[net.sf-lovers] Writing/Sexism Quiz

jimb@ISM780.UUCP (01/23/86)

Audience participation time.  The following quotes are from the Los Angeles
Times, dated January 22, (VIEW Section).  The article concerned the protest
of women authors at the PEN conference, an international writers forum, where
only 16 of 117 panelists were women and only 8 of 51 honored guests were
women.

The person making the quotes below is Norman Mailer,
After the quotes, there is a brief survey/quiz.

	Just the day before, Mailer had attributed the paucity of female
	panelists in part to the fact that "there are not that many
	women...who are intellectuals first, poets and novelists second."

	...

	After all, Mailer said, "We didn't want a congress that would
	establish a political point at the expense of considerable
	mediocrity."

	...

	At that remark, another large exodus of women from the room began.
	"Those women who would like to leave," Mailer said, "may do so
	with the surrogate literary pope's blessing."


Quiz time:

	1.  What is most offensive about Mailer's remarks is:
	    a. the intellectual idiocy
	    b. the self-importance
	    c. the sexism
	    d. YOUR LINE here



	2.  (Extra credit).  In the context of SF, respond to Mailer's
	    remarks as you think they apply to SF writers, fandom,
	    stories, publishing.

	    (short essay).

				 End of Test

		     -- from the annoyed ravings of Jim Brunet
				       Provocateur At-Large