In literature, as in life, the rules are all too often different for girls. There are many instances in which an unlikable man is billed as an antihero, earning a special term to explain those ways in which he deviates from the norm, the traditionally likable.
Roxane Gay, in her collection "Bad Feminist: Essays," explores the disparity in how gender shapes the perception of characters in literature. She observes that while unlikable male characters are often celebrated as antiheroes, female characters are not afforded the same leniency. This reflects a broader societal tendency where the rules of likability and acceptance differ significantly based on gender.
Gay highlights the double standards prevalent in storytelling, noting that women face harsher scrutiny for their flaws and deviations from traditional roles. This critique calls attention to the ways in which literature mirrors real-life gender biases, questioning the cultural narratives that dictate how characters and people are judged based on their gender.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
