“The difference between the way male and female fantasy is explored – it’s interesting. Look at male fantasies: Lord of the Rings, Batman, The Avengers. It’s lauded. Anything written by a woman, like Twilight, my huge inspiration, is derided. All female fantasy is derided. It’s an insight into how misogynist the world is.The difference between The Lord of the Rings and Twilight is that the former is a literary masterpiece of the English language and the latter is a ludicrous travesty. The reason so much female fantasy is derided is because so much of is blatantly derivative and the very little of it that isn't sucks. Very few female writers pursue excellence, and most of those who do are rejected by female readers.
“Take the phrase 'mommy porn’. It’s one of the most misogynist things I’ve ever heard in my life. It is derogatory!” She bangs the table for emphasis. “How dare they? It’s just a book, for god’s sake. A love story in which people have sex – and they do do that.
Tanith Lee is one of the most beautiful wordsmiths in SF/F. Her Secret Books of Paradys are fantastic. Theresa Edgerton's novels have more magic in every chapter than there is in all of JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and EL James combined. But do women read them? No, most of them don't. They'd rather read complete drivel of the sort that James writes. Or worse, Catherine Asaro's award-winning Strong Independent Women in Space novels. That's fine, so long as it doesn't scare the children, horses, or literate people. I'm not saying such readers should be taken out and shot or anything, but expecting respect for wallowing naked in literary pig shit and deriving sexual pleasure from the experience is a little rich.
James's attempt to pretend she is not a pornographer is downright risible. It's like listening to Steven Hirsch angrily shout: How dare they? "Jenna Bangs the Universe" is just a film, for god's sake! A love story in which people have sex!"
Someone needs to explain to the woman, presumably in short sentences consisting of monosyllabic words, that the reason her work is denigrated as Mommy Porn is not because it is schlock female fantasy, but because it is pornography for middle-aged women. As evidence, I would point to the fact that Twilight is rightly viewed with contempt as the literary equivalent of teenybopper tunes, but it is seldom referred to as Mommy Porn.
