I don't care when the book was written, the story is anti-feminist, homophobic, and ridiculous. Verena is a total moron. Christopher Reeves character is a villan that wins in the end and Olive is an insulting lesbian stereotype.
"This is what a Feminist looks like."
Wasn't particularly subtle the way that they played out the whole triangle relationship, was it? Oh well, Redgrave was amazing.
___
http://tinyurl.com/6beuand
Funny, I thought Olive was overly controlling and smothering. I found her to be more of a villain than Basil actually. She manipulates her with constant lies, telling her that Basil is her enemy. I'm not saying the guy is a saint, the guy has some serious issues. Olive however seemed to get jealous and depressed anytime Verena even smiled with another person.
I didn't think Verena was particularly interested in feminism either, she seemed to enjoy the art of speaking itself more than anything. She enjoyed being a part of a cause and drawing attention to herself.
I felt sorry for Olive's character, but she was using Verena as a crutch for her own insecurity, shyness, and isolation. I suppose this is a stereotype, but sometimes stereotypes are based on truth. Back than, being different in any way was a lonely and confusing way of life. Olive is tortured and anguished by her own feelings for Verena. It still doesn't make what she did right.
I thought it painted people in a fairly realistic light. Most people, even behind the greatest of causes, are still flawed fallible human beings.
share