Weird.

[firecat]

I think people who don't have to work for a living, who never had to work for a living, are unable to really understand what most of human life is about. --Sara Paretsky in an interview

I know this is a popular viewpoint, but I'm kind of shocked to hear a fiction writer state it. It's the job of fiction writers to be able to understand things they don't personally experience.

Comments

[supergee.livejournal.com]

I think my losing interest in the Warshavsky novels (something like four behind, with no intent to catch up) has to do with Paretsky becoming more of a writer who thinks like that.

[firecat]

For me it had more to do with disliking her writing style. But yeah.

Re: Weird.

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

well, yeah, fiction writers ought to be able to (though i wouldn't bet on it for every one of them), but how about non-writers? i sometimes wonder whether a lot of people even see other people as real, nevermind being able to put themselves into their shoes. it wouldn't at all surprise me if a lot of people who have been living a lifestyle of the rich and famous had no clue what it's like to scrape together enough. my occasional glimpse of such people hasn't imbued me with a lot of trust in their imagination, though as usual, there are probably some who'd surprise me.

Re: Weird.

[firecat]

I agree there are a lot of people without imagination of that kind, but her statement was overgeneralized. (As such, since you hate overgeneralizations, I'm surprised you defended it. :-)

She didn't say "living a lifestyle of the rich and famous," she said "have to work for a living." Plenty of people who don't have to work for a living work anyway. Do all of them really have no clue what most of life is about? How about people who are raising children instead of working for pay? How about people who are disabled and can't work? Do all of them have no clue what most of life is about?

Finally, she didn't say they "don't" understand what most of life is about, she said they are "unable to."