Who are better writers, men or women?

Question

I personally think that men are better writers when it comes down to it; but I also think that it has to do with personal taste. I honestly find J.D. Salinger, Poe, and e.e. cummings absolutely AMAZING.
Anne Rice is OK, but I would not read any of her novels more than once.

So, who is better?

These are some of my favorite lines from a couple of my favorite writers (whom are men)

"shall I abide in this dull world, which in thy absence is no better than a sty?.."

"(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain, has such small hands"

No, I have not only read Anne Rice. I only use her as an example since she is probably the most known female author today.

dawn chaser, What the hell are you talking about? These question has NOTHING to do with race. Please read the question again... AND CORRECTLY.

Answer 1

each has their strengths and weaknesses


Thomas

Answer 2

Is Anne Rice the only female novelist you've read? If so, no wonder you think men are better.

Despite that, this is a sexist question and I would hope people would be intelligent enough not to ask such questions. It's impossible to say who's better. There are some great male writers and there are some pathetic male writers. There are some great female writers and there are pathetic female writers.

It could just be that your favorites happened to have been written by males. Salinger and Poe are incredible, I'll give you that. Try broadening your spectrum of female authors.

Hopefully in the end you'll realize that the only important thing is if you took anything important away from the book, i.e. information, emotion, a bit of philosophy... and that whether the author was a male or female isn't something to judge a book by.

Answer 3

I honestly don't ever notice a difference between the gender of writers of books that I read. I was rather surprised when my mom mentioned she only liked reading books written by women. I couldn't believe it- I read everything that looks good, not based on who the author is!

I can't say I've ever seen a big difference, unless we're comparing, say, spy action novels or Westerns and chick lit or romance novels . . . and those aren't so much products of their authors as they are products of who they're being targeted at. Other than that, they write about the same- some are brilliant, others suck, badly. It's very individual.

If any women writers suck, then I think it's just them- not the whole of female writership. For example, I hate Anne Rice with a vehemence (can I have all those wasted hours I spent reading "Interview with a Vampire" back, please?), but I like lots of other female authors.

I don't think either is better!

Answer 4

Oh goodness dear, that's such a broad question. That's like asking which is better, black or white writers? And, if you look at it in that context, it's not fair to suggest that white people are better writers because it's only been so relatively recently in history that black people have been accepted as figures in literature; the same goes for this battle of the genders you are suggesting.

Both come from completely different backgrounds and experiences. There is no possible way to compare the two. It's like saying night is better than day because there are no stars in the sky at noon, but really that's just because the sun's light is so bright it defuses the brightness of the stars.

It's all in how you look at it, and both are wonderful for different reasons.

Answer 5

It depends entirely on the type of writing you are referring to. Since you've picked dead, old school authors for your list, I assume it's not actually the gender of the author that impresses you, but the Victorian writing. A few literary publishers still accept these style books, but the major publishers want dumbed down books.

I know that neither J. R. R. Tolkien or Edgar Allan Poe would be accepted today if they were just starting out. Too wordy.

Answer 6

First, you have to decide what you mean by "men" and "women." You might consider reading some books, such as these:
"Women and Men: Cultural Constructs of Gender," Nancy Bonvillain
"The Hijras of India: Neither Man Nor Woman," Serena Nanda
"Orlando," Virginia Woolf

"Man" and "woman" are cultural terms. "Male" and "female" are biological terms. People who are biologically male or female might not necessarily fit the definition of "man" or "woman" upheld by their culture. For instance, is Truman Capote a "man," because he is male? To even ask your question, you would have to make these fundamental decisions. Which culture are you addressing? What are your definitions?
So, your question is flawed. And even if you decided on a definition of "man" and "woman," and were able to divide authors into either category, you would still have a flawed question. You would have to decide what you mean by "better writers." Are you talking about handwriting? Are you talking about plot development? Are you talking about character development? Are you talking about bestselling totals? Are you talking about productivity levels? Are you talking about being included in the literary canon?

Answer 7

Men would probably be considered better writters in general, because they have been writing longer than women so they have more literary masterpieces out there. There are few authors out now who are great writers, but they do come up with great story lines and plots, and as far as that goes, it really just depends on preference

Answer 8

There is no way to see which sex writes "better" for every man and every women writes different. There are many male writers that I love; Nathaniel Hawthorn, Mark Twain,and James Patterson.
And there are fantastic female writers; Lois Lowry, JK Rowling,Sharon Creech and Christina Schwarz

Answer 9

It depends on what you mean by "better" but since women usually are able to delve into their emotions it causes them to be more apt at putting their feelings on paper or in a computer and affecting others.

The answer depends on your opinion, really.

Answer 10

Neither are better, they are both the same, some have good points and some have constuctive ways of viewing the world. Neither one is better then the other.

Answer 11

Men. They write with precise and concise sentences. When describing--using adjectives & adverbs- they get to the situation quicker with less long flowing descriptions.