Carrie,
Re your question on the following comment I made in an
earlier post:
> >Moreover, the fantasy is, it seems to me,
a
> >specifically male one.
> Um, OK. any basis for this statement at all,
or
> should I even ask?
I really thought it was pretty self-evident, but I'll try to
give you a basis.
1) The "classic/cliche" (depending on your POV) PI image was
established in Prohibition/Dpression-era pulp magazines for
which the writers were overwhelmingly male and the readership
was overwhelmingly male.
2) The things that fictional PIs did, essentially a
modern-day version of dragon-slaying was and is specifically
a male function in the mythology of most societies. Hercules,
Samson, St. George, Theseus, etc., etc. , etc., were all male
figures, and all held up as models of what males should be.
The
"classic/cliche" PI, like the frontier-era gunfighter, was
latter-day continuation of this tradition.
3) The "classic/cliche" PI figure tends to deal with problems
violently, or is at least prepared to deal with problems
violently if necessary.
Througout history, violent encounters have been
overwhelmingly the province of males. In terms of violent
crime in the present day, that's still the case. Even with
the rise in violent crime among females, it's overwhelmingly
males who commit violent crimes.
Fighting "evil" with violence has also historically been
overwhelmingly the province of males, and to a large degree,
as with violent crime, still is. Notwithstanding the
increasing number of women in police work, firefighting, and
the military, the great majority of police officers,
soldiers, and firefighters are still men. And an even larger
majority of applicants (as opposed to those actually hired)
for such positions are male. It's men who see themselves as
the dragonslayers more than women, despite recruitment
efforts, changing entrnace requirements, etc.
That's some of my basis for believing that the PI fantasy
figure is primarily a male fantasy figure.
JIM DOHERTY
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