Alice Munro legacy

Is there anyone discussing the Alice Munro scandal here on LT? No one wants to see their esteemed author in a poor light. I'm not sure what to make of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKp0J4frwcs

I believe the daughter, and what a sad story for her. I think it's rare that a child makes up sexual abuse.

I'm glad she didn't deny what happened to her daughter, but it is disappointing she stayed with the stepfather despite what he'd done.

>2 vancouverdeb: oh gosh, no.
>3 Cecrow: yeah, I'm wondering what was going on with her. It's surprising behavior, based on her writing

Wow - this is news to me!
What I find most shocking is how Ms. Skinner was systematically ignored by media to preserve Munro's reputation. I don't think anyone should be put on a pedestal when a dreadful crime such as this has been perpetrated. I also don't think that it diminishes Munro's talent and writings: we are complex human beings that carry both light and dark. I liked, and agree with, the journalist's conclusion, which is that it gives us better insight into Munro's work especially since it was so focused on the family and interpersonal relationships.

>5 Cecilturtle: I agree with you that it doesn't diminish Munro's talent but it does tarnish her legacy I think. Personally, I can't imagine staying with anyone who was an admitted child abuser and especially if that child was a relation. Munro was not a woman with no options as is sometimes the case.

This CBC piece looks into it with a bit more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoU7zsQ0kJs

Munro comes off looking pretty horrendous

I'm still processing this. It makes me sad...that such a thing happened to Ms. Skinner and that she didn't get the support she needed. That Alice Munro, like the rest of us, isn't perfect. I'm wondering why I don't feel the need to purge her books from the house like I did with those of male authors accused of similar things......

>8 LynnB: Maybe you don't feel you have to purge her books because Munro passively reacted rather than actively inflicting harm. While doing nothing can be as harmful to the victim as being an actual perpetrator, I think, many of us can recall instances when we turned aside or closed our eyes to someone else's trauma. Also, many people, including Munro's children, have said "they want this allegation not to destroy Munro's legacy but to create a more robust understanding of who she was as a writer." (quote is from a Vox article "What do we do about Alice Munro now?") I am still working on this.

I'm wondering about biographers who suppressed this story. I'm not clear on the timelines...was the biography written before or after her daughter's story was known?

I didn't look into the details though I heard about scandal, and of course the question of what it means (or should mean) for her literary legacy. I can't recall which institution said it, but at least one statement was made that her works would remain in a collection as their literary merit does not diminish with the actions of the person.

This has me thinking about the talk nowadays about cancel culture and the like. I wonder if "death of the author" might take on new relevance when it comes to controversial figures. People I think are generally aware of H.P. Lovecraft's questionable attitudes, but perhaps there's distance with past authors that makes them easier to analyze. How does it compare to contemporary controversial authors like Munro or J.K. Rowling. Do we consider them now or a few decades from now?

>11 WeeTurtle: That's a good point about considering them when some time has gone by. However, it has been quite a while since Munro became aware of her daughter's abuse and decided to go back to the abuser. Her attitude that her own feelings and emotions were more important than her daughter's colours her legacy for me and I don't think that will change as time goes on.