Hi All--
Michael Robison wrote:
>
> Why do you assume that Jennings uses the term in
the
> book? It's not science fiction. More in the realm
of
> historical fiction.
The Publisher's Weekly review cited on amazon says "Thorn,
the hermaphrodite hero/heroine, is seduced first by a monk
and then by a nun." I presume, possibly incorrectly, that PW
wouldn't use a word to describe the protagonist that Jennings
didn't use. The same goes for your usage of the term,
especially after I had stated (in the post to which you were
replying) that "intersexed" was the preferred term.
You're right, it's not science fiction; speculative
fabulation, maybe. The sexual characteristics of the
protagonist are based on grade-school innuendo, stereotypes
and myth, not in medical fact. I don't know how historical
the historicity of the book is; it's one I won't read. I love
Val McDermid, for example, but I don't read her serial killer
books because I don't need or want to get into the mind of a
deranged psychopath. However, my suspicion is that the
intersexed were probably killed out of hand by the
Ostrogoths, rather than raised
"androgynously."
> And what does potboiler mean?
From dictionary.com:
"Potboiler, n: A literary or artistic work of poor quality,
produced quickly for profit."
> Isn't that some kind of a slight?
>
Yes.
Metta, Ivan
---------------------------------------------- Ivan Van
Laningham God N Locomotive Works http://www.andi-holmes.com/
http://www.foretec.com/python/workshops/1998-11/proceedings.html
Army Signal Corps: Cu Chi, Class of '70 Author: Teach
Yourself Python in 24 Hours
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