Now, moving on with our month's events, we'll hear from a wonderful bestselling author. Our first amazing interview, dear ladies, is with Jodi Picoult!
Picoult is the bestselling author of seventeen novels, the last three of which debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, including her latest novel, House Rules. Her next novel, Sing You Home, will be released in March 2011, and she's already researching another one that should be released in 2012! She was kind enough to answer some questions about the women's fiction label and the recognition (or lack thereof) women writers get. Here is what she said.
Gabriela: Do you like the "women's fiction writer" label? Do you think of yourself as a women's fiction writer?
Jodi Picoult: Since 48% of my fan mail comes from men, I have a hard time thinking I write only for women. I am a WOMAN fiction writer - but why would that matter?
G: Do you think there are more advantages or disadvantages to wearing that label?
JP: I don't like labels. I don't think my books fit easily into genres - whether that's legal fiction or chick lit or mystery or romance. They're a little bit of everything, grounded in a moral or ethical dilemma. I guess for me the real question is, how come no one ever calls Philip Roth a men's fiction writer? Because there is an assumption that women will read male authors, but the opposite doesn't always hold true. To me, that assumption is far more dangerous than any label!
G: What do you think makes women's fiction different from other kinds of fiction? Or isn't it different at all?
JP: It's not different. If a female writer writes about the bonds of family, emotional life, and the American experience, it's called women's fiction. If a man does it, it's called great literature. I think the distinction is arbitrary and has more to do with the genitalia of the author than anything else. Granted, there is a wide swath of so-called "women's fiction" - it encompasses Harlequin Romance AND Anne Tyler and Anita Shreve. But there's a difference between "pulp" women's fiction and "literary" women's fiction - just like there's a difference between Nicholas Sparks and John Irving.
"Is the description of emotion, which so many female authors write beautifully, really something detrimental?"
G: Are there any of your books that you think fit more tightly into what people would consider a "typical" women's fiction? And are there any novels of yours that you don't think fit into that category at all?
JP: I could argue any book of mine either way. My first novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale, is about the relationship between a mom and a daughter so it would fall squarely into the traditional definition of women's fiction. But it's also written in five narrative voices and plays with time and distance in structure, and that makes it a little more ambitious. I have a really hard time reading something like The Tenth Circle, which has a graphic novel embedded in it and has a male main character, and believing that it qualifies as women's fiction exclusively.
G: What future do you see for women's fiction? What do you hope for?
JP: Equality. Stop labeling. Call a good book a good book and recognize that good writing gets read, period - by both men and women. I'd hope that reviewers would be able to look past the gender of an author and ask themselves what's really so different between a female author's take on a given situation, and a male author's take on it. Is the description of emotion, which so many female authors write beautifully, really something detrimental? If so, why? These are the questions we need to be asking more carefully.
Thank you, Jodi!
Now, what do you think? Do you agree with Jodi Picoult? Are you weary of labels? And what is, after all, women's fiction? Share your thoughts on the subject and discuss it with our great commenters. And stay tuned! There are more interviews and guest posts coming up soon!
Great interview, Gabriela! Jodi makes lots of good points about the state of publishing and pigeonholing holing writers based on gender. Good writing is good writing no matter what anyone calls it. I wrote about this in a guest post I wrote a few weeks ago: http://www.crazy-for-books.com/2010/09/exploring-womens-literature-guest-post_14.html
ReplyDeleteI have never heard anyone say, "I love women's fiction". Usually, people are very specific and say, "I love Jodi Picoult" or "I love Anne Rice" or "I love Ursula LeGuin". Or "I love stories about..." So, in that way, it is a shame to label. But we live in an age of super branding and creating buzz where commoditizing arts makes as much sense as ever-increasing productivity...in other words, we're pretty stuck on that treadmill of hellish commercial capitalism. What's a girl to do but work it? ;)
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point, J.A.! I had never thought of that. That's very true, you rarely hear people saying they love women's fiction, maybe because it's just such a broad term. And since we all tend to name our favorite authors, I think that means we can still feel unique in a world where everything seems generic, right?
ReplyDeleteSo true. I mean, in the end, we read (and buy) because of a unique POV or voice that touches us. I just wish the publishing biz was more geared towards selling the individual. I had an editor tell me that while she loved my voice, she was going to pass on my novel because you can't market voice...
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I agree that labels can be detrimental, pigeonholing authors into a certain (and in terms of gender, often disparaged) group. But I really think of these terms as just a way for publishers to understand who to market the books to. The problem comes when people (writers, agents, editors, readers) start denigrating other genres. The whole debate over Chick Lit vs. Women's Fiction that started a decade ago was an attack on ALL writers. One genre is not superior to another. They just have different audiences. I would never expect a man to seek out my novels, for instance, since they are female-centric. And, likewise, I don't read a lot of male authors. I don't exclude them, but I really prefer to read books from a woman's point of view.
ReplyDeleteSo, even though labels have the power to divide, I think it is important to remember that they are really there just to organize & market the books on the shelf so that their readers can find them.
Very true, Lucie. That is one important thing to remember: one genre is not superior to another. There's a place (and a reader) for every genre!
ReplyDeleteAn interview with Jodi Picoult! This is absolutely amazing. My Grandma turned me (and my uncle) onto her.
ReplyDeleteI agree with her. I wish their wouldnt be any labels specific to women. No women fiction or chic lit. I don't think it's fair to have gender specifics because both men and women read these books. Books should be treated as books. Period.