Russ, J. (1983). How to suppress womenâs writing. University of Texas Press.
The cover of Russâs book does an excellent job of summarising its main argument: that womenâs writing is deliberately devalued in a range of ways. Itâs on the wrong subject matter, itâs the wrong genre, itâs morally objetionable, itâs not proper art. In 1983 Russ wasnât writing specifically about fan fiction (yet), but fan fiction readers and writers will recognise these tactics employed against them. âShe wrote about men banging! And it most definitely isnât art - itâs derivative and unoriginal!â
One of my favourite moments in the book comes towards the end, when after some self-reflection Russ realises that she and other white women within academia and the feminist movement have been employing exactly the same tactics to devalue Black womenâs writing. With recent debates on race in both fandom and Fan Studies, this powerful moment of realisation is worth keeping in mind.
The cover of How to suppress womenâs writing by Joanna Russ, which consists of the following text:
She didnât write it. But if itâs clear she did the deed⌠She wrote it but she shouldnât have. (Itâs political, sexual, masculine, feminist.) She wrote it, but look what she wrote about. (The bedroom, the kitchen, her family. Other women!) She wrote it, but she wrote only one of it. (âJane Eyre. Poor dear, thatâs all she ever⌠â) She wrote it, but she isnât really an artist, and it isnât really art. (Itâs a thriller, a romance, a childrenâs book. Itâs sci fi!) She wrote it, but she had help. (Robert Browning. Branwell BrontĂŤ. Her own âmasculine side.â) She wrote it, but sheâs an anomaly. (Woolf. With Leonardâs helpâŚ) She wrote it BUT
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