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Originally Posted by gmw
I am curious to see that none of us has yet mentioned the sexism and racism implicit in this book (after having had a good go at Tarzan). The racism is no more than I would expect of the era, but the sexism is interesting...
Such a strong and independent female lead, and yet she falls for (and directly justifies doing so) the stereotypical macho male - one who even threatens ‘I shall carry you away and beat you black and blue!’ It was tongue-in-cheek, sort of, but still made me somewhat uncomfortable to read (especially as Anne was reported as "pleasurably excited" by these declarations of violence). I wonder how much was deliberate satire, and how much was merely a reflection of the times.
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Offhand I don't remember any racism, implicit or explicit.
I don't think there was any sexism either, or at least any that was particularly notable. As you note, Anne was independent and strong-minded, and the fact that she marries doesn't negate that. She didn't seem to be sacrificing her own desires to his.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
At the start we see Anne emerging from a very secluded existence: "Therefore, Papa being immersed in the past, Mamma having died when I was a baby, it fell to me to undertake the practical side of living." And then her father dies and she can have adventures.
Fairly recently I read some of the Amelia Peabody series written by Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Mertz). The first book, Crocodile on the Sandbank, describes Amelia as have had a very similar secluded existence because of her studious father. Although set in the 1880s, the first book was written in 1975, and I wondered if Peters might have been partly inspired by The Man in the Brown Suit.
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Though I've read many of Mertz's books written under the Barbara Michaels pseudonym and a few under the Elizabeth Peters pseudonym, I've passed on Amelia Peabody--I'm not interested in anything to do with Egypt. But I noticed that
Crocodile on the Sandbank is on sale today at
Amazon for $1.99.