One of the things that never stops bothering me regarding Little Women, is the constant misrepresentation of chapter "Friend". In this chapter Jo is staying in New York and she is working for a sensational magazine called "Weekly Volcano". There are people who say that this makes Jo a "feminist" and that Friedrich is a "horrible person" because he doesn't like sensational stories. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the chapter, Jo calls these sensational stories "trash". She doesn't get a long with the editor who calls Jo a "disposable hack" and to top of this all Jo begins to get panic attacks caused by the stories she is writing. She is also being paid under minimum weight. People who hate Friedrich in this chapter should get their head checked, and also the name of the chapter is "Friend" for a reason.
I am joined by Christina Scott. Christina is the wonderful host of the https://www.tumblr.com/joandfriedrich blog
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I am joined by Christina Scott. Christina is the wonderful host of the https://www.tumblr.com/joandfriedrich blog
Start your own etsy shop and get your first 40 listings for free https://etsy.me/3oZe42c
Join newsletter https://littlewomenchannel.substack.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everybody, and well come tothe Little Woman podcast. Here are the
common shout outs, and the firstone goes to Lowli. Nineteenth century Germany
was very different from twentieth century Germany. Back in Victorian times, it was
supposed to be a romantic country,in the same way France is considered romantic
(00:22):
by Americans to day. It wasthe cradle of the Romantic literary movement,
and people used to go there inorder to get the best musical education.
Nat goes to Germany as a wayof polishing his musical training. In Joe's
Boys, there is an interesting descriptionof Germany. I have found the contrast
(00:44):
very striking. It is so differentfrom what people think of Germany to day.
I also love German culture, butwhen I tell people I am learning
German, they look at me indistrust, like I have some sort of
sympathy for the regim, which isnot true. My mother, who studied
world literature, used to tell mehow Germans studied and analyzed Hitler's discourses at
(01:08):
school to avoid falling for such leadersagain, and they never did. But
some people are willfully ignorant and wantto believe falsehoods no matter what. The
second common shoutout goes to Kevin quote. As a German, I can confirm
everything you said. Germans learning schoolmostly about World War Two and also very
(01:33):
one sided. Great achievements of theGerman people in the pre World War eras
get little attention and in general willbe presented very critical of the Germans.
These created generations of self hating Germans, which are often severely uneducated of their
own history except World War Two,of course, and it in presenting German
(01:57):
Germany patriotism, et cetera as positivewill usually get caught Nazi by the left
wing. It is quite sad,really. I sus visited Burning last week
and I thought about this a lot. I do wish that people would have
a lot monuanst way to look atGerman culture, and hopefully this podcast can
(02:19):
help to raise some awareness at leasta little bit, because when Luisa mel
Alcott was a young person, therewas a certain air of romance sim connected
to Germany. German literature and philosophywas important to her and inspired her,
and without that we wouldn't have aLittle Woman. And I bet a lot
(02:40):
of other American books as well.Christina and I continued to discuss about the
chapter Friend. One of the thingsthat frustrate me in Little Woman research is
that when people talk about this chapter, they say that Joe is a feminist
hero when she writes sensational stories,and that she's quote a victim of patriarchy
(03:04):
because Fredick does not like sensationalism.These are all things that Gredick Gervick has
said in her interviews. But themore I do this podcast, the more
I feel that she hasn't read LittleWoman, and she uses so called feminist
card just to make money. WhenChristine and I started to dissect this chapter,
(03:25):
it became more and more clear thatLuisa does not represent this kind of
work as feminist. It is theopposite. She is in a bad place
mentally when she's working for this magazine, and Fredick is really the hero in
(03:45):
this chapter. The whole name ofthe chapter is friend, And just think
about it. There are millions ofpeople who read Gredick Gerwick's interviews and they
read, oh, Frederick Force showedto stop writing, which never happens in
the book, and then they readsomething that she says, Oh, Joe
wanted to write this sensation stories,Frederick stopped her. So she lies to
(04:09):
all of these people, and shespreads false information about Little Woman, and
she spreads false information about Louis myOucut and people think that she's some kind
of feminist who quote saves Joe.It's completely messed up anyway. In this
chapter, Joe goes to work fora sensational magazine Quote Weekly Volcano, and
(04:33):
in the chapter Luisa may Alcott writesthat Joe herself is ashamed of these stories
that she's writing, and the editorcalls her a hack and that Joe is
easily disposable. If you are watchingthis on YouTube or some other place where
you can leave comments, I wouldlove to hear thoughts about this chapter and
(04:56):
do you think Joe is treated fairlyin this magazine because I don't think she
is. I also really want tothank Christina for taking the time to talk
with me about this chapter for thispodcast. It was a really good conversation
and I hope you liked this episode. This is a Little Woman Podcast.
(05:16):
Joe March sensational writer, underpaid anddisposable. That would still put some have
(05:40):
the judgment on her writing. WhetherI would have affected her as much as
her having her probably being a preacherbecause she does like the narrations that does
say at one point and they likethe effect of a like I'm just glad
Marmy and Father won't know of whatI've done. Yeah, Joe, instead
(06:04):
of wishing that, I think godFather and Marmy and Mother were particular like
that. That's like her first thoughtwhen she's bring the latter, thinking of
her parents and the lessons that taughtthat they taught her. So yeah,
I think that there could have beenmaybe still them more conflict. But I
(06:25):
think, and she says a pitythat she has pretty much a conscious where
she learned that conscious from her parents, I think that her parents were definitely
I think it could next not tooloose but not too strict, that it
helps kind of guide her in theway of how she would eventually write.
(06:46):
In that chapter where Joe publishes herfirst book, I think there is a
moment in the end where she literallysays that she wishes that she had an
unbiased person to look at her writingand give her some help. So that's
such a clear foreshadowing for Freedick's character. That's so important because I think in
(07:10):
order to really advance as a writeror in any kind of artist, let's
just say, even like a filmmaker, actor, director, whatever, You're
gonna need someone with an unbiased opinionwho's thinking, ultimately the end goal should
be a good product or good story, So we gotta do we look at
(07:38):
it and think what's best for thestory, not what's best for your ego.
True. Somebody who commented on tumbleon this chapter that it reminded them
of their university teachers when they givethem feedback, and I was like,
that's a throwback. Sometimes I wasso frustrated with my university teachers, but
(08:00):
then I know that they wanted meto do the best work that I could
do. In that moment, Iremember we would have I want to want
school we are My university teachers wouldhave like a sort of mid semester meeting
where each of them would tell mehow I'm doing in their class and say,
(08:26):
you you could be doing better thanthis, but it's you know,
good to see that you're proving,or you know, good to see that
you're trying hard, or like you'relacking here but you know you're doing better
there, or I wish you werea little bit more outgoing with this,
and you know, have more confidencein yourself than you know in the end
(08:50):
it is to help you. Butyou sit there and go like, I
was kind of hoping I gave glowingreviews. But in the end, as
much as you sif they're thinking out, you're like, in order to get
the blowing reviews, you got it. Take to heart what they say because
they're not saying it maliciously. They'resaying it because they know you can do
(09:11):
better. And I think it's soimportant that we acknowledge that Joe, she
hasn't really studied literature. And Iwas wondering, I don't think in this
time period it was okay for awoman to study literature in general, in
school or in the university. Solike basically chose educational literature. Is that
(09:35):
she has been reading good and writing. It is not a wonder that she
wants some kind of a future figurefor her to her life. Yeah,
she has never had any. Beginning, when she's admiring this female writer whose
name I now for good, whomade tons of money writing sensational stories,
(10:00):
she thinks, oh, I cando that as well, and then she
calls those stories tressed because she knowsthat they're not good literature. But at
the same time, she has thatin a fight. She wants to be
a good writers. She wants tobe a really good writer, but then
how do you make money and becomea good writer. It's that growth process.
(10:22):
And she doesn't really have any kindof educations for this job because it
wasn't available. Yeah, it's kindof like one of saying you have to
sort of build experience in order toget experienced, Like you know when they
(10:43):
like on job applications like well youneed we want you to be you know,
have this and less, but youhave to have this experience. And
it's like, well, I can'tget that experience until you offer me that
experience. And I think, yeah, I think Joe tries. She doesn't
know exactly how she can get theexperience until she actually goes through it,
(11:03):
he said, not having the chanceeven if she had money, I think
could to go to a university tostudy literature, she'd have to have someone
went to college and relay what theylearned to her in order to truly get
the knowledge that she's seeking. Oras she has been studying books and trying
(11:31):
to see what makes it good andwhat thinks it's bad, what doesn't work,
and what doesn't can't blame her,because she's just kind of she wants
to do this thing, but shejust doesn't know where to start. And
you just kind of have to diveright in and try your best, even
if you fall flat on your facehundreds of times. She's gonna put her
(11:52):
out there somehow. And if thisis and to her, so far,
this is been the only way thatshe's been able to really properly get publish
sensational stories. It's a boot inthe door and it's money in the pocket,
and it's kind of one of thosethings it's like, well, I'll
(12:13):
only do this for a short timeand then I'll really get to writing what
I really want to write. Whenshe went again, mister Dashwood was alone,
whereat she rejoiced. Mister Dashwood wasmuch wider awake than before, which
was agreeable, and mister Dashwood wasnot deeply absorded in a scar to remember
(12:37):
his manners, So the second interviewwas much more comfortable than the first.
We will take this editors, neversay ah, if you don't object to
a few alternations. It is toolong, but omitting the passages I've marked,
he'll make it just the right length, he said in a business like
tone, so how he knew herown ms again? So crumpled and underscored
(13:03):
were its pages and paragraphs. But, feeling as a tender parent might on
being asked to cut off her baby'slegs in order that it might fit into
a new cradle, she looked atthe marked passages and was surprised to find
that all the moral reflections which shehad carefully put in a ballast for much
romance, had all been stricken out. But Sir, I thought every story
(13:26):
should have some sort of a moral, so I took care to have a
few of my sinner's repent. MisterDashwood's editorial gravity relaxed into a smile,
for Joe had forgotten her friend andspoken as only an author could people want
to be amused, not preach thatyou know morals don't so nowadays, which
(13:48):
was not quite a correct statement,by the way you think it would do
with these alternations. Then yes,it's a new plot and pretty well worked
up. Language is good and soon, was mister Dashwood's affable reply.
What do you do? That iswhat condensation began Joe, not exactly knowing
(14:11):
how to express herself. Oh,yes, will we give from twenty five
to thirty for things of this sort, pay when it comes out, returned
mister Dashwood, as if that pointhad escaped him. Such shrifles often do
escape to it the editorial mind,it is said. Very well, you
can have it, said Joe,handing back the story with satisfied air.
(14:35):
For after the dollar or calum work, even twenty five seemed good pay.
Shall I tell my friend you willtake another if she has one better than
this, asked Joe, unconscious ofher little slip of the tongue and emboldled.
Emboldened by her success, Well willyou get it? Can promise to
take it? Tell her to makeit short and spicy, and never mind
(15:00):
to morrow. But they would yourfriend like to put it in a careless
tone, None at all, ifyou please. She doesn't wish her name
to appear, and has a nonon de plume, said Joe, blushing
in spite of herself, just asshe likes. Of course, the tale
will be out next week. Willyou call for the money or shall I
(15:22):
send it, asked mister Dashwood,who felt a natural desire to know who
his new contributor might be. AlcoholGood morning, sir, as she departed,
mister Dashwood put up his feet witha grateful remark, poor and browed
as usual. But she'll do.I wrote in one of my articles that
(15:43):
mister Dashwood, in a way hetreats Joe like she's disposable. Yeah,
it does reminds me of the condemnedfactories like buzz Feet or these sort of
internet houses which make content, Likethere's been lots of conversations recently that they
(16:04):
don't pay enough for the creators.So it really reminds me of that.
As soon as when she said butshe'll do, I just go like,
look like, like I'm sure thatdon't birth that she would have just been
like she'll do. I'm more thanjust do I will like but yeah,
(16:25):
just yeah, I just I justfeel bad for you. When she says
her manuscript that she hardly knew itand has description, I feel like a
parent being asked to cut your baby'slegs like that is so it's such a
personal and like this is that Iworked so hard to do this. You
(16:45):
know, I nurtured it, Igot it, I gave birth to it,
and now you want me to likehack it like so yeah, I
can definitely feel that frustration at painthat she feels because it's not even just
like, oh, you have alittle bit of a run on sense here,
or instead of they can't you cannotjust go on hand. It's like
(17:10):
it was a horror movie. Leatherbase was his chainsaw. I just went
so disheartening to her. It's againputting the door and money in her pocket,
which you know, as he said, its horn proud kind of what
she you know she needs money atthat moment. You know, It's it's
funny because I've talked with some peoplewho are like, oh, Louisa man
(17:33):
blood right write in Training Treating Stories, And I'm like, yeah, but
it's the difference between the publications becauseshe did not like to write this magazine.
And there's the difference because she didn'tlike the editor, and because they
did take away to small lessons.Because when I have read Louise my unclets
(17:56):
Treating stories, there's always a morallessons kind of moral moral listen, And
sometimes they even frustrate me because Ithink it's so funny because she rights here.
But Sir, I thought every storyshould have some sort of moral,
so I took care to have afew of my Sinier's repents Bella, Oh,
(18:22):
sorry, she's like a pigeon.I remember reading Rose in Bloom and
there's the character of Charlie who islike the Lorrie archetype, and in the
beginning of the story, the narrativewas like Charlie wanted to marry Rose for
her money, and then Charlie diesin the novel, and it's sad.
(18:48):
I kind of wish that was Malcotwould be more strict with these guys who
are like after the girl's money orif they are harassing the female character.
And I see, I think it'stime period. You know, you can't
really be too hateful to the malegender. And maybe it's because of her
(19:10):
internal misortunate that we have talked about. In Joe's case, she always has
a moral in even into training stories. I don't know. I don't always
feel satisfied when I read her trainingstories because I don't think all the quote
unquote villains get what they deserve.Yeah, kind of makes me think.
(19:32):
The other day I saw someone itwas like, tell me what you don't
like to see, and and likethe first things I was thinking of was
forgiving the abuser or the villain,whoever it is. That and for some
people, I do not it's verytime if they do forgive, because like,
(19:52):
if that's the way you heal findthat. I hate when you have
the stories that are like need toforgive, you have to in order to
want it, like why And Ispeak this through personal experience. Someone in
my life or quite a long whilewas abusive to me and to a few
(20:14):
others, and that was all thatwe ever did was to forgive. And
the moment I told myself like oncethis one of that happened and I said,
you know what, I'm done forgiving, then I truly felt like I'm
free of this. You know,I'm not feeling way down and that there
(20:34):
are some people are like, well, you shouldn't forgive because it's not right
to be angry, But like Ifeel like for some characters, they deserve
to be angry. They earned thatanger for all the years of suppressing those
feelings and all those times of notbeing allowed to feel angry or feel free,
(20:56):
and instead of feeling terrified and sad, Well, I guess they will
forgive you because you said you're sorry. And I do believe in giving people
like second chances if they really dodeserve it. But for some people,
they just stay sorry. Because theyknow they stay sorry, they've got a
(21:18):
safety net they can come back andjust do the same thing. And that
was just what was happening in mysituation. I was just like, I
can't. That's the only way Ican move on is to say, no,
I'm not forgiving you. If it'swhat helps you to heal, To
not forgive fine, because there arejust some people who haven't changed, some
(21:41):
people who don't deserve to be forgivenbecause and you did forgive them. It
never got through their head that whatthey did was wrong. But you sit
and they're going, I'm not goingto forgive you, really, you hope
stay said, and like the onlytime to my knowledge, the sort of
I forgive you sort of Trompe workedwas the live action Cinderella, because she
(22:08):
says it and then it's like outthe door she goes, I forgive you,
and I'll never think of you again. And that's what really kind of
hits her, is like I'm goingto be for the cotton, like Lady
Germaine, like I'll I'll never bethought of again. Nothing that I've done
has imprinted on her. And Cinderellais just like whatever I forgave you and
(22:30):
that's fine, but I'm also atthis point will never think of you again,
just because it is the quote unquoteChristian thing to do. That's often
what you hear in fiction. Thatdoesn't mean forgiving a bad person is the
right call. You gotta see someoneactually doing better in order to make the
(22:53):
forgiveness working. So yeah, that'smy long rant of the favorite trompe in
fiction is the pressure to give intoforgiving an individual not really the greatest person
and actually is a downright horrible person. That reminded me. How Ever,
(23:14):
after true barrymust Cinderella, she saysthe same too, and Shakahston, I
forgive you, but I'll never thinkof you again. I think it's some
kind of a Cinderella trop Yeah.Yeah. In work Story of Experience,
which is another WIS on my outputbook, like, there's a character called
(23:36):
Fletcher and he harasses this Christine whois the main character Christine, and then
Fletcher dies, Fletcher gets wounded inthe war and then he asks her to
forgive him, and she does.I think it's interesting having a lot of
Luisom out of books when there isthis kind of character who harasses the female
(23:57):
character like Charlie and h Fletcher andeven Laurie, a little woman like Laurie
actually asks Joe to forgive him becausehe was I don't remember what words word
he uses, that he was beingsilly earlier or something like that. He
definitely minimizes the way he treats her, and then Joe forgives him, and
(24:22):
then she's like, we can nevergo back to childhood, but we can
still be friends and you can bemy brother. That's never in any Little
Wooden movies or adaptations how Laurie actuallyasks Joe to forgive him, but then
they don't never show the entire partof him harassing her. But I think
during this time period it was verydifficult to question male authority. That's why
(24:49):
these men either die and then intheir debt bets, these women forgive them.
That's what I think. At leastapologizes and does give this speech,
are going, I'm sorry that whenI that I was that way, and
now that you're both in your rightplaces, I can, as he says,
(25:12):
I can honestly share my heart betweensister Joe and why Amy love them
dearly? Will you believe it?He at least is able to sort of
give a little more of a convincingdisplay of like maturity. I'm really saying,
you know, like I'm sorry,Like it really was shitty of me
(25:34):
to be to put at one daythat you know, I did this to
you, But I hope you cansee that I am much better now and
can love you. But now asmy sister and friends, hopefully we can
move on from there. Yeah.I feel like at the very least,
you gotta show that you matured enoughand true that you have done something better.
(26:04):
As Amy said, do something tomake yourself worthy of Joe's love,
and well, he was able tokind of recapture her familial love mother,
a sister, and friends by maturing, being able to have her forgiveness because
she can see like, yeah,you've you've grown, You're my friend,
(26:25):
and I see hints of my oldTeddy now that he's not so love stuck
on me. It doesn't convince mewhen I see, you know, stories
that they're like, oh my god, I'm just so sorry to give me
because I'm close to death. AndOkay, I don't feel like it really
shows much of anything. You're justscared you're gonna die with this bad thing
(26:48):
on your conscience. But whatever,it's properly also connect to Christianity that the
partical characters that I mentioned that theyask forgiveness their death bits. Yeah,
lot stories of parents are like pleasecome to me. I want to tell
you. I'm sppy. It givesme and let's sometimes I just might be
(27:10):
like, too bad for your conscience, You're You're not sorry. It's just
like I had to say this play. But like how my mom sometimes said,
It's like, oh, yeah,well they gotten nicer because I know
they're close to the death. It'sa horrible thing to say, but like
it's somewhat true that when you knowthat death is nearby you you get a
(27:33):
little bit nicer because you don't wantregret before leaving, and you want everything
to be okay, whether or notyou do believe in it afterlife or not,
you not go in completely clean slateand good following mister Gashwits directions and
making this North Ferry her mom,Joe Rashly, took a plunge into the
(27:57):
prophecy of sensational literature, but thanksto the life preservers from her by a
friend, she came up again notmuch worse for her ducking. Like most
young scribblers. She want to broadher characters and sceniories, and ben d
d counts and distis sons and duchessesappeared on her stage and played their parts
(28:21):
with such accuracy and serious as couldbe expected. Her readers were not particular
about such trifles as grammar, punctuationsand probability, and mister Dashy graciously permitted
her to still his columns at thelow prices, not thinking is necessary to
tell her that the real cause ofhis hospitality was that the fact that one
(28:45):
of his tacks on being offered higherwages, had basically left him. And
more for im commanding stated hers grewstout, and the lower hord she was
making to take the to the mountainsnext summer grew slowly but surely as the
readers pass. One thing to starther satisfaction, and that was that she
(29:06):
did not tell them at home.She had a feeling that mother and father
would not approve, and prefer tohave her own way first and beg pardon
afterwards. It was easy to keepher secret, for no name appeared with
her stories. Mister Wood had correspounded. I found it out very soon,
(29:26):
but promised to be dumb and forwonder kept his words. She thought it
would do her no harm, forshe sincerely meant to write nothing of which
she should be ashamed of, andquiet it all for subconscious by anticipation of
a happy minute when she should showher earning and laugh over her welcome secret.
(29:47):
Mister Dashwood rejected anything but curly tales, and the thrills could not be
produced except by harrowing up the soulsof the readers. History and romance,
land and see science, a policebarkers, and lunatic asylums had to be
ransacked for the purpose. Joe soonfound that her innocence, innocent experience has
(30:10):
been given to her but a fewglimps of the tragic world which underlies society.
So regarding in It's a Business Life, she set about supplying her defences
with characteristic energy. Here defined materialfor stories and bent on making them original
implot if not masterly in execution.She searched newspapers for accidents, incidents,
(30:33):
and crime. She excited the sufficientsof public libraries by asking her work on
poison. Studied faces and streets,and characters good, bad and indifferent all
about her. She delves in thedust of ancient times for facts or fictions
so old that they were as goodas news, and Interstell introduced herself to
(30:56):
folly, stead and misery as wellas her women's opportunities. A wow,
she thought she was prospering finally,but unconsciously she was beginning to disagree some
of the woman who has attributes ofa woman's character. She was living in
bad society and imaginary though it wasit's influence affected her. Or she was
(31:19):
feeding heart and fancy, undangerous andunsubstantial foods and was fast brushing me innocent
blood of her nature. But mypremature acquaintance with the darker side of life
which comes soon. Yeah. Somebodycommented very recently on my YouTube power Losing
the Alcob that likes like to writeabout Spaniards in her stories, Spaniards and
(31:44):
French and Germans. So she definitelydid faced her stories to Europe and Romantic
countries. Yeah, admittedly I dothat a lot with whenever I try to
have been writing stories of England,I think that's just I want to study
abroad and I love it so muchthat party is just like this is a
(32:07):
way to sort of get back there, right, because it's like horror places
so different from yours. They followdifferent rules, or they have things there
that you don't have here, dependingon what the time period is. I
could definitely see why she would feelthe urged her right out, because it's
(32:29):
almost kind of like being able toexplore the world just from the safety of
her own home. Too. Andit's funny how we just talked about your
being disposable when it says that misterdash would graciously permitted her to feel his
columns at the lowest prices, notthinking it necessary to tell her that the
(32:50):
real cost of his hospitality was thefact that one of his acts, on
being offered higher wages had basically lefthim into large So it's these stories and
she thinks she's it's just great,but she's the lowest wages and she gets
to feel these columns. It's noteven like a good minimum way, that
(33:12):
is just it's cheating out somebody oftheir right. And and and the fact
that he prefers was writer ths hackstoo, it's like he doesn't even have
respect for them, and just andand I don't know if it's also because
she got a woman, so shegets a little bit of a lower wage
(33:34):
too. But like to think thatshe puts all that effort into it,
reading articles and studying people and goingto libraries to look up stuff, and
she's plays so much effort into itonly to get like, they don't say
it in this chapter, but justlet's just say a quarter compared to what
(33:55):
that guy probably happened to the dollaror tenty five cents, Like yeah,
it's just it's it's really it's sad. And it gets me too when when
it says her readers were not particularabout such trifled as grammar, punctuation,
probability. That would drive me nutsbecause I also am like an English miner.
(34:16):
That is like one of the biggestthings like that bothers me, Like
you know, the grammar and thepunctuation. It's like, m, the
comments should have been there, andthe and the why why did there you
know to to and and and whywhy doesn't this makes sense when just the
(34:38):
page before you said her trust wasblue and now her dress is right and
there wasn't even a moment of whichyou know she changed her dad like it
just like even if you know,let's just say whatever, She's not writing
sensational theory. She's writing a verygenuine story. The fact that the readers
(34:58):
are not good about stuff like that, it means you'll get kind of like,
kind of slack on her grammar andpunctuation, and so will affect the
serious work she wants to do.I think it's just those like a little
details that just even if you couldtry to make an argumental all the sensational
(35:19):
stories are good her, well,it's on basic writing etiquette, grammar,
punctuation, and probability. It's reallymessing her up, and it will translate
to your other writings because you youget so used to writing it that way
that when you get to writing adifferent story, it will carry over.
(35:44):
You won't think about it until someonepoints it out. Yeah, I agree.
I've come across people who say that, oh, writing sensational stories good
practice for show, But I don'tthink so. This is not good literature.
This is something very cheap, andher talents are being used in ways
(36:07):
that it is not good for her, Like she could be doing so many
other good things with her talents thanthis, right, and she doesn't even
have an employer who respects her.He just sees her as just another writer
to build his columns. Again,even if you could sit there and say,
well, the sentational writings are good, it's not helping her to know.
(36:30):
Havn't seen what is a good employerand what's a bad employer because he's
not a good employer her very cheaplyand taking advantage of her inexperience in the
publishing world. I got really relateto this chapter because when I did some
of my first illustration jobs, oneof my first clients was not rude,
(36:52):
but always asking these changes after Ihad finished one peason, then the piece,
and it was just NonStop and thepayment wasn't so great. I don't
really care to talk about it becauseI don't want to remember it. And
it's so interesting. When I readLosing my Albus censored Jo knows about her
(37:15):
time of working for Frank Leslie,I always get to think that she was
ashamed of that she worked in thismagazine. The thing is, you do
silly things when you're young, andwe all do them. You don't know,
you don't have experiences, so it'sone experience among others. But still
(37:37):
I can understand why she didn't reallylike to promote that particular time here in
her life. Yeah, it's justlike my dad, like, I've been
trying to like write like high schoolat least I did truly kind of getting
into that idea. And by thenwe're always talking like, oh, she's
writing a trilogy, because that wasthe first thing I told my stuff I
(38:00):
wasn't writing, Like, Dad,you need to stop saying that, because
that story's not gonna happen. He'slike why, and like, because when
I look back on it was sucha dated like it was something that definitely
sort of been the nicest way youpossible, I could say, because I
have done this myself. It isvery two thousand fan fiction written by a
(38:22):
girl, where it's very like,oh, these d those are like old
fashion tropes and triangle between the badboy who's kind of low key abusive and
you know this, and when I'mlike, it's just it's cringe worthy,
Like but they love reading courage worthystuff. I'm like, oh, Dad,
(38:43):
oh no, they don't. Willnever see the light of day.
So that's probably like the closest Ihave to sort of identifying with her sort
of sensational writing is like, it'snot my greatest work, and it may
have appealed to a certain audience atthe time, but when looking back,
it is like it's kind of anold shame and like, but it was
(39:07):
a good start, hey, Andnow for me to sit back and go,
okay, this is not by bestwork. I'm so glad to see
I've improved since then and I canjust safely just put that far away and
not have anybody see it. Butyeah, it was not and I didn't.
(39:29):
It wasn't like I learned really anythingfrom it. It was just I
was in high school, never reallygot to experience much of anything in my
life. And it was until collegeyears when I met people from other places
and got to have this more openand minded idea of how things could be,
(39:54):
did I start to really go like, okay, this is when writing
improved. That piece of shit thatI wrote back then didn't help me improve
my writing. If I continue touse that as the format, I would
be a terrible writer. I wouldI would be horrible. I look at
(40:15):
it what they sort of like,I'm glad to see how improved, But
I don't use that as a Ohthat was a stepping point and what a
great lesson, because I didn't learnthat lesson so many years later. So
so yeah, I think that whenpeople try to say, well, she's
learning from sensational It's like, well, what are you learning, really,
(40:37):
You're you're not learning how to writeproperly. You're writing how to write as
the time is or what people want, not really what is true to how
you feel or what you want towrite. And the best that you can
use it for is the look back. Really, I think I'm writing from
(41:00):
one of Flos Mautput's journals and itwas written during the time when she was
writing these sensational stories. And thereis a quote where she says that she
stuck with this story and she doesn'twant to write it. She doesn't want
to add the gory details or whateverthe editor is asking. And there's a
(41:21):
moment where she writes that Emerson tellsher to write something that she enjoys and
study character. So we have afree repair connection there. But it's so
interesting how people say that, oh, this was a good thing for Joe,
or Joe is a feminist when shewrites these stories. I'm like,
she's not a feminist. She's gettingpaid really poorly. Yeah, yeah,
(41:44):
because writing in a very floppy wayof writing a strong female character or a
type of character. Again, Ijust think back of like this sort of
era of tropes where like the herogirl or the lead lead girl is the
(42:05):
cat like other girls, or she'sthe action girl, and pretty much any
girl she encounters is a quote unquoteslud or quote unquote fitch or quote unquote
week because she doesn't do if she'snot pretty much what the lead girl is,
she's not the best character. Butlike it's like, yeah, well
(42:27):
girls can be kick ass, andif you're not picking up the sword and
doing what I'm doing, well,then you're not feminist. It's the one
extreme of feminists that is not good. Where we went from, like it's
not feminists to want to stay athome and just be the mother. So
if you're not doing that, eventhough if it is what you want to
do, that's not feminist. Likeso it's not even like that there's that
(42:51):
where it's like, oh, wehave this really cool female character who's breaking
a role, even if it iskind of had a little bit of besonde
in it. It's just these gorystories that don't even offer some sort of
like conflict or sort of thought likelike I just think of Poe, like
(43:16):
with Poe at least even if thestory is kind of gory or horrifying,
there is still this backstory to it, or there is this sort of thought
of, let's just say the telltaleof heart. It does provoke thought of
(43:36):
was the old man really this evilcharacter that deserved to die? Or was
the young man just just had theevil in his heart? And is that
inherent in every person? Or cansomeone be as bad? And at least
those kind of stories do help provokesome sort of thought and question of human
(43:59):
nature, whereas these stories are justbloody and gory and it's like why bother?
And another thing that just made methink that I hate when people call
certain movies horror movies when really it'sjust a horfest. Again. When I
was in high school, I watchedthis movie called The Woman in Black with
(44:19):
Daniel Bradfut and I liked it alot. I thought it was genuinely scary
because idea of this ghost that willdrive children to their death is like terrifying.
But when I was talking about itin lass the next day, so
some girls like, yeah I watchedthat, it wasn't scary enough. There
wasn't like a blood at all,And I'm like, that's what makes it
(44:40):
scary for you, like, likeif you were the type of person that
is like, oh, blood makesme pleasing, and it really is horrifying
to me, And that's what peoplescare me, I guess. But like,
blood is not always equal horror,and the most horror movies are supposed
to be provoking. You know,I'm looking at my happy but now Harry.
(45:06):
And it's scary to think that oneminute you have this sort of bone
of nobody and then the next daythey be a holy terror destroying a whole
town. But what does it saythat this kid who is a bullied and
has nobody to help her deal withher emotions and then finally blows up in
(45:30):
the most deadly way possible, Like, I go with at least some sort
of This episode is sponsored by Etsy. On Etsy, you can start your
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(45:54):
You can sell pretty much anything onEtsy, from your own artworks,
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and I just feel like when whenyou read this chapter, and it describe
what the sensational stories of our life. It's just aloting gouts and murders and
(46:22):
people that have no there is nosort of to it or even just thought.
What provokes the readers to think beyondthis? Why did this person heal
that person? Is there any reason? Nope, just to just to be
an asshole? Okay, So yeah, I think that there's a difference I
(46:43):
think between sensational stories and thoughtful stories, just as I feel there's a difference
between the horror movies and the gorbhorn as they call it, horror porn
or horror movies just to be glory. You're just going to say, of
it to be disgusting. Thank youso much for listening. Christina and I
continue our chat next time they canmake good choices. Bye.
Hello everybody, and well come tothe Little Woman podcast. Here are the
common shout outs, and the firstone goes to Lowli. Nineteenth century Germany
was very different from twentieth century Germany. Back in Victorian times, it was
supposed to be a romantic country,in the same way France is considered romantic
(00:22):
by Americans to day. It wasthe cradle of the Romantic literary movement,
and people used to go there inorder to get the best musical education.
Nat goes to Germany as a wayof polishing his musical training. In Joe's
Boys, there is an interesting descriptionof Germany. I have found the contrast
(00:44):
very striking. It is so differentfrom what people think of Germany to day.
I also love German culture, butwhen I tell people I am learning
German, they look at me indistrust, like I have some sort of
sympathy for the regim, which isnot true. My mother, who studied
world literature, used to tell mehow Germans studied and analyzed Hitler's discourses at
(01:08):
school to avoid falling for such leadersagain, and they never did. But
some people are willfully ignorant and wantto believe falsehoods no matter what. The
second common shoutout goes to Kevin quote. As a German, I can confirm
everything you said. Germans learning schoolmostly about World War Two and also very
(01:33):
one sided. Great achievements of theGerman people in the pre World War eras
get little attention and in general willbe presented very critical of the Germans.
These created generations of self hating Germans, which are often severely uneducated of their
own history except World War Two,of course, and it in presenting German
(01:57):
Germany patriotism, et cetera as positivewill usually get caught Nazi by the left
wing. It is quite sad,really. I sus visited Burning last week
and I thought about this a lot. I do wish that people would have
a lot monuanst way to look atGerman culture, and hopefully this podcast can
(02:19):
help to raise some awareness at leasta little bit, because when Luisa mel
Alcott was a young person, therewas a certain air of romance sim connected
to Germany. German literature and philosophywas important to her and inspired her,
and without that we wouldn't have aLittle Woman. And I bet a lot
(02:40):
of other American books as well.Christina and I continued to discuss about the
chapter Friend. One of the thingsthat frustrate me in Little Woman research is
that when people talk about this chapter, they say that Joe is a feminist
hero when she writes sensational stories,and that she's quote a victim of patriarchy
(03:04):
because Fredick does not like sensationalism.These are all things that Gredick Gervick has
said in her interviews. But themore I do this podcast, the more
I feel that she hasn't read LittleWoman, and she uses so called feminist
card just to make money. WhenChristine and I started to dissect this chapter,
(03:25):
it became more and more clear thatLuisa does not represent this kind of
work as feminist. It is theopposite. She is in a bad place
mentally when she's working for this magazine, and Fredick is really the hero in
(03:45):
this chapter. The whole name ofthe chapter is friend, And just think
about it. There are millions ofpeople who read Gredick Gerwick's interviews and they
read, oh, Frederick Force showedto stop writing, which never happens in
the book, and then they readsomething that she says, Oh, Joe
wanted to write this sensation stories,Frederick stopped her. So she lies to
(04:09):
all of these people, and shespreads false information about Little Woman, and
she spreads false information about Louis myOucut and people think that she's some kind
of feminist who quote saves Joe.It's completely messed up anyway. In this
chapter, Joe goes to work fora sensational magazine Quote Weekly Volcano, and
(04:33):
in the chapter Luisa may Alcott writesthat Joe herself is ashamed of these stories
that she's writing, and the editorcalls her a hack and that Joe is
easily disposable. If you are watchingthis on YouTube or some other place where
you can leave comments, I wouldlove to hear thoughts about this chapter and
(04:56):
do you think Joe is treated fairlyin this magazine because I don't think she
is. I also really want tothank Christina for taking the time to talk
with me about this chapter for thispodcast. It was a really good conversation
and I hope you liked this episode. This is a Little Woman Podcast.
(05:16):
Joe March sensational writer, underpaid anddisposable. That would still put some have
(05:40):
the judgment on her writing. WhetherI would have affected her as much as
her having her probably being a preacherbecause she does like the narrations that does
say at one point and they likethe effect of a like I'm just glad
Marmy and Father won't know of whatI've done. Yeah, Joe, instead
(06:04):
of wishing that, I think godFather and Marmy and Mother were particular like
that. That's like her first thoughtwhen she's bring the latter, thinking of
her parents and the lessons that taughtthat they taught her. So yeah,
I think that there could have beenmaybe still them more conflict. But I
(06:25):
think, and she says a pitythat she has pretty much a conscious where
she learned that conscious from her parents, I think that her parents were definitely
I think it could next not tooloose but not too strict, that it
helps kind of guide her in theway of how she would eventually write.
(06:46):
In that chapter where Joe publishes herfirst book, I think there is a
moment in the end where she literallysays that she wishes that she had an
unbiased person to look at her writingand give her some help. So that's
such a clear foreshadowing for Freedick's character. That's so important because I think in
(07:10):
order to really advance as a writeror in any kind of artist, let's
just say, even like a filmmaker, actor, director, whatever, You're
gonna need someone with an unbiased opinionwho's thinking, ultimately the end goal should
be a good product or good story, So we gotta do we look at
(07:38):
it and think what's best for thestory, not what's best for your ego.
True. Somebody who commented on tumbleon this chapter that it reminded them
of their university teachers when they givethem feedback, and I was like,
that's a throwback. Sometimes I wasso frustrated with my university teachers, but
(08:00):
then I know that they wanted meto do the best work that I could
do. In that moment, Iremember we would have I want to want
school we are My university teachers wouldhave like a sort of mid semester meeting
where each of them would tell mehow I'm doing in their class and say,
(08:26):
you you could be doing better thanthis, but it's you know,
good to see that you're proving,or you know, good to see that
you're trying hard, or like you'relacking here but you know you're doing better
there, or I wish you werea little bit more outgoing with this,
and you know, have more confidencein yourself than you know in the end
(08:50):
it is to help you. Butyou sit there and go like, I
was kind of hoping I gave glowingreviews. But in the end, as
much as you sif they're thinking out, you're like, in order to get
the blowing reviews, you got it. Take to heart what they say because
they're not saying it maliciously. They'resaying it because they know you can do
(09:11):
better. And I think it's soimportant that we acknowledge that Joe, she
hasn't really studied literature. And Iwas wondering, I don't think in this
time period it was okay for awoman to study literature in general, in
school or in the university. Solike basically chose educational literature. Is that
(09:35):
she has been reading good and writing. It is not a wonder that she
wants some kind of a future figurefor her to her life. Yeah,
she has never had any. Beginning, when she's admiring this female writer whose
name I now for good, whomade tons of money writing sensational stories,
(10:00):
she thinks, oh, I cando that as well, and then she
calls those stories tressed because she knowsthat they're not good literature. But at
the same time, she has thatin a fight. She wants to be
a good writers. She wants tobe a really good writer, but then
how do you make money and becomea good writer. It's that growth process.
(10:22):
And she doesn't really have any kindof educations for this job because it
wasn't available. Yeah, it's kindof like one of saying you have to
sort of build experience in order toget experienced, Like you know when they
(10:43):
like on job applications like well youneed we want you to be you know,
have this and less, but youhave to have this experience. And
it's like, well, I can'tget that experience until you offer me that
experience. And I think, yeah, I think Joe tries. She doesn't
know exactly how she can get theexperience until she actually goes through it,
(11:03):
he said, not having the chanceeven if she had money, I think
could to go to a university tostudy literature, she'd have to have someone
went to college and relay what theylearned to her in order to truly get
the knowledge that she's seeking. Oras she has been studying books and trying
(11:31):
to see what makes it good andwhat thinks it's bad, what doesn't work,
and what doesn't can't blame her,because she's just kind of she wants
to do this thing, but shejust doesn't know where to start. And
you just kind of have to diveright in and try your best, even
if you fall flat on your facehundreds of times. She's gonna put her
(11:52):
out there somehow. And if thisis and to her, so far,
this is been the only way thatshe's been able to really properly get publish
sensational stories. It's a boot inthe door and it's money in the pocket,
and it's kind of one of thosethings it's like, well, I'll
(12:13):
only do this for a short timeand then I'll really get to writing what
I really want to write. Whenshe went again, mister Dashwood was alone,
whereat she rejoiced. Mister Dashwood wasmuch wider awake than before, which
was agreeable, and mister Dashwood wasnot deeply absorded in a scar to remember
(12:37):
his manners, So the second interviewwas much more comfortable than the first.
We will take this editors, neversay ah, if you don't object to
a few alternations. It is toolong, but omitting the passages I've marked,
he'll make it just the right length, he said in a business like
tone, so how he knew herown ms again? So crumpled and underscored
(13:03):
were its pages and paragraphs. But, feeling as a tender parent might on
being asked to cut off her baby'slegs in order that it might fit into
a new cradle, she looked atthe marked passages and was surprised to find
that all the moral reflections which shehad carefully put in a ballast for much
romance, had all been stricken out. But Sir, I thought every story
(13:26):
should have some sort of a moral, so I took care to have a
few of my sinner's repent. MisterDashwood's editorial gravity relaxed into a smile,
for Joe had forgotten her friend andspoken as only an author could people want
to be amused, not preach thatyou know morals don't so nowadays, which
(13:48):
was not quite a correct statement,by the way you think it would do
with these alternations. Then yes,it's a new plot and pretty well worked
up. Language is good and soon, was mister Dashwood's affable reply.
What do you do? That iswhat condensation began Joe, not exactly knowing
(14:11):
how to express herself. Oh,yes, will we give from twenty five
to thirty for things of this sort, pay when it comes out, returned
mister Dashwood, as if that pointhad escaped him. Such shrifles often do
escape to it the editorial mind,it is said. Very well, you
can have it, said Joe,handing back the story with satisfied air.
(14:35):
For after the dollar or calum work, even twenty five seemed good pay.
Shall I tell my friend you willtake another if she has one better than
this, asked Joe, unconscious ofher little slip of the tongue and emboldled.
Emboldened by her success, Well willyou get it? Can promise to
take it? Tell her to makeit short and spicy, and never mind
(15:00):
to morrow. But they would yourfriend like to put it in a careless
tone, None at all, ifyou please. She doesn't wish her name
to appear, and has a nonon de plume, said Joe, blushing
in spite of herself, just asshe likes. Of course, the tale
will be out next week. Willyou call for the money or shall I
(15:22):
send it, asked mister Dashwood,who felt a natural desire to know who
his new contributor might be. AlcoholGood morning, sir, as she departed,
mister Dashwood put up his feet witha grateful remark, poor and browed
as usual. But she'll do.I wrote in one of my articles that
(15:43):
mister Dashwood, in a way hetreats Joe like she's disposable. Yeah,
it does reminds me of the condemnedfactories like buzz Feet or these sort of
internet houses which make content, Likethere's been lots of conversations recently that they
(16:04):
don't pay enough for the creators.So it really reminds me of that.
As soon as when she said butshe'll do, I just go like,
look like, like I'm sure thatdon't birth that she would have just been
like she'll do. I'm more thanjust do I will like but yeah,
(16:25):
just yeah, I just I justfeel bad for you. When she says
her manuscript that she hardly knew itand has description, I feel like a
parent being asked to cut your baby'slegs like that is so it's such a
personal and like this is that Iworked so hard to do this. You
(16:45):
know, I nurtured it, Igot it, I gave birth to it,
and now you want me to likehack it like so yeah, I
can definitely feel that frustration at painthat she feels because it's not even just
like, oh, you have alittle bit of a run on sense here,
or instead of they can't you cannotjust go on hand. It's like
(17:10):
it was a horror movie. Leatherbase was his chainsaw. I just went
so disheartening to her. It's againputting the door and money in her pocket,
which you know, as he said, its horn proud kind of what
she you know she needs money atthat moment. You know, It's it's
funny because I've talked with some peoplewho are like, oh, Louisa man
(17:33):
blood right write in Training Treating Stories, And I'm like, yeah, but
it's the difference between the publications becauseshe did not like to write this magazine.
And there's the difference because she didn'tlike the editor, and because they
did take away to small lessons.Because when I have read Louise my unclets
(17:56):
Treating stories, there's always a morallessons kind of moral moral listen, And
sometimes they even frustrate me because Ithink it's so funny because she rights here.
But Sir, I thought every storyshould have some sort of moral,
so I took care to have afew of my Sinier's repents Bella, Oh,
(18:22):
sorry, she's like a pigeon.I remember reading Rose in Bloom and
there's the character of Charlie who islike the Lorrie archetype, and in the
beginning of the story, the narrativewas like Charlie wanted to marry Rose for
her money, and then Charlie diesin the novel, and it's sad.
(18:48):
I kind of wish that was Malcotwould be more strict with these guys who
are like after the girl's money orif they are harassing the female character.
And I see, I think it'stime period. You know, you can't
really be too hateful to the malegender. And maybe it's because of her
(19:10):
internal misortunate that we have talked about. In Joe's case, she always has
a moral in even into training stories. I don't know. I don't always
feel satisfied when I read her trainingstories because I don't think all the quote
unquote villains get what they deserve.Yeah, kind of makes me think.
(19:32):
The other day I saw someone itwas like, tell me what you don't
like to see, and and likethe first things I was thinking of was
forgiving the abuser or the villain,whoever it is. That and for some
people, I do not it's verytime if they do forgive, because like,
(19:52):
if that's the way you heal findthat. I hate when you have
the stories that are like need toforgive, you have to in order to
want it, like why And Ispeak this through personal experience. Someone in
my life or quite a long whilewas abusive to me and to a few
(20:14):
others, and that was all thatwe ever did was to forgive. And
the moment I told myself like oncethis one of that happened and I said,
you know what, I'm done forgiving, then I truly felt like I'm
free of this. You know,I'm not feeling way down and that there
(20:34):
are some people are like, well, you shouldn't forgive because it's not right
to be angry, But like Ifeel like for some characters, they deserve
to be angry. They earned thatanger for all the years of suppressing those
feelings and all those times of notbeing allowed to feel angry or feel free,
(20:56):
and instead of feeling terrified and sad, Well, I guess they will
forgive you because you said you're sorry. And I do believe in giving people
like second chances if they really dodeserve it. But for some people,
they just stay sorry. Because theyknow they stay sorry, they've got a
(21:18):
safety net they can come back andjust do the same thing. And that
was just what was happening in mysituation. I was just like, I
can't. That's the only way Ican move on is to say, no,
I'm not forgiving you. If it'swhat helps you to heal, To
not forgive fine, because there arejust some people who haven't changed, some
(21:41):
people who don't deserve to be forgivenbecause and you did forgive them. It
never got through their head that whatthey did was wrong. But you sit
and they're going, I'm not goingto forgive you, really, you hope
stay said, and like the onlytime to my knowledge, the sort of
I forgive you sort of Trompe workedwas the live action Cinderella, because she
(22:08):
says it and then it's like outthe door she goes, I forgive you,
and I'll never think of you again. And that's what really kind of
hits her, is like I'm goingto be for the cotton, like Lady
Germaine, like I'll I'll never bethought of again. Nothing that I've done
has imprinted on her. And Cinderellais just like whatever I forgave you and
(22:30):
that's fine, but I'm also atthis point will never think of you again,
just because it is the quote unquoteChristian thing to do. That's often
what you hear in fiction. Thatdoesn't mean forgiving a bad person is the
right call. You gotta see someoneactually doing better in order to make the
(22:53):
forgiveness working. So yeah, that'smy long rant of the favorite trompe in
fiction is the pressure to give intoforgiving an individual not really the greatest person
and actually is a downright horrible person. That reminded me. How Ever,
(23:14):
after true barrymust Cinderella, she saysthe same too, and Shakahston, I
forgive you, but I'll never thinkof you again. I think it's some
kind of a Cinderella trop Yeah.Yeah. In work Story of Experience,
which is another WIS on my outputbook, like, there's a character called
(23:36):
Fletcher and he harasses this Christine whois the main character Christine, and then
Fletcher dies, Fletcher gets wounded inthe war and then he asks her to
forgive him, and she does.I think it's interesting having a lot of
Luisom out of books when there isthis kind of character who harasses the female
(23:57):
character like Charlie and h Fletcher andeven Laurie, a little woman like Laurie
actually asks Joe to forgive him becausehe was I don't remember what words word
he uses, that he was beingsilly earlier or something like that. He
definitely minimizes the way he treats her, and then Joe forgives him, and
(24:22):
then she's like, we can nevergo back to childhood, but we can
still be friends and you can bemy brother. That's never in any Little
Wooden movies or adaptations how Laurie actuallyasks Joe to forgive him, but then
they don't never show the entire partof him harassing her. But I think
during this time period it was verydifficult to question male authority. That's why
(24:49):
these men either die and then intheir debt bets, these women forgive them.
That's what I think. At leastapologizes and does give this speech,
are going, I'm sorry that whenI that I was that way, and
now that you're both in your rightplaces, I can, as he says,
(25:12):
I can honestly share my heart betweensister Joe and why Amy love them
dearly? Will you believe it?He at least is able to sort of
give a little more of a convincingdisplay of like maturity. I'm really saying,
you know, like I'm sorry,Like it really was shitty of me
(25:34):
to be to put at one daythat you know, I did this to
you, But I hope you cansee that I am much better now and
can love you. But now asmy sister and friends, hopefully we can
move on from there. Yeah.I feel like at the very least,
you gotta show that you matured enoughand true that you have done something better.
(26:04):
As Amy said, do something tomake yourself worthy of Joe's love,
and well, he was able tokind of recapture her familial love mother,
a sister, and friends by maturing, being able to have her forgiveness because
she can see like, yeah,you've you've grown, You're my friend,
(26:25):
and I see hints of my oldTeddy now that he's not so love stuck
on me. It doesn't convince mewhen I see, you know, stories
that they're like, oh my god, I'm just so sorry to give me
because I'm close to death. AndOkay, I don't feel like it really
shows much of anything. You're justscared you're gonna die with this bad thing
(26:48):
on your conscience. But whatever,it's properly also connect to Christianity that the
partical characters that I mentioned that theyask forgiveness their death bits. Yeah,
lot stories of parents are like pleasecome to me. I want to tell
you. I'm sppy. It givesme and let's sometimes I just might be
(27:10):
like, too bad for your conscience, You're You're not sorry. It's just
like I had to say this play. But like how my mom sometimes said,
It's like, oh, yeah,well they gotten nicer because I know
they're close to the death. It'sa horrible thing to say, but like
it's somewhat true that when you knowthat death is nearby you you get a
(27:33):
little bit nicer because you don't wantregret before leaving, and you want everything
to be okay, whether or notyou do believe in it afterlife or not,
you not go in completely clean slateand good following mister Gashwits directions and
making this North Ferry her mom,Joe Rashly, took a plunge into the
(27:57):
prophecy of sensational literature, but thanksto the life preservers from her by a
friend, she came up again notmuch worse for her ducking. Like most
young scribblers. She want to broadher characters and sceniories, and ben d
d counts and distis sons and duchessesappeared on her stage and played their parts
(28:21):
with such accuracy and serious as couldbe expected. Her readers were not particular
about such trifles as grammar, punctuationsand probability, and mister Dashy graciously permitted
her to still his columns at thelow prices, not thinking is necessary to
tell her that the real cause ofhis hospitality was that the fact that one
(28:45):
of his tacks on being offered higherwages, had basically left him. And
more for im commanding stated hers grewstout, and the lower hord she was
making to take the to the mountainsnext summer grew slowly but surely as the
readers pass. One thing to starther satisfaction, and that was that she
(29:06):
did not tell them at home.She had a feeling that mother and father
would not approve, and prefer tohave her own way first and beg pardon
afterwards. It was easy to keepher secret, for no name appeared with
her stories. Mister Wood had correspounded. I found it out very soon,
(29:26):
but promised to be dumb and forwonder kept his words. She thought it
would do her no harm, forshe sincerely meant to write nothing of which
she should be ashamed of, andquiet it all for subconscious by anticipation of
a happy minute when she should showher earning and laugh over her welcome secret.
(29:47):
Mister Dashwood rejected anything but curly tales, and the thrills could not be
produced except by harrowing up the soulsof the readers. History and romance,
land and see science, a policebarkers, and lunatic asylums had to be
ransacked for the purpose. Joe soonfound that her innocence, innocent experience has
(30:10):
been given to her but a fewglimps of the tragic world which underlies society.
So regarding in It's a Business Life, she set about supplying her defences
with characteristic energy. Here defined materialfor stories and bent on making them original
implot if not masterly in execution.She searched newspapers for accidents, incidents,
(30:33):
and crime. She excited the sufficientsof public libraries by asking her work on
poison. Studied faces and streets,and characters good, bad and indifferent all
about her. She delves in thedust of ancient times for facts or fictions
so old that they were as goodas news, and Interstell introduced herself to
(30:56):
folly, stead and misery as wellas her women's opportunities. A wow,
she thought she was prospering finally,but unconsciously she was beginning to disagree some
of the woman who has attributes ofa woman's character. She was living in
bad society and imaginary though it wasit's influence affected her. Or she was
(31:19):
feeding heart and fancy, undangerous andunsubstantial foods and was fast brushing me innocent
blood of her nature. But mypremature acquaintance with the darker side of life
which comes soon. Yeah. Somebodycommented very recently on my YouTube power Losing
the Alcob that likes like to writeabout Spaniards in her stories, Spaniards and
(31:44):
French and Germans. So she definitelydid faced her stories to Europe and Romantic
countries. Yeah, admittedly I dothat a lot with whenever I try to
have been writing stories of England,I think that's just I want to study
abroad and I love it so muchthat party is just like this is a
(32:07):
way to sort of get back there, right, because it's like horror places
so different from yours. They followdifferent rules, or they have things there
that you don't have here, dependingon what the time period is. I
could definitely see why she would feelthe urged her right out, because it's
(32:29):
almost kind of like being able toexplore the world just from the safety of
her own home. Too. Andit's funny how we just talked about your
being disposable when it says that misterdash would graciously permitted her to feel his
columns at the lowest prices, notthinking it necessary to tell her that the
(32:50):
real cost of his hospitality was thefact that one of his acts, on
being offered higher wages had basically lefthim into large So it's these stories and
she thinks she's it's just great,but she's the lowest wages and she gets
to feel these columns. It's noteven like a good minimum way, that
(33:12):
is just it's cheating out somebody oftheir right. And and and the fact
that he prefers was writer ths hackstoo, it's like he doesn't even have
respect for them, and just andand I don't know if it's also because
she got a woman, so shegets a little bit of a lower wage
(33:34):
too. But like to think thatshe puts all that effort into it,
reading articles and studying people and goingto libraries to look up stuff, and
she's plays so much effort into itonly to get like, they don't say
it in this chapter, but justlet's just say a quarter compared to what
(33:55):
that guy probably happened to the dollaror tenty five cents, Like yeah,
it's just it's it's really it's sad. And it gets me too when when
it says her readers were not particularabout such trifled as grammar, punctuation,
probability. That would drive me nutsbecause I also am like an English miner.
(34:16):
That is like one of the biggestthings like that bothers me, Like
you know, the grammar and thepunctuation. It's like, m, the
comments should have been there, andthe and the why why did there you
know to to and and and whywhy doesn't this makes sense when just the
(34:38):
page before you said her trust wasblue and now her dress is right and
there wasn't even a moment of whichyou know she changed her dad like it
just like even if you know,let's just say whatever, She's not writing
sensational theory. She's writing a verygenuine story. The fact that the readers
(34:58):
are not good about stuff like that, it means you'll get kind of like,
kind of slack on her grammar andpunctuation, and so will affect the
serious work she wants to do.I think it's just those like a little
details that just even if you couldtry to make an argumental all the sensational
(35:19):
stories are good her, well,it's on basic writing etiquette, grammar,
punctuation, and probability. It's reallymessing her up, and it will translate
to your other writings because you youget so used to writing it that way
that when you get to writing adifferent story, it will carry over.
(35:44):
You won't think about it until someonepoints it out. Yeah, I agree.
I've come across people who say that, oh, writing sensational stories good
practice for show, But I don'tthink so. This is not good literature.
This is something very cheap, andher talents are being used in ways
(36:07):
that it is not good for her, Like she could be doing so many
other good things with her talents thanthis, right, and she doesn't even
have an employer who respects her.He just sees her as just another writer
to build his columns. Again,even if you could sit there and say,
well, the sentational writings are good, it's not helping her to know.
(36:30):
Havn't seen what is a good employerand what's a bad employer because he's
not a good employer her very cheaplyand taking advantage of her inexperience in the
publishing world. I got really relateto this chapter because when I did some
of my first illustration jobs, oneof my first clients was not rude,
(36:52):
but always asking these changes after Ihad finished one peason, then the piece,
and it was just NonStop and thepayment wasn't so great. I don't
really care to talk about it becauseI don't want to remember it. And
it's so interesting. When I readLosing my Albus censored Jo knows about her
(37:15):
time of working for Frank Leslie,I always get to think that she was
ashamed of that she worked in thismagazine. The thing is, you do
silly things when you're young, andwe all do them. You don't know,
you don't have experiences, so it'sone experience among others. But still
(37:37):
I can understand why she didn't reallylike to promote that particular time here in
her life. Yeah, it's justlike my dad, like, I've been
trying to like write like high schoolat least I did truly kind of getting
into that idea. And by thenwe're always talking like, oh, she's
writing a trilogy, because that wasthe first thing I told my stuff I
(38:00):
wasn't writing, Like, Dad,you need to stop saying that, because
that story's not gonna happen. He'slike why, and like, because when
I look back on it was sucha dated like it was something that definitely
sort of been the nicest way youpossible, I could say, because I
have done this myself. It isvery two thousand fan fiction written by a
(38:22):
girl, where it's very like,oh, these d those are like old
fashion tropes and triangle between the badboy who's kind of low key abusive and
you know this, and when I'mlike, it's just it's cringe worthy,
Like but they love reading courage worthystuff. I'm like, oh, Dad,
(38:43):
oh no, they don't. Willnever see the light of day.
So that's probably like the closest Ihave to sort of identifying with her sort
of sensational writing is like, it'snot my greatest work, and it may
have appealed to a certain audience atthe time, but when looking back,
it is like it's kind of anold shame and like, but it was
(39:07):
a good start, hey, Andnow for me to sit back and go,
okay, this is not by bestwork. I'm so glad to see
I've improved since then and I canjust safely just put that far away and
not have anybody see it. Butyeah, it was not and I didn't.
(39:29):
It wasn't like I learned really anythingfrom it. It was just I
was in high school, never reallygot to experience much of anything in my
life. And it was until collegeyears when I met people from other places
and got to have this more openand minded idea of how things could be,
(39:54):
did I start to really go like, okay, this is when writing
improved. That piece of shit thatI wrote back then didn't help me improve
my writing. If I continue touse that as the format, I would
be a terrible writer. I wouldI would be horrible. I look at
(40:15):
it what they sort of like,I'm glad to see how improved, But
I don't use that as a Ohthat was a stepping point and what a
great lesson, because I didn't learnthat lesson so many years later. So
so yeah, I think that whenpeople try to say, well, she's
learning from sensational It's like, well, what are you learning, really,
(40:37):
You're you're not learning how to writeproperly. You're writing how to write as
the time is or what people want, not really what is true to how
you feel or what you want towrite. And the best that you can
use it for is the look back. Really, I think I'm writing from
(41:00):
one of Flos Mautput's journals and itwas written during the time when she was
writing these sensational stories. And thereis a quote where she says that she
stuck with this story and she doesn'twant to write it. She doesn't want
to add the gory details or whateverthe editor is asking. And there's a
(41:21):
moment where she writes that Emerson tellsher to write something that she enjoys and
study character. So we have afree repair connection there. But it's so
interesting how people say that, oh, this was a good thing for Joe,
or Joe is a feminist when shewrites these stories. I'm like,
she's not a feminist. She's gettingpaid really poorly. Yeah, yeah,
(41:44):
because writing in a very floppy wayof writing a strong female character or a
type of character. Again, Ijust think back of like this sort of
era of tropes where like the herogirl or the lead lead girl is the
(42:05):
cat like other girls, or she'sthe action girl, and pretty much any
girl she encounters is a quote unquoteslud or quote unquote fitch or quote unquote
week because she doesn't do if she'snot pretty much what the lead girl is,
she's not the best character. Butlike it's like, yeah, well
(42:27):
girls can be kick ass, andif you're not picking up the sword and
doing what I'm doing, well,then you're not feminist. It's the one
extreme of feminists that is not good. Where we went from, like it's
not feminists to want to stay athome and just be the mother. So
if you're not doing that, eventhough if it is what you want to
do, that's not feminist. Likeso it's not even like that there's that
(42:51):
where it's like, oh, wehave this really cool female character who's breaking
a role, even if it iskind of had a little bit of besonde
in it. It's just these gorystories that don't even offer some sort of
like conflict or sort of thought likelike I just think of Poe, like
(43:16):
with Poe at least even if thestory is kind of gory or horrifying,
there is still this backstory to it, or there is this sort of thought
of, let's just say the telltaleof heart. It does provoke thought of
(43:36):
was the old man really this evilcharacter that deserved to die? Or was
the young man just just had theevil in his heart? And is that
inherent in every person? Or cansomeone be as bad? And at least
those kind of stories do help provokesome sort of thought and question of human
(43:59):
nature, whereas these stories are justbloody and gory and it's like why bother?
And another thing that just made methink that I hate when people call
certain movies horror movies when really it'sjust a horfest. Again. When I
was in high school, I watchedthis movie called The Woman in Black with
(44:19):
Daniel Bradfut and I liked it alot. I thought it was genuinely scary
because idea of this ghost that willdrive children to their death is like terrifying.
But when I was talking about itin lass the next day, so
some girls like, yeah I watchedthat, it wasn't scary enough. There
wasn't like a blood at all,And I'm like, that's what makes it
(44:40):
scary for you, like, likeif you were the type of person that
is like, oh, blood makesme pleasing, and it really is horrifying
to me, And that's what peoplescare me, I guess. But like,
blood is not always equal horror,and the most horror movies are supposed
to be provoking. You know,I'm looking at my happy but now Harry.
(45:06):
And it's scary to think that oneminute you have this sort of bone
of nobody and then the next daythey be a holy terror destroying a whole
town. But what does it saythat this kid who is a bullied and
has nobody to help her deal withher emotions and then finally blows up in
(45:30):
the most deadly way possible, Like, I go with at least some sort
of This episode is sponsored by Etsy. On Etsy, you can start your
own store and reach a lot ofpeople into a popular platform. If you
have ever considered starting an Etsy store, this is your chance, and with
the link in the description, youcan get your first forty listings for free.
(45:54):
You can sell pretty much anything onEtsy, from your own artworks,
clothes and toys to naither and digitalproducts. But behind horror stories. So
and I just feel like when whenyou read this chapter, and it describe
what the sensational stories of our life. It's just aloting gouts and murders and
(46:22):
people that have no there is nosort of to it or even just thought.
What provokes the readers to think beyondthis? Why did this person heal
that person? Is there any reason? Nope, just to just to be
an asshole? Okay, So yeah, I think that there's a difference I
(46:43):
think between sensational stories and thoughtful stories, just as I feel there's a difference
between the horror movies and the gorbhorn as they call it, horror porn
or horror movies just to be glory. You're just going to say, of
it to be disgusting. Thank youso much for listening. Christina and I
continue our chat next time they canmake good choices. Bye.
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