Mette Leonard

Wednesday

Mette Leonard

Should a character in a novel review the book in which they appear?

From our UK edition

It is generally thought to be wrong, reprehensible even, for a literary critic to review a book by a friend, professional contact, former lover or other personal relation. In such cases the critic is likely to be biased, and moved, consciously or unconsciously, by ulterior motives of revenge or social or professional advancement and in clear breach of the highly held principles of objectivity and impartiality. Though writers have been given licence to freely use whatever private material they like as long as it serves their higher artistic purpose, the critic is expected to refrain from referencing personal experiences or using autobiographical material in order to be considered professional and responsible. These principles may seem foundational to literary criticism.

Thursday

Mette Leonard

The real reason why radical feminists are wary of trans women

From our UK edition

In the cold war of contemporary identity politics, it might seem strange that the only flash of heat has come in the battle over the rights of transgender women. Clashes between trans activists and radical feminists have been violent – metaphorically and literally. At Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park last fall, in an unprovoked attack, a trans activist jumped and beat a feminist – I know, because I was present and recorded the footage of the attack that went viral. More recently, in Channel 4’s Genderquake: The Debate aggressive feminist hecklers threw vicious insults at the trans women speakers in the panel.

Friday

Mette Leonard

Lars von Trier’s latest film rightly resists the idea that art must be morally correct and inoffensive

From our UK edition

Danish director Lars von Trier is back at Cannes Film Festival, proclaiming that 'it’s all good – we had a little misunderstanding for seven years' and worrying that his new serial killer movie, The House that Jack Built, isn’t divisive enough. In fact, the reception of the film has indeed revealed an divide in the mentality of contemporary culture. More than a hundred members of the audience walked out in protest at the film’s première and a similar number did the same from the press screening this week. Nonetheless, Von Trier received a lengthy standing ovation on his arrival to the première, and those who stayed till the end acknowledged the film with demonstratively insistent applause.

Thursday

Mette Leonard

Women need to free themselves from permanent victimhood

From our UK edition

If there is one thing the reactions to the Harvey Weinstein accusations have confirmed, other than the common knowledge that human beings are corruptible and will sometimes try to exploit their position of superiority, it is feminism's obsession with men in power. When confronted with Björk’s accusations of sexual harassment by Danish director Lars von Trier on the set of Dancer in the Dark, Trier’s producer, Peter Aalbæk, rejected the claim, maintaining that if anyone was to be made responsible for harassment it was the singer, who, he claimed, had been bossing the two men around.