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A review by aditurbo
The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein by Farah Mendlesohn
2.0
DNF. As a teenager Heinlein was my idol. I have read and re-read his later novels dozens of times, enjoying the humor, his ideas of freedom of all kinds (world as myth - anything you can think of exists - yay!). I knew there were problematic areas in his work, but I enjoyed the other parts so much that I just ignored these. I was very happy to discover this biography/literary analysis of Heinlein's work now, thirty years later. I was hoping to get insights on what made Heinlein's work so appealing and unique back then. Maybe I was also hoping to experience the thrill again. This did not happen.
The book certainly has its merits. The author clearly knows Heinlein's work inside and out. She has done her research, and has the theoretical background to support her conclusions. But it feels like she is trying very hard to turn Heinlein into a "serious" or "literary" author, one who deserves the critical appreciation she bestows on him. It seems that she skips unpleasant issues, only mentioning them in passing, and shies away from problems of quality of writing and attitudes that are obscene to modern eyes. To make sure my feelings had a basis, I started reading a few stories and a novel by Heinlein and knew that I was right. Heinlein's work may have had some interesting philosophical ideas in it and was much fun to read for teenagers, but he was no literary genius, and some of his writing is simply apalling to read today. Some parts are almost impossible to read, others make you want to go wash yourself to get rid of the disgust. I don't want to get myself into an internet war over general or sexual politics, so I would just say that the work does not measure to any modern standards. It's true that at least he was relatively open-minded about different kinds of sexuality, but it must be remembered that this included sexual relations between father and daughter, for example.
Since I'm finding it hard to agree with the direction Mendlesohn has taken in this book, I cannot go on reading it.
The book certainly has its merits. The author clearly knows Heinlein's work inside and out. She has done her research, and has the theoretical background to support her conclusions. But it feels like she is trying very hard to turn Heinlein into a "serious" or "literary" author, one who deserves the critical appreciation she bestows on him. It seems that she skips unpleasant issues, only mentioning them in passing, and shies away from problems of quality of writing and attitudes that are obscene to modern eyes. To make sure my feelings had a basis, I started reading a few stories and a novel by Heinlein and knew that I was right. Heinlein's work may have had some interesting philosophical ideas in it and was much fun to read for teenagers, but he was no literary genius, and some of his writing is simply apalling to read today. Some parts are almost impossible to read, others make you want to go wash yourself to get rid of the disgust. I don't want to get myself into an internet war over general or sexual politics, so I would just say that the work does not measure to any modern standards. It's true that at least he was relatively open-minded about different kinds of sexuality, but it must be remembered that this included sexual relations between father and daughter, for example.
Since I'm finding it hard to agree with the direction Mendlesohn has taken in this book, I cannot go on reading it.