Having a letter published in The Times would at one time have been the
cause of great excitement, except presumably for the toffs and politicians who
took their right to such things for granted. It's no longer such a big deal because The Times is no longer the most
important daily paper. I don't actually know very many people who read it and
my own motive for buying it is that I like doing puzzles on newsprint. The iPod screen or a printout on typing paper just
doesn't feel the same. But that's a diversion.
I read your letter! I was quite excited when I saw the name of the author at the end. Of course, I agree totally. (I read The Times in print every day having tried all the other "broadsheet" (as was) daily papers but not finding any suitable - at least the Times has a range of views in it instead of predictably following one line or the other, & one or two good columnists, though its book review coverage has become woeful since the last "redesign" a couple of years ago).
ReplyDeleteMaxine, how nice to hear from you. I hope you'll agree with the book too, when it comes out. Tousands won't! eg, see today's (Tuesday) Times. All best wishes, Jessica.
ReplyDeleteYes, I did see those two letters, the first one was from someone who had not read properly, or who had missed the point of, your letter. Yes, there were lots of admirable women role models in the 50s (and since forever) but this is not the same as pointing out that they were discriminated against in very real ways (as your letter writes). I think my own daughters would be quite shocked to know this - they are not interested when I tell them about feminism as they say it is now a non-issue, but if only they knew what it was like in the very recent past, and could so easily be again in these economically challenging times.
ReplyDeleteIn which case, your daughters are exactly my target market! The Fifties Mystique, due out in the spring, is addressed to the young women who take their rights for granted. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
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