Someday, our grandchildren will ask us: where were you when the Lauren Oyler takedown appeared in Bookforum? I was in the car. My husband was driving us to a park to watch the eclipse and I was on my phone because that’s where I live. That’s when I saw
I watched and enjoyed the TikTok. I’m interested in whether this is any different from, say, Christopher Hitchens or Martin Amis writing a brutal review of one of their peers. Is it perceived more controversially among women writers? Maybe because the work is more autobiographical?
The difference is social media! Now in addition to literary criticism happening in newspapers/magazines you have this additional layer of authors being visible in public (and you can watch in real time as Lauren Oyler engages/chooses not to engage with her reviews on Twitter). That’s what made Oyler’s takedown of Tolentino seem so brave and transgressive at the time—she was going up against one of the most popular writers on Twitter
Thank you for explaining all of this to me and for the great analysis. I’ve been seeing the name Lauren Oyler and knew there was a controversy, but I didn’t know what that was about. I’d never read the reviews she’s written or the reviews of her essay, or any of the recent articles where her name was in the headline. I feel you've given me all I need to know.
I watched and enjoyed the TikTok. I’m interested in whether this is any different from, say, Christopher Hitchens or Martin Amis writing a brutal review of one of their peers. Is it perceived more controversially among women writers? Maybe because the work is more autobiographical?
The difference is social media! Now in addition to literary criticism happening in newspapers/magazines you have this additional layer of authors being visible in public (and you can watch in real time as Lauren Oyler engages/chooses not to engage with her reviews on Twitter). That’s what made Oyler’s takedown of Tolentino seem so brave and transgressive at the time—she was going up against one of the most popular writers on Twitter
https://youtu.be/y2LBpTiax2w?feature=shared
There you go again, teaching me about things I didn't even know I wanted to know about. Mind blown.
Thank you for explaining all of this to me and for the great analysis. I’ve been seeing the name Lauren Oyler and knew there was a controversy, but I didn’t know what that was about. I’d never read the reviews she’s written or the reviews of her essay, or any of the recent articles where her name was in the headline. I feel you've given me all I need to know.
This is the news I needed.