ladybusiness | (Reply)

From:

Oh, of course!

I think a similar example of subversion-of-the-MPDG-trope-not-quite-working was Clementine in Eternal Sunshine. Like Margo, we're told that she's a fucked up girl with her own problems--her own story, essentially, outside the male protagonist's. In both cases, we see hints that that effect.

But I suspect the problem is a writing problem, rather than one of intent. We're largely told these things, rather than shown them. The larger argument of the work feels very close to a typical work exemplifying these tropes than anything else.

But I agree that Green is a smart cookie, and an ally, so I'm going to keep trying with his work. He's obviously invested in examining his own biases and the problematic aspects of his writing, which is more than I can say for many other writers. He deserves more than a quick dismissal.