Sandra Newman has produced a feminist retelling of George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' titled 'Julia' [34592d9a]. The novel explores how the story might have looked if it had been told from the perspective of a woman. Newman gives Julia, a marginalized character in Orwell's original work, a last name, a fully developed backstory, and a rebellion driven by love. The article questions why Julia is characterized by traditional 'feminine' traits and why she isn't portrayed as an intellectual rebel in her own right. It also discusses the division within the women's movement between maternalist or biological feminists and equal rights feminists, suggesting that Newman's book aligns with the former camp. The article explores the implications of Newman's retelling and how it relates to Orwell's original work [34592d9a].
In a separate article by Holly Lawford-Smith on Quillette, Lawford-Smith criticizes Judith Butler's book 'Who's Afraid of Gender' as leftist political propaganda masquerading as academic work [adcfba6c]. Lawford-Smith argues that Butler's book undermines the ideals it professes and engages in hypocrisy. She accuses Butler of engaging in censorship by defending 'gender' while ignoring the censorship of gender-critical ideas and research. Lawford-Smith also criticizes Butler's misrepresentation of gender-critical feminists and her use of the term 'fascism' to label those who oppose gender identity ideology. Overall, Lawford-Smith argues that Butler's book is poorly argued, contains sloppy writing and citations, and is a thinly-disguised piece of political propaganda [adcfba6c].