tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post3920054164958695906..comments2024-03-20T01:12:10.866-07:00Comments on the moving castle: Frankie Landau-Banks is not a Feministkittens not kidshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01687718497473389899noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post-9302096648723454392015-01-16T14:44:40.472-08:002015-01-16T14:44:40.472-08:00I just finished reading this book, I bought it bec...I just finished reading this book, I bought it because I was lured in by the hype in the critic reviews, including "a homage to girl power" and "a funny feminist manifesto"....... As it turns out, not the case at all! So disappointed!! The whole time she was trying to be part of the boys club I thought WHY? Why isn't she starting her own club, enlisting young women around her who share her views and would want to participate in carrying out social commentaries and protests? Also why does she continue to want to hang out with these young men who are actually presented as a bunch of pigs? I kept thinking these guys don't have any respect for her, why does she want to be part of that?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11318854974772999093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post-55802280874379866352011-02-07T11:37:03.778-08:002011-02-07T11:37:03.778-08:00I disagree with this reading of the novel. I thin...I disagree with this reading of the novel. I think Lockhart does a great job of exploring complexities related to power and gender. (I agree that the book is much less adroit in regard to class.) But I sure read the name of "Alabaster Prep" as a snarky joke rather than a celebration of white money and power.<br /><br />Frankie's initial visions of feminism are very simplistic--yes, she wants to join the boys club. She equates feminism with having exactly what men have. Both her father and boyfriend have utterly dismissed her abilities, and rather than being simply offended, she takes it as a challenge. <br /><br />Frankie's ability to manipulate the young men initially delights her, but as the book goes along, she finds her successes more and more hollow. She slowly realizes that she cannot win a place in the boys club by being as or more clever than the guys, by being a better leader, by making life more fun for them. Then, she becomes a real feminist--one who understands that feminism doesn't just mean having the same powers or privileges as the boys, it means a great deal more.<br /><br />I think the only real weakness of Lockhart's book is that readers do need to keep with it to see Frankie grow. She is a bit of an idiot at the beginning--she does dismiss female interests, overvalue a boyfriend for his social prominence, and limit her options, but she also comes to recognize that these were mistakes and that looking to new models is hard. Like many girls, she wants what feminism offers, but she wants some of the shinier baubles of the patriarchal world too.<br /><br />I admire Lockhart for writing a novel that admits feminism can be disappointing in some ways--not because the kinds of things it ultimately offers aren't valuable, but because they have a price. Lockhart's Frankie learns that she can't have it all--not because women are too limited to do it all--but because some things are mutually exclusive. You can't be one of the boys and a girl.Eilonwynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post-65749956359698094142011-02-06T18:25:50.108-08:002011-02-06T18:25:50.108-08:00I'm not sure how I managed not to be aware of ...I'm not sure how I managed not to be aware of your thoughtful blog until now... I just clicked "Follow!"Shoshanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05280318814624346561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post-82199740572821515882011-02-06T09:08:35.139-08:002011-02-06T09:08:35.139-08:00I remembered really loving Lockhart's book, so...I remembered really loving Lockhart's book, so I went back to my goodreads review to see why. Here is what I wrote:<br /><br />"I loved the way that Lockhart really grappled with issues of class and gender privilege in this book. Rather than just giving us a "strong girl character," the author explores what it means when a girl assumes the power usually reserved for men. What does it mean for a girl to have ambition? Can your boyfriend be nice, but still not recognize you, or your power, at all? What avenues are open to teenagers for social protest? Its a rare book that manages to be a page-turner, an involving character study, and a thought-provoking read; Lockhart manages all three with ease."<br /><br />I later had a discussion with friends about the feminism of the novel, with some finding the ending particularly problematic in thinking the book feminist. One replied to my post:<br /><br />"As you say,the novel addresses the question of what happens when a girl seizes the power traditionally reserved for men. Any problems I have with the novel have more to do with the fact that I'm afraid to look too closely at the answer to this question."<br /><br />And I wrote in reply:<br /><br />"Yes, me too. I guess that's why I liked the novel so much -- it really asked me to take a look at the implications of feminist rhetoric, rather than just giving the typical happy ending. Social justice is hard work; to tell kids that it isn't can lead to disillusionment when they first begin to speak up but don't get the response they're expecting. I hope that the author writes a sequel, so that we can see what Frankie does next in the face of a "return to the status quo" at the end of the novel."<br /><br />What your post made me think about, Kerry, was that even those of us who take up the feminist mantle with pride can still be riddled with anti-feminist ideology. That's what I liked about Frankie, and the book -- that it shows us this in action. Perhaps it is asking too much for YA readers to be able to see the ambiguities of Frankie's embrace of feminism, rather than just be sucked in by the anti-feminist discourse that underlies some of Frankie's thinking, but it would be good to try to teach them to do so, as you did when you taught the book.Jackie C. Hornehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04146684628443152376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31106056.post-19028775049486873772011-02-05T22:32:17.877-08:002011-02-05T22:32:17.877-08:00Totally going to reread. What I loved about the bo...Totally going to reread. What I loved about the book the first time around was how clearly it showed all the double-binds of being a girl in that elite, smart-kid environment. Of how difficult it is to have a boyfriend in that environment who treats you like a full human being! Is the cool stuff in the boys' club really the cool stuff? Sure seems like it. Telling yourself that you'll have more fun baking with your girlfriends feels like acquiescing, even if it's true.<br /><br />For me, just laying out that problem makes the book feminist and gives it great value, even if Frankie herself is not a feminist. I don't remember all her responses and schemes very well, just a feeling that she could never really win in unambiguous terms, because the game is rigged. And that she really wanted to keep her boyfriend. :\<br /><br />Anyway, this post has definitely put the book on my "reread ASAP" list. Thank you!grrlpuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09755649595417118072noreply@blogger.com