The last time I reblogged a photoset of Simone de Beauvoir books, @andrewjacksonscenichikes made a comment that has stuck with me: “In the wake of all the recent Hollywood sexual assault allegations I would appreciate if you would hold off on reposting a serial child molester.” (Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre have a lurid history of sexual misconduct involving children.)
I didn’t delete my post, but that comment really got me thinking. In light of #MeToo and #TimesUp, which has led to the falling of so many giants in the entertainment industry, do we need to take a similar stance with literary giants who were terrible people or who did terrible things? I’ve already mentioned de Beauvoir and Sartre, but what about William Golding, who attempted to rape a 15 year old girl? What about William S. Burroughs, who got drunk and shot his wife? What about J.D. Salinger? I’m sure there are scores of other authors we could cite (and I’d appreciate it if people would chime in with more names we may need to reconsider.)
Do we ignore important works by these authors because of the lives they lived and the things they did? Does the fact that most of these authors are now dead make a difference? Does de Beauvoir’s actions negate her important feminist work The Second Sex? Or should we continue to read them but with mental asterisks in our minds?
Sensitivity changed over time and what once was considered widely acceptable is now no more.
I agree with #MeToo and #TimesUp movement. It is time to reckon abuse, harassment and the ouster of people accused of these acts.
But I agree, it is difficult when it comes to judging great artists of the past.
Their behaviors can cast a shadow on their intentions, but we must use rationality in judging the importance of their work and how much they shaped our actual way of seeing the world.
Nessun commento :
Posta un commento