Roxane Gay: Confsns of a bad femist | TED Talk

Contents:

• AUTHOR ROXANE GAY ON BEG A 'BAD FEMIST'
• ROXANE GAY: NOT SUCH A ‘BAD FEMIST’ AFTER ALLRIGHT ONTHE WRER’S BOOK OF SAYS HAS ATTRACTED MUCH, MOSTLY LDATORY, VERAGE. BUT S TLE IS A MISNOMER: THE FAR-OM-RENEGA GAY IS A VERY GOOD FEMIST.LIZZIE CROCKERUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 3:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 12, 2014 5:45AM EDT JAY GRABIECSHE MIGHT BE THE NEW GERMAE GREER. SHE ULD VERY WELL BE THE NEXT NAOMI WOLF. BUT WRER ROXANE GAY’S NEW LLECTN OF SAYS, BAD FEMIST, SUGGTS THAT THE FEMIST MOVEMENT’S RISG STAR MIGHT BE THE NEXT CALE PAGLIA. AND ’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY WE SHOULD NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY S VER—OR, THIS SE, BY S TLE.ANYONE FAIAR WH GAY’S WRG OR HER TWTER FEED KNOWS THAT WHILE SHE’S AN ACTIVE AND OUTSPOKEN FEMIST, SHE IS NOT, LIKE PAGLIA, A PARTICULARLY “BAD” OR NTROVERSIAL ONE (UNLS IS NTROVERSIAL FOR A FEMIST TO LIVE-TWEET THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF VOGUE).SO WHAT, EXACTLY, DO MEAN TO BE A “BAD FEMIST?” WHAT DO A BAD FEMIST BELIEVE THAT A “GOOD” FEMIST DON’T?THERE HAS LONG BEEN AN STCT TO EQUATE FEMISM WH “SENTIAL FEMISM”—THOSE ANTS WHO HATE MEN AND DON’T SHAVE THEIR ARMPS. BUT TO UNRSTAND FEMISM REQUIR A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF WOMEN’S ISSU. GAY SUBSCRIB TO THE MON FEMIST BELIEF THAT THE MOVEMENT HAS LONG BEEN STIGMATIZED AS ONE ERNED BY “ANGER, HUMORLSNS, ANCY, UNWAVERG PRCIPL, AND A PRCRIBED SET OF L FOR HOW TO BE A PROPER FEMIST WOMAN.”ESSENTIAL FEMISM, SHE WR, “SUGGTS THERE ARE RIGHT AND WRONG WAYS TO BE A FEMIST” AND DON’T ALLOW FOR “THE PLEXI OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE OR DIVIDUALY.”GAY SPENT MUCH OF HER YOUNG ADULTHOOD SHYG AWAY OM THE FEMIST LABEL BEE SHE--AND THOSE WHO ASSIGNED TO HER—ASSOCIATED WH SENTIALISM.SHE WR OF BEG “ASHAMED” OF DISAVOWG FEMISM, PROFSG IGNORANCE OF S MEANG AND MISSN. THIS PARTIALLY EXPLAS WHY SHE NSIRS HERSELF A “BAD FEMIST” TODAY. IT’S THE CULTURE’S RCTIVE, PEJORATIVE VIEW OF FEMISM, SHE ARGU, THAT SUGGTS THERE IS A GOOD OR “BAD” WAY TO HAB AN INTY.“I AM A BAD FEMIST BEE I NEVER WANT TO BE PLACED ON A FEMIST PESTAL. PEOPLE WHO ARE PLACED ON PESTALS ARE EXPECTED TO POSE, PERFECTLY...CONSIR ME ALREADY KNOCKED OFF.”GAY SCRIB HERSELF AS A “MS OF NTRADICTNS”—A PHRASE THAT, SOME WAYS, HAS BEE ANALOGO WH THE MOVEMENT —AND SOMEONE WHO HAS CHEWED THE TANGLE OF FEMIST SUB-LABELS.“I RISTED FEMISM MY LATE TEENS AND MY TWENTI BEE I WORRIED THAT FEMISM WOULDN’T ALLOW ME TO BE THE MS OF A WOMAN I KNEW MYSELF TO BE. BUT THEN I BEGAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FEMISM. I LEARNED TO SEPARATE FEMISM OM FEMISM OR FEMISTS OR THE IA OF AN ESSENTIAL FEMISM—ONE TE FEMISM TO DOMATE ALL OF WOMANKD.”BUT WHILE POTG OUT THAT WE NEED A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF FEMISM—TACHG FEMISM OM SENTIAL FEMISM—’S CLEAR THAT GAY’S VIEWS ARE STILL FIRMLY ROOTED SENTIALIST THEORY.SOCIETY IS TOO QUICK TO JUDGE WOMEN ON LIKABILY. BUT WE SHOULD BE MORE READY TO CELEBRATE BOTH REAL AND FICTNAL WOMEN FOR DARG TO BE UNLIKABLE.GAY ARGU STRENUOLY AGAST THE NEED FOR “LIKEABLE” CHARACTERS LERATURE, BEE WOMEN AREN’T SO TWO-DIMENSNAL REAL LIFE. IT’S A STANDARD THAT APPLI TOO EQUENTLY TO WOMEN POLICS AND POSNS OF POWER.“GOOD WOMEN ARE CHARMG, POLE, AND UNOBTSIVE. GOOD WOMEN WORK BUT ARE NTENT TO EARN 77 PERCENT OF WHAT MEN EARN OR, PENDG ON WHOM YOU ASK, GOOD WOMEN BEAR CHILDREN AND STAY HOME TO RAISE THOSE CHILDREN WHOUT PLAT."GOOD WOMEN ARE MOST, CHASTE, P, SUBMISSIVE. WOMEN WHO DON’T ADHERE TO THE STANDARDS ARE THE FALLEN, THE UNSIRABLE; THEY ARE BAD WOMEN.”IN THIS SE, ’S A GOOD THG TO BE “BAD.”THE PROBLEM WH PERVASIVE ANTI-WOMEN LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY POP CULTUREIT MAY BE ROB THICKE’S MOST POPULAR SONG TO DATE, BUT THE R&B SGER’S “BLURRED L”—ABOUT A WOMAN WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE SEXUALLY TERTED HIM—CERTALY ISN’T POPULAR FEMIST CIRCL.LAST SUMMER, CRICS SLAMMED S “RAPEY” LYRICS AND NOUNCED THE SGER SUGGTG THAT NO MIGHT ACTUALLY MEAN Y. AND GAY ULDN’T HELP BUT SG ALONG, “AS MUCH AS PAS ME TO ADM .”“I ENJOY THE SONGS THE WAY I HAVE TO ENJOY MOST MIC—I HAVE TO FET I AM A SENTIENT BEG. I HAVE TO LIGHTEN UP,” SHE IS TOLD BY PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY.BUT TO “LIGHTEN UP” WOULD BE TO PRETEND THE SONGS ARE NOCUO WHEN, SHE ARGU, THEY’RE SYMPTOMATIC OF A “MUCH MORE VILENT CULTURAL SICKNS—ONE WHERE WOMEN EXIST TO SATISFY THE WHIMS OF MEN.”IT’S ONE THG TO SG ALONG, SAYS GAY, BUT ’S ANOTHER TO MATA THAT THE OBJECTIFITN OF WOMEN POP CULTURE DON’T FLUENCE THE TREATMENT OF WOMEN.“A CULTURE THAT TREATS WOMEN AS OBJECTS, THAT GLEEFULLY SUPPORTS ENTERTAMENT THAT IS MORE OFTEN MEANG TOWARD WOMEN THAN IS NOT, THAT ENURAG THE EROSN OF A WOMAN’S TONOMY AND PERSONAL SPACE, IS THE SAME CULTURE THAT ELECTS STATE LAWMAKERS WHO WORK TIRELSLY TO ENACT RTRICTIVE ABORTN LEGISLATN.”DON’T BLAME LENA DUNHAM FOR GIVG A NARROW VIEW OF WHAT MEANS TO BE A TWENTY-SOMETHG WOMAN MANHATTAN.WHEN HBO’S GIRLS BUTED 2012, CRICS HEAPED PRAISE ON THE SHOW ABOUT TWENTY-SOMETHG GIRLS NAVIGATG THAT ELIVE SPACE BETWEEN POST-LLEGE LIFE AND ADULTHOOD AND CROWNG SHOW CREATOR LENA DUNHAM THE VOICE OF A GENERATN.BUT CRICS LIKE GAY HEAPED SRN ON GIRLS FOR BEG TOO PRIVILEGED AND TOO WHE, NOTG THAT “THERE ARE MANY OF WHO REGNIZE THAT THE SHOW’S ONLY SPEAKG TO A NARROW MOGRAPHIC WH THAT GENERATN.”INED, THE SHOW’S PREMISE OF A PRIVILEGED YOUNG WOMAN TRYG TO MAKE NEW YORK CY IS A WORLD “WHERE YOUNG WOMEN’S NEW YORK LIFTYL N BE SUBSIDIZED BY THEIR PARENTS, WHERE THE YOUNG WOMEN N THK ABOUT ART AND UNPAID TERNSHIPS AND FDG THEMSELV AND WRG MEMOIRS AT TWENTY-FOUR.”BUT GAY ARGU THAT CRICS SHOULDN’T BLAME DUNHAM FOR PROVIDG SUCH A BLKERED VIEW OF CY LIFE, FOR SHE’S SIMPLY THE “PRODUCT OF THE ARTISTIC CULTURE THAT CREATED HER—ONE THAT IS LARGELY MYOPIC AND UNWILLG TO THK ABOUT DIVERSY CRILLY.”DUNHAM MIGHT BE “UNWILLG TO THK ABOUT DIVERSY CRILLY,” BUT THAT DON’T MEAN THE WHENS OF GIRLS IS BY SIGN.“IT’S NOT THAT PEOPLE OF LOR ARE LIBERATELY EXCLUD BUT THAT THEY ARE NOT CLUD BEE MOST MUNI, LERARY OR OTHERWISE, ARE LARGELY SULAR AND POPULATED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW. THIS IS THE UNFORTABLE TTH OF OUR MUNY, AND IS DISGENUO TO BE POTG THE FGER AT GIRLS WHEN THE SHOW IS A PRETTY ACCURATE REFLECTN OF MANY ARTISTIC MUNI.”GIRLS MIGHT MERELY REFLECT UNFORTUNATE RACIAL CLTERG AMONG DUNHAM’S GENERATN, BUT THE FACT THAT SHE HAS A PLATFORM ON HBO IS BOTH LDABLE AND SLIGHTLY PRSG.“IT’S AWOME THAT A 25-YEAR-OLD WOMAN GETS TO WRE, DIRECT, AND STAR HER OWN SHOW FOR A WORK LIKE HBO. IT’S JT AS SAD THAT THIS IS SO REVOLUTNARY SERV MENTN.” LIZZIE CROCKER
• RHETORIL ANALYSIS OF ROXANE GAY’S “BAD FEMIST”

AUTHOR ROXANE GAY ON BEG A 'BAD FEMIST'

When wrer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a "bad femist, " she was makg a joke, acknowledgg that she uldn't possibly live up to the mands for perfectn of the femist movement. September 3, 2014 9:00 AM'Bad Femist' by Roxane GayBook ver urty of publisherAuthor Roxane Gay is out wh a new llectn of says lookg at the current state of femism and how our culture be who we are. "More om Mother Jon:'Bad Femist' reads like an tobgraphy, segueg om elements of Gay's life--her Nebraska upbrgg, her Haian-Amerin fay, her okg--to smart criqu of everythg om reproductive rights to the 'Sweet Valley High' and 'Twilight' books.

ROXANE GAY: NOT SUCH A ‘BAD FEMIST’ AFTER ALLRIGHT ONTHE WRER’S BOOK OF SAYS HAS ATTRACTED MUCH, MOSTLY LDATORY, VERAGE. BUT S TLE IS A MISNOMER: THE FAR-OM-RENEGA GAY IS A VERY GOOD FEMIST.LIZZIE CROCKERUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 3:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 12, 2014 5:45AM EDT JAY GRABIECSHE MIGHT BE THE NEW GERMAE GREER. SHE ULD VERY WELL BE THE NEXT NAOMI WOLF. BUT WRER ROXANE GAY’S NEW LLECTN OF SAYS, BAD FEMIST, SUGGTS THAT THE FEMIST MOVEMENT’S RISG STAR MIGHT BE THE NEXT CALE PAGLIA. AND ’S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY WE SHOULD NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY S VER—OR, THIS SE, BY S TLE.ANYONE FAIAR WH GAY’S WRG OR HER TWTER FEED KNOWS THAT WHILE SHE’S AN ACTIVE AND OUTSPOKEN FEMIST, SHE IS NOT, LIKE PAGLIA, A PARTICULARLY “BAD” OR NTROVERSIAL ONE (UNLS IS NTROVERSIAL FOR A FEMIST TO LIVE-TWEET THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF VOGUE).SO WHAT, EXACTLY, DO MEAN TO BE A “BAD FEMIST?” WHAT DO A BAD FEMIST BELIEVE THAT A “GOOD” FEMIST DON’T?THERE HAS LONG BEEN AN STCT TO EQUATE FEMISM WH “SENTIAL FEMISM”—THOSE ANTS WHO HATE MEN AND DON’T SHAVE THEIR ARMPS. BUT TO UNRSTAND FEMISM REQUIR A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF WOMEN’S ISSU. GAY SUBSCRIB TO THE MON FEMIST BELIEF THAT THE MOVEMENT HAS LONG BEEN STIGMATIZED AS ONE ERNED BY “ANGER, HUMORLSNS, ANCY, UNWAVERG PRCIPL, AND A PRCRIBED SET OF L FOR HOW TO BE A PROPER FEMIST WOMAN.”ESSENTIAL FEMISM, SHE WR, “SUGGTS THERE ARE RIGHT AND WRONG WAYS TO BE A FEMIST” AND DON’T ALLOW FOR “THE PLEXI OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE OR DIVIDUALY.”GAY SPENT MUCH OF HER YOUNG ADULTHOOD SHYG AWAY OM THE FEMIST LABEL BEE SHE--AND THOSE WHO ASSIGNED TO HER—ASSOCIATED WH SENTIALISM.SHE WR OF BEG “ASHAMED” OF DISAVOWG FEMISM, PROFSG IGNORANCE OF S MEANG AND MISSN. THIS PARTIALLY EXPLAS WHY SHE NSIRS HERSELF A “BAD FEMIST” TODAY. IT’S THE CULTURE’S RCTIVE, PEJORATIVE VIEW OF FEMISM, SHE ARGU, THAT SUGGTS THERE IS A GOOD OR “BAD” WAY TO HAB AN INTY.“I AM A BAD FEMIST BEE I NEVER WANT TO BE PLACED ON A FEMIST PESTAL. PEOPLE WHO ARE PLACED ON PESTALS ARE EXPECTED TO POSE, PERFECTLY...CONSIR ME ALREADY KNOCKED OFF.”GAY SCRIB HERSELF AS A “MS OF NTRADICTNS”—A PHRASE THAT, SOME WAYS, HAS BEE ANALOGO WH THE MOVEMENT —AND SOMEONE WHO HAS CHEWED THE TANGLE OF FEMIST SUB-LABELS.“I RISTED FEMISM MY LATE TEENS AND MY TWENTI BEE I WORRIED THAT FEMISM WOULDN’T ALLOW ME TO BE THE MS OF A WOMAN I KNEW MYSELF TO BE. BUT THEN I BEGAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FEMISM. I LEARNED TO SEPARATE FEMISM OM FEMISM OR FEMISTS OR THE IA OF AN ESSENTIAL FEMISM—ONE TE FEMISM TO DOMATE ALL OF WOMANKD.”BUT WHILE POTG OUT THAT WE NEED A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF FEMISM—TACHG FEMISM OM SENTIAL FEMISM—’S CLEAR THAT GAY’S VIEWS ARE STILL FIRMLY ROOTED SENTIALIST THEORY.SOCIETY IS TOO QUICK TO JUDGE WOMEN ON LIKABILY. BUT WE SHOULD BE MORE READY TO CELEBRATE BOTH REAL AND FICTNAL WOMEN FOR DARG TO BE UNLIKABLE.GAY ARGU STRENUOLY AGAST THE NEED FOR “LIKEABLE” CHARACTERS LERATURE, BEE WOMEN AREN’T SO TWO-DIMENSNAL REAL LIFE. IT’S A STANDARD THAT APPLI TOO EQUENTLY TO WOMEN POLICS AND POSNS OF POWER.“GOOD WOMEN ARE CHARMG, POLE, AND UNOBTSIVE. GOOD WOMEN WORK BUT ARE NTENT TO EARN 77 PERCENT OF WHAT MEN EARN OR, PENDG ON WHOM YOU ASK, GOOD WOMEN BEAR CHILDREN AND STAY HOME TO RAISE THOSE CHILDREN WHOUT PLAT."GOOD WOMEN ARE MOST, CHASTE, P, SUBMISSIVE. WOMEN WHO DON’T ADHERE TO THE STANDARDS ARE THE FALLEN, THE UNSIRABLE; THEY ARE BAD WOMEN.”IN THIS SE, ’S A GOOD THG TO BE “BAD.”THE PROBLEM WH PERVASIVE ANTI-WOMEN LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY POP CULTUREIT MAY BE ROB THICKE’S MOST POPULAR SONG TO DATE, BUT THE R&B SGER’S “BLURRED L”—ABOUT A WOMAN WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE SEXUALLY TERTED HIM—CERTALY ISN’T POPULAR FEMIST CIRCL.LAST SUMMER, CRICS SLAMMED S “RAPEY” LYRICS AND NOUNCED THE SGER SUGGTG THAT NO MIGHT ACTUALLY MEAN Y. AND GAY ULDN’T HELP BUT SG ALONG, “AS MUCH AS PAS ME TO ADM .”“I ENJOY THE SONGS THE WAY I HAVE TO ENJOY MOST MIC—I HAVE TO FET I AM A SENTIENT BEG. I HAVE TO LIGHTEN UP,” SHE IS TOLD BY PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY.BUT TO “LIGHTEN UP” WOULD BE TO PRETEND THE SONGS ARE NOCUO WHEN, SHE ARGU, THEY’RE SYMPTOMATIC OF A “MUCH MORE VILENT CULTURAL SICKNS—ONE WHERE WOMEN EXIST TO SATISFY THE WHIMS OF MEN.”IT’S ONE THG TO SG ALONG, SAYS GAY, BUT ’S ANOTHER TO MATA THAT THE OBJECTIFITN OF WOMEN POP CULTURE DON’T FLUENCE THE TREATMENT OF WOMEN.“A CULTURE THAT TREATS WOMEN AS OBJECTS, THAT GLEEFULLY SUPPORTS ENTERTAMENT THAT IS MORE OFTEN MEANG TOWARD WOMEN THAN IS NOT, THAT ENURAG THE EROSN OF A WOMAN’S TONOMY AND PERSONAL SPACE, IS THE SAME CULTURE THAT ELECTS STATE LAWMAKERS WHO WORK TIRELSLY TO ENACT RTRICTIVE ABORTN LEGISLATN.”DON’T BLAME LENA DUNHAM FOR GIVG A NARROW VIEW OF WHAT MEANS TO BE A TWENTY-SOMETHG WOMAN MANHATTAN.WHEN HBO’S GIRLS BUTED 2012, CRICS HEAPED PRAISE ON THE SHOW ABOUT TWENTY-SOMETHG GIRLS NAVIGATG THAT ELIVE SPACE BETWEEN POST-LLEGE LIFE AND ADULTHOOD AND CROWNG SHOW CREATOR LENA DUNHAM THE VOICE OF A GENERATN.BUT CRICS LIKE GAY HEAPED SRN ON GIRLS FOR BEG TOO PRIVILEGED AND TOO WHE, NOTG THAT “THERE ARE MANY OF WHO REGNIZE THAT THE SHOW’S ONLY SPEAKG TO A NARROW MOGRAPHIC WH THAT GENERATN.”INED, THE SHOW’S PREMISE OF A PRIVILEGED YOUNG WOMAN TRYG TO MAKE NEW YORK CY IS A WORLD “WHERE YOUNG WOMEN’S NEW YORK LIFTYL N BE SUBSIDIZED BY THEIR PARENTS, WHERE THE YOUNG WOMEN N THK ABOUT ART AND UNPAID TERNSHIPS AND FDG THEMSELV AND WRG MEMOIRS AT TWENTY-FOUR.”BUT GAY ARGU THAT CRICS SHOULDN’T BLAME DUNHAM FOR PROVIDG SUCH A BLKERED VIEW OF CY LIFE, FOR SHE’S SIMPLY THE “PRODUCT OF THE ARTISTIC CULTURE THAT CREATED HER—ONE THAT IS LARGELY MYOPIC AND UNWILLG TO THK ABOUT DIVERSY CRILLY.”DUNHAM MIGHT BE “UNWILLG TO THK ABOUT DIVERSY CRILLY,” BUT THAT DON’T MEAN THE WHENS OF GIRLS IS BY SIGN.“IT’S NOT THAT PEOPLE OF LOR ARE LIBERATELY EXCLUD BUT THAT THEY ARE NOT CLUD BEE MOST MUNI, LERARY OR OTHERWISE, ARE LARGELY SULAR AND POPULATED BY PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW. THIS IS THE UNFORTABLE TTH OF OUR MUNY, AND IS DISGENUO TO BE POTG THE FGER AT GIRLS WHEN THE SHOW IS A PRETTY ACCURATE REFLECTN OF MANY ARTISTIC MUNI.”GIRLS MIGHT MERELY REFLECT UNFORTUNATE RACIAL CLTERG AMONG DUNHAM’S GENERATN, BUT THE FACT THAT SHE HAS A PLATFORM ON HBO IS BOTH LDABLE AND SLIGHTLY PRSG.“IT’S AWOME THAT A 25-YEAR-OLD WOMAN GETS TO WRE, DIRECT, AND STAR HER OWN SHOW FOR A WORK LIKE HBO. IT’S JT AS SAD THAT THIS IS SO REVOLUTNARY SERV MENTN.” LIZZIE CROCKER

5 starsEssays are one of my favoure lerary genr and recently I've read some amazg say llectns that have troduced me to new ias and new wrg styl so perhaps I put overly high expectatns on Roxane Gay's say llectn. I liked the troductn which Gay discs what means to be a "bad femist", an imperfect woman a world which women are expected to strive for (unattaable) perfectn at all tim. I'm probably the wrong dience for this book bee, after all I don't watch realy TV or any of the televisn shows Gay criqu, I’m not terted criqu of 50 Shas of Grey, Gone Girl or Twilight at all so 's not a surprise that I didn't enjoy those particular says.

RHETORIL ANALYSIS OF ROXANE GAY’S “BAD FEMIST”

Gay do brg up lots of important topics, such as rape, racism, racial stereotyp, and abortn and the topics still need to be discsed and alt wh. ”First, a few thgs you should know about Roxane Gay: she’s a wrer of novels, short stori, says; a profsor of English; a lerary and cultural cric; a native of Nebraska, the dghter of Haian immigrants.

Gay is a pop culture enthiast and many of her says exame ntemporary race and genr relatns through the filter of current cultural touchston.

I haven’t had televisn sce 1993 and I don't read, I soaked up what Gay had to say about the pop culture phenoms, even if I uldn’t relate to the tails.

Gay draws the clive readg le at irrponsible wrg of poor qualy that celebrat the subjugatn and abe of women and at wrg and film that craps all over the black Amerin experience.

There's nothg thoughtful or tertg here; the llectn is one pretext after another for Gay to publicly exhib her trivialy and bad taste, five herself for and mand applse.

The repeated route is a) Gay adms to lovg some god awful schlock b) Gay ponrs her own urage makg this disclosure c) Gay disvers nsumg this schlock is really both personally virtuo and polilly salient (which are distguishable). Like a tween's book report, the shallow "analysis" is limed to scriptive characterizatn; the one relatn Gay has to the fictns is intifitn and fantasy.

Two centuri of polil and athetic theorizg and lerary cricism and nearly a century of the crique of mass culture have pletely passed Gay by, and she remas a cril fancy, celebratg her own every impulsive and naive reactn to the prods and stimulatns of the procsed snack entertaments.