Quote:
Originally Posted by charleski
I have one thing to say though: any author who voices extremist views and then needs to be defended by the claims that they have to be viewed 'in context' or that 'they're just the views of the characters' has failed. Either they have failed through over-subtlety and obscurantism or they have failed through a lack of the courage of their convictions, however vile those might be. Heinlein's failure may well have been a mix of both of these, and I think the extents to which people have to go to defend him demonstrates how confused and disordered his thinking was.
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I think what you're running into is a fairly sizable group of people who have read most of what Heinlein published as well as plenty of analysis of what he published. A single quote from a character in one of his books that contradicts many of the statements that other characters in his work say (and do) shouldn't be considered representative of his beliefs.
After all, if I quoted you as saying "...I'd be turning myself into the police as a lunatic who needs to be locked up for my own good" and suggested that we not read your words because you've admitted you're a lunatic, you would rightfully insist that your comments be read
in context. YOU haven't failed to communicate, but I have failed to represent your statement accurately.
More people have read and been influenced by Heinlein than have even heard of Joanna Russ (I hadn't heard of her before this thread, for example). You're bound to get much more discussion on his work than hers.