Will's more thoughtful post perhaps there's a parallel with music. When music used to be a passion I found myself drawn more to deep, bad voices. I figured they resonated more in my throat than those of women. I could respect a lot of female singers but found I rarely bought their recordings. Perhaps there's a similar thing in literature. Now cheer up. And try and stifle your elitist impulses. Its not a good look. Pink Diamond : bella starkey : iorarua : 20 Apr 2011 4:54:28pm And I yearn for a male penmanship that doesn't involve young men rebelling against older men, men competing with and fighting wars against other men, men straining against the domestic ties that unhappily bind them to the 'pettiness' of the feminine sphere, and men treating female characters as objects of desire, disdain or disgust. The difference is that, unlike most men, male penmanship well and truly dominated my schooling and university Lit courses. (I recall the only female author I got to study was Judith Wright for a couple of weeks in Grade 9 and 'George' Eliot in first year Uni.) I only got to learn of the huge wealth of grossly under-acknowledged female writing AFTER my formal schooling had ended. Jan1st : 20 Apr 2011 7:52:48pm iorarua: I do so agree with you. At Uni I was forced to read Xavier Herbert and Patrick White whom I loathed. I have read prolifically for many decades, have a very large private library with