'Chick-lit'
I've been reading quite a lot of the threads on this forum and I've noticed that you're all very serious readers, in that you only appear to read the classics or books that are considered 'deep'. Out of curiosity, does anyone ever read chick-lit, or the male equivalent? What're your thoughts on it, either way?
This is my first post, so - hi everyone.
Jane Austen, the original chick-lit!
What is the male equivalent of chick-lit?
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Hello Veho and welcome.
When desperate I have been known to pick up one or two of my daughters chick lit paper backs, Very entertaining some of them, I particularly enjoyed "Where Have all the Men Gone."
But the male equivelent? I don't know if there is one.
Originally Posted by prendrelemick
Maybe a nice Tom Clancy? Even though I've read someTom Clancy I admit I skip all the technical and military stuff.
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
when I was 10 years old I read a million love stories, today I don't like those books but there is one that for some reason has stuck with me called 'the girl in the blue dress' haven't read it in a few years but I still have it in my bookshelf and think about it every now and then...
I hope death is joyful, and I hope I'll never return -Frida Khalo
If I seem insensitive to what you are going through, understand it's the way I am- Mr. Spock
Personally, I think that the unique and supreme delight lies in the certainty of doing 'evil'–and men and women know from birth that all pleasure lies in evil. - Baudelaire
"the male equivalent"!! what on earth is that supposed to mean?
Yas, i admit to reading Sophie Kinsella, and she's not actually that bad. All the same, I'd rather stick to Tolstoy! (:
Tom Clancy (or do women actually read that - I don't know anyone who will actually admit to reading one, no matter the gender).Jane Austen, the original chick-lit!
What is the male equivalent of chick-lit?
But yeah, sci-fi used to be the "male lit", but I think it has been dead for a while, and replaced with Epic fantasy stuff, like Terry Goodkind, and George R. R. Martin - I think that is pretty much the equivalent. Certainly Goodkind, though perhaps a better stand in for Martin can be found.
Last edited by JBI; 08-01-2009 at 12:09 PM.
Chuck Palahniuk?
I tease, I tease. But if we take apart what is really 'male-lit', which would include mostly a male cast of characters, dealing with situations that'd in men, why that could be most of American literature. There's one female character in Moby-Dick, and she's merely mentioned. Food for thought...
If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
-W.Blake
Here's a producers view: Some years ago I wrote several chick lit paperbacks and booklets. It was stupid piecework and extremely ill-paid. So I gave it up, not because of the intellectual prostitution thing but because I felt really exploited. Privately, I'd never ever touch such silly stuff.
The male equivalent of chick-lit is mainly sci-fi, I suppose. The Star Trek series, Asimov, Kevin J. Anderson, Veynor Vinge etc.
Last edited by amarna; 08-01-2009 at 12:39 PM.
Sexsist much JBI?
( I am just joking here so dont take it the worng way)
Actually Ive read a tom clancy or two all that kind of thing was my teenage and tween reading (I just recycled my mums boosk as books were expensive and we couldnt afford many) So colin forbes Grisham, clancy Ryan, Wilber smith Dick francis, Francome, all of them. They are supoposedly the malke equivlent toi chick lit, although I suppose the real ones would be the westerns that were big in the 70s 80s I think it was.
HiI do but then I read just about anything and everything, I have even been known to admit to reading romances, whihc I do and often enjoy inspite of myself ( and often inspite of cringinly awful storylines and or writing - they amuse me. That is not to say that quite alot of prolific bestelletr type writes didnt start with romances, and that alot of romances are well written and genuinley funny good lightheared reads.)
At work today I oevrheard 2 ladies discussing chicklit, the cionverstaion went something along the lines of I really like chicklit thats easy to read it doesnt feel like its trying to educate you or patronise, something thats funny and 'takes you away'for a while.
I should add as a point of intrest I am capable of listing from memory lots of diffeernt forms of chicklit in author and series( as well as where they would be on the shelf in my library if we had a copy and when we are expecting the nexct one but that is irrelevant for now) so if anyone is intrested in picking up a chciklit and dazzled by all the bright colours ask me!
I even ahave a badge that says ask me I am here to help!
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No, not at all - I think it a good thing that women don't read these books - if anything it shows a sort of superiority.Sexsist much JBI?
Actually Ive read a tom clancy or two all that kind of thing was my teenage and tween reading (I just recycled my mums boosk as books were expensive and we couldnt afford many) So colin forbes Grisham, clancy Ryan, Wilber smith Dick francis, Francome, all of them. They are supoposedly the malke equivlent toi chick lit, although I suppose the real ones would be the westerns that were big in the 70s 80s I think it was.
But in another sense, Chick lit as it is called, which is a pretty regionalized form of literature (it is, essentially a Western Phenomenon which is extremely prevalent in The US in particular (I showed some comparative statistics on another thread about it, so if someone wants to dig with the search function)) but, on the whole, exists in countries generally that have a market dominated by female readers, as women, in the US, in Canada, and elsewhere, generally read far more books. The Chick Lit as it is called just fills that gap by providing the most "characteristically gendered" texts imaginable.
So, in a sense, we have "Chick Lit" which is sexist in concept, promoted to females as the "Chick Lit", by generally a group of people who read far, far, more. So, in a sense, we can say the male equivalent is a smaller slice of the cake, and I would think Fantasy, Sci Fi, and Militaristic novels, being generally marketed for males, and portrayed as male texts, would fit in there nicely.
After all, I've read more Jane Austen than most females, and generally read more novels written by women than by men, and have done so since I started reading - but the gender is generally removed in most cases - Alice Munro, for instance, is not writing with "only female's in mind" as an audience. The actual Chick Lit as a concept though is ultimately sexist, as it constructs, just as Cosmopolitan magazine, the Women's Network on TV, and Barbie Dolls the concept of the "female".
But, then again, as you put it, it is common for women to read works written by men. I don't think the reverse exchange really exists in Canadian/American/English society. I think women read books by men, featuring male protagonists, yet men do not read books featuring female protagonists.
But either way, the genre of novel is a traditionally female one - in the early days it was considered "female distraction" whereas real literature, that is, generally what we would call female today, or perhaps homosexual by stereotype, ironically, poetry, and theatre and the like, was deemed as masculine literature.
A male chick lit perhaps doesn't exist, perhaps just books sexist enough that nobody would read them but the most misogynist of men, such as Goodkind, or to a lesser extent Martin, who perhaps has some redeeming qualities.
Of course though, I'm sure Robert Jordan has as many female readers as male (since he generally seemed to be embarrassing a sort of fantasy where male and female characters are given somewhat equal treatment - his world is gendered, but certainly not a misogynist world - both heroes and villains are of both genders), or pretty close at any rate, whereas Tamora Pierce probably has very few male readers.
Who knows though - Hemingway is generally seen as a "Male" author, appealing more to men than women, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has as many female as male readers.
I've read many Star Trek books and enjoyed them very much also 'Dune' is a great piece of sci-fi and many short stories by various writers...
and hey isn't some of H.G Wells books considered sci-fi like 'the time traveller' and 'war of the worlds' and they are classics...
I hope death is joyful, and I hope I'll never return -Frida Khalo
If I seem insensitive to what you are going through, understand it's the way I am- Mr. Spock
Personally, I think that the unique and supreme delight lies in the certainty of doing 'evil'–and men and women know from birth that all pleasure lies in evil. - Baudelaire
Cannot really remember any "chick lit"
Plenty of " boy lit" though.
Started with "Just William" books by Richard Compton & then graduated to everything from Dan Dare comics, Ed McBain detective novels & peaked at Ian Fleming's Bond series when they first evolved.
Not exactly "classics" in the orthodox sense, but enjoyable none the less in those early years.
The male equivilant is called 'lad-lit'. It's things like Jeremy Clarkson, and the like. Stuff about cars and the 'male' point of view.
I suppose Hemingway is sort of sophisticated 'lad-lit'
Was it you I had the converstaion with a couple of years back abouyt Robin Mckinley? I think alot of it is to do with teh book selling world really and targeting audiances, I have an old man who comes in for mills and boons books, he says they are for his wife with an embarrssed shuffle but I am almost 100% he reads them and thats cool,I just wish he didnt feel awkward about it. Anyway the poiunt I mean to make are there fantasy/schofi books targeted at males and ones that are seperatly targetd at women? At a rough guesstimate I would personally say alot of the increasingly common vampire/things that go bump in the night-fantasy romance things like feehan, Sparks, Arthr, Mary janice davidosn thinsg are aimed at women.
And now that I think about it here is an annoying factoide, the better written more rounded stories and charcters are aimed gender nutral ( like the Kelley armstrong series, yes there is alot of romance and mush but there is also loads of mysterys killeings parnormal mafia and police etc ) huh.
My mission in life is to make YOU smile
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things:
Forum Rules- You know you want to read 'em
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