*nods* I disagree about there being one true reading too. And your comment has made me realise I didn't get across my meaning very well. For a start, the issue isn't the author's conscious intention since most sexism isn't conscious.
Something I have mixed feelings about is the way a lot of feminist etc analysis acts like there is one true meaning: the question is not "can this be read in a feminist way" but "is this Really Feminist? Does it have an overall Feminist Effect on culture? Is the creator being Sexist or Feminist with their writing?" Some works are so incredibly sexist that you can pretty comfortably label them and their creators as overall sexist even if you leave space for individuals to read them a different way, but most aren't, and cultural contexts complicate things further.
You can enjoy and analyse a work without knowing the details of original context and author. But if you are going to do the "one true Feminist Analysis", especially if you're going to talk about whether the creator is sexist, then you do have to look into the original context. You can't say the author is dead and judge the author at the same time.
Also I personally enjoy knowing the context of works, I find it adds to my appreciation, even if it means I'm more likely to notice creepy sexist subtext in anime etc.
Anyway thanks for your comment, you made me realise I really need to word things better. Because I think we agree, but you can't tell that from what I actually said :) *goes off to edit*
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Something I have mixed feelings about is the way a lot of feminist etc analysis acts like there is one true meaning: the question is not "can this be read in a feminist way" but "is this Really Feminist? Does it have an overall Feminist Effect on culture? Is the creator being Sexist or Feminist with their writing?" Some works are so incredibly sexist that you can pretty comfortably label them and their creators as overall sexist even if you leave space for individuals to read them a different way, but most aren't, and cultural contexts complicate things further.
You can enjoy and analyse a work without knowing the details of original context and author. But if you are going to do the "one true Feminist Analysis", especially if you're going to talk about whether the creator is sexist, then you do have to look into the original context. You can't say the author is dead and judge the author at the same time.
Also I personally enjoy knowing the context of works, I find it adds to my appreciation, even if it means I'm more likely to notice creepy sexist subtext in anime etc.
Anyway thanks for your comment, you made me realise I really need to word things better. Because I think we agree, but you can't tell that from what I actually said :) *goes off to edit*