was 17, I sent drafts to various friends for comment.  A couple women told me they didn’t like the story because it could be viewed as supporting the anti-abortion movement. In their opinion, publishing a book like “Gina/Diane” was an almost traitorous act.

I see the novella as one woman’s story, and the attempt of one man to come to terms with what happened to her. It is not a tract for or against the general proposition of a  woman’s right to choose.

Fiction as Autobiography

Earlier this year, the New York Times Sunday Book Review ran a piece by Jami Attenberg entitled "It's My Fiction, Not My Life." I clipped it out when it ran and then lost it in a pile of papers.

Authors, Attenberg noted, are very frequently asked by readers how much of a story they have written is autobiographical. Some smile are willing to answer in one fashion or another, no matter how frequently they are asked. But many others are not so accommodating.

Thinking About "The Long Goodbye"

"This sturdy belief system [that if one just tries hard enough, things will work out] has a sidecar in which superstition rides."

That's a sentence I like very much even if motorcycles with sidecars seem to be a rarity these days.

In fact, it may be the most memorable single sentence in "The Long Goodbye," a memoir poet Megan O'Rourke wrote about prolonged grief during and in the wake of her mother's death from cancer at age 55. I read the book because I liked a poem O'Rourke wrote that was recently published in The New York Times  Sunday Magazine.  In an earlier post, I wrote about the poem ("Self-Portrait as Myself") because it relates to my novella "Gina/Diane."

A Poem Pertinent to "Gina/Diane"

The other day, I came across a poem in the New York Times Sunday Magazine  entitled "Self-Portrait as Myself," which you can read by clicking on that title.

I found this particularly poignant because the sentiments expressed by the author, Meghan O'Rourke, are pertinent to my novella "Gina/Diane," which can be found in print at The Book Patch or as an e-book at Amazon.

I also like the manner in which the poem promotes additional thoughts.

For instance, one line talks in terms of "casting a lawyer of snow over our losses." This rather vividly brings to mind Gretta's sorrow and Gabriel's sense of inadequacy at the conclusion of James Joyce's story, "The Dead."

Later, the poem talks of "the propeller planes humming past."  One of the joys of sitting on our roof deck in the summer here in Seattle is watching float planes on their way to or from Lake Union. These are mostly De Havilland "Beavers," the last of which was built in 1967. Fortunately, they appear likely to keep flying more or less indefinitely.

Listening to Women Who Have Had Abortions

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, my second novella -- "Gina/Diane" -- is about a woman who has had an abortion.

With the abortion rights controversy heating up once again in the wake of the recent U.S. presidential election, those interested might want to take a look at the book. They can find it as an e-book on Amazon or as a paperback at The Book Patch.

Meanwhile, here is an opinion piece from the New York Times on the topic entitled "Who Should You Listen to on Abortion? People Who’ve Had Them."

When It Comes To What To Read, Are You a Sheep?

From time to time, I've told people that self-publishing a novel is one of the best ways to assure your anonymity in the ever-increasing surveillance society. Hardly anyone, it seems, makes their own decisions on what to read. Everyone wants to read what everyone else is already reading.

Further evidence of this all-too-human tendency -- essentially we are all sheep, hoping their is a leader around somewhere -- can be found in an article about declining book sales when best-seller lists are discontinued. It comes from an online publication called The Outline.

The Abortion Question: A Good Time to Read "Gina/Diane"

Ok, this is a plug for my latest novella, "Gina/Diane."

Abortion rights is a prominent political issue at the moment, not that it ever seems to go away. Here, for instance, is an article on the topic from The Washington Post and here is another from The New York Times. The Post article discusses how Democrats are wrestling over whether this should be a defining issue for the party. The NYT piece talks about how senior posts within the Department of Health and Human Services are being filled with people opposed to abortion rights.

"Gina/Diane" is not a story about abortion. It's a story about a woman who had one and how that event affected the rest of her life.

It's a good read in the current environment -- if I say so myself.

"Gina/Diane" -- Life After an Abortion

I recently published my second novella, entitled "Gina/Diane."  It is available as an e-book on Amazon and Smashwords, and as a printed paperback at The Book Patch. (Click on the names of those retailers to purchase the book.)

Here is what it is about:

When a younger man named Hartley encounters and older woman named Diane dancing with her dog on a lonely, out-of-season beach in North Carolina, he ends up unexpectedly spending the evening with her.  She's a shape-shifting cougar with a problematic pet, but she also has a poignant and disturbing story to tell about an abortion at age 17, and how that event impacted her subsequent life.

When Hartley inadvertently asks a question that opens Diane's floodgates, he finds that he has no way out of an exquisitely uncomfortable situation.  A bachelor who lives with a cat in Manhattan, empathy isn't Hartley's strongest suit and he has no prior dealing with what Diane has been through.

Thanks in part to a photo that helps him understand more about what Diane lost, he listens with increasing interest to her gritty account of how she clawed herself upward only to have her past rob her of her greatest success. Diane appreciates Hartley's willingness to listen and she's intrigued that he might be able to make good use of her story despite finding him lacking in certain important respects. Can the evening result in a rewarding outcome for them both -- and that pesky dog?