Observatory
Literary Criticism in Politics
Virginia Senate candidate George Allen, who still has not recovered from a YouTube induced malestrom of discontent over racially charged comments,* is resorting to the lowest of all mud-slinging techniques: literary criticism.
In a press release to the media that Allen had not posted to the press portion of his web site (afraid of blog links?), he claimed that his opponent’s Jim Webb’s novels indicated a chauvinist and misogynistic attitude inappropriate for anyone representing the familiees of Virginia. I’d really love to quote the former governor’s gems of critical genius, but alas, I hadn’t found any actual explications of the passages.
This response from Webb, as quoted on CNN, seems to merit reproduction here however:
“There is nothing that’s been in any of my novels that, in my view, hasn’t been either illuminating surroundings or defining a character or moving a plot,” Webb said.
God, I’d love to be able to say the same. What discipline. What stamina. To whittle down five novels to nothing but the absolute essentials, with no flights of whimsy or comic detours. I do wonder where the good senator gets the time.
*Most of the accusations of racism based on Allen’s joke in the footage have focused on his use of the word “macaca.” What I personally find even more outrageous is a seemingly more innocent remark: “Welcome to America.” The kid shadowing Allen for the Webb campaign at whom the comments were directed was South Asian. To assume that anyone of his skin color is an immigrant and not a natural born American, as the Webb staffer indeed is, is deeply disturbing. It is indicative of a concept of America as a country for white men, where whites and perhaps blacks are citizens and everyone else is just a visitor.
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[…] In continuation of our coverage of George Allen’s attempt at creating a political controversy over the sex bits in Webb’s books (see first post here), we now bring you the Slate quiz. Match the politican turned writer to the sex scene. Read some very bad erotic writing. All here at Slate for your voyeuristic pleasure. […]