Weekly "what are you reading" Thread #70

I'm reading Capotes Women, about Truman Capote and the swans.

The author isn't really smooth enough to get away with the sly, winking style he's trying to imitate, but it's mostly-interesting trashy reading thinly disguised as something with literary value.

One thing that did piss me off though is that the author writes off Edith Wharton in an aside, categorizing her as an oppressed married lady unaware her options in life were limited and she was a victim of society or whatever. "She was skilled in the decorative arts, the most important work of art being herself. For the most part, she had no idea she was living a hothouse existence, in thrall of the patriarchal society that defined her."

Completely ignoring the fact that, besides being a writer, Wharton was a noted interior designer (her book on the subject is still a classic) with a keen eye for architecture—hardly a do-nothing sitting around painting her face. She wrote frequently about women and their place in society as well, and obviously meditated on it and was far from unaware of the restrictions they grappled with. Weirdly, the author is aware Wharton wrote about women and society like that (ending by on a quote by her about women's emancipation), but still writes her off anyway. Come on, dude. /end rant