Go take a look at what Mr. Cale McCaskey has to tell us about Romance: The Problem with Romance
Women are, of course, quite familiar with arguments like his. They’ve been used for centuries to denigrate anything associated with women that would, if left unremarked, disprove the bias.
Basically, he’s saying that all Romance novels are inferior because if a book that might otherwise be called a romance is actually good, it’s necessarily anything but a romance. This is EXACTLY like the Victorian era physicians who performed an autopsy on a respected colleague only to discover that their colleague was a woman. When faced with the presence of female genitalia, they pronounced her a hermaphrodite. Because it just wasn’t possible for a WOMAN to have been successfully masquerading as a physician and to have been good at it, too.
Right. When the evidence contradicts you, redefine the world rather than adjust your assumptions.
I’m told he’s busy deleting comments he doesn’t like, so feel free to read his post and come comment here if you worry he’ll disagree with you and have to delete your comment in an attempt to keep his narrow world view safe from anything like truth or an open mind.
repeated from my tweet -> He has the nerve to describe himself as sexy? Beauty must be in the eye of the beholder? A sharp tongue and a dull mind. No point in answering his post, just ignore him and maybe he’ll go away. I think he belongs somewhere in the early nineteenth century, where his were perfectly valid arguments.
Yeah, I had that same thought. He’s SINGLE! My God, that’s just so baffling.
I posted this comment but I doubt it will get posted so I’ll put this up here…
The Romance genre is bigger and more well loved than any other. It exists in all forms, all genres and everywhere in this world. It brings hope and happiness to millions. It is literature, it is just as important as every other genre. It is one of the hardest to write and has been around for longer than any other. The Illiad and the Odyssey both have romance in them.
Oh and I suggest you look up the definition of fact, followed by the definition of opinion
Silly me, checking Twitter before going to bed. I read Mr. McClaskey’s blog, the comments and his responses. Now I need to take a soothing shower, a melatonin, and a dose of Judith Ivory.
Just read the latest train wreck response from Mr. Douche. I predict he’s gonna be single for a long long time.
I’m pretty happy about that actually. Perhaps that’s juvenile of me, but, apparently, as a romance reader, I am a juvenile. So there.
It’s so tired, that whole thing when other genre writers dismiss the girls, isn’t it? And it’s usually guys (threatened much?) who do it. (Not always, of course, but we’ll leave that for another post.) I think it’s possible he’s burned a lot of bridges with that post, though, since the women who run NY publishing love romance and have a long memory. That’s assuming he wants to actually be published — perhaps he doesn’t. I didn’t spend too much time on his site figuring it out.
I’m surprised that he doesn’t realize that all classic love stories are, by definition, romances. But there you go. He’s a silly boy, and in his rather ugly response comments, nothing more than a common troll.
Also, doesn’t he understand that he has a romance hero’s name? Heh.
I know, right?
It’s always lovely to see genre readers bash other genres, especially when the bashing is as well-informed as dear Cale’s. A better title for his posting would have been “How to Be an Eejit”.
Btw, in the posting following upon his stream of idiocy, he talks about “the often deadly message they [the romance novels] bring glorifying everything from adultery to incest.” Obviously he has read tons, TONS, I tell ya!, of romance novels …
oh. wow. I’m so insulted. I should find the humor in it, but he was just so nasty. He hasn’t ready any romances and he won’t ever. Ok. yep. you’re qualified to judge. Oh, he did read his mother’s when he was a child. Hmm. Guessing that was Cartland or something. (Which I will admit to having fond memories of, but I can’t read it now.)
And the idea that this is something we should all outgrow after a certain age, and if we don’t we’re mentally ill. Oy.
Impossible to discuss it with him, of course. So I’ll take childish pleasure in the picture he posted. It matches his written personality perfectly.
I don’t think this guy is worth the time – he’s a self-advertised idiot. Did you notice his avatar/about me blurb? Ugh. I think he’s threatened by the badass heroes we women love to fantasize about and get lost in. He’s no hero material, that’s for sure. However, with self-conscious smart asses like this guy makes me think that most of his dreck is intended to be inflammatory – not that he isn’t sincere to extent in his opinion – just he ‘kicks it up a notch’.
His last comment about being offended or some such about grown women concerning themselves about things they should have gotten over by junior high, etc. almost lured me into commenting there. Wow, how many things am I concerned about that grown men should have gotten over in their teens? Penis size, to start with – which this guy is compensating for clearly.
[…] Carolyn Jewel has a post with a historical take on his illogical approach to logic. And the text of one of his now-deleted comments can be found at the bottom of this post by […]
My reaction was open-mouthed disbelief to his post. I’m glad all of you have voiced what I can’t even process. All I can think is “what is his problem?” I mean guys may not have the same idea of romance as women do but we all have ideas of romance even if you don’t call it that. So when an author writes…you know what…forget him. He’s just talking out of his mangina. Carolyn, you keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
Well said, Stephanie! And thank you.