--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's a very old and deep-seated…" description: "\"I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/jennifer-weiner-2358_attention_i-think-it-s-a-very-old-and-deep-seated_1637514.png" --- # I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard… ![“I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, but when a woman considers the same topics, it's romance, or a beach book - in short, it's something unworthy of a serious critic's attention.” quote by Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/jennifer-weiner-2358_attention_i-think-it-s-a-very-old-and-deep-seated_1637514.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/jennifer-weiner-2358_attention_i-think-it-s-a-very-old-and-deep-seated_1637514.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4e/jennifer-weiner-2358_attention_i-think-it-s-a-very-old-and-deep-seated_1637514.png) > “I think it's a very old and deep-seated double standard that holds that when a man writes about family and feelings, it's literature with a capital L, but when a woman considers the same topics, it's romance, or a beach book - in short, it's something unworthy of a serious critic's attention.” [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal bias labels women's emotional writing as lesser, while praising similar male works as high literature. **In simple terms:** Gender bias devalues women's stories. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge literary double standards. Themes gender bias literary criticism women's writing genre cultural perception feminist critique Mood frustrated determined hopeful Type critical feminist analytical When to use this quote - publishing industry - academic curricula - book reviews - reading groups - media commentary Key Concepts patriarchy canon formation genre hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect women's literary careers? - What steps can critics take to equalize evaluation? A Different Perspective The distinction often stems from entrenched market expectations rather than intrinsic quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Double standard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/double-standard/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The absence of attention to this way of talking about feelings and literature not only is specific to recent literary scholarship on emotion (though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sianne-ngai/the-absence-of-attention-to-this-way-of-talking-about-feelings-and/) [Sianne Ngai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sianne-ngai/) > [“Well, the English have no family feelings. 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JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“We�'ve all heard the statement "It�s not fair that a woman who sleeps around is a whore, but men who sleep around are studs."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-ve-all-heard-the-statement-it-s-not-fair-that-a-woman-who-sleeps/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the reasons I don't trust the media is you can't have a double standard for guys you like and dislike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/one-of-the-reasons-i-don-t-trust-the-media-is-you-can-t-have-a-double/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [When it comes to antisemitism, I have felt for a long time that there's a double standard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suella-braverman/when-it-comes-to-antisemitism-i-have-felt-for-a-long-time-that-there/) [Suella Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suella-braverman/) > [Many women have made the mistake of changing their beliefs to accommodate their work; it must be the other way around. 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We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [I'm shocked at the sexism and double standard coming out of the far right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/i-m-shocked-at-the-sexism-and-double-standard-coming-out-of-the-far/) [Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/) > [I want someone that'll love me unconditionally through the good and bad. No double standard. I want something real, just once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-someone-that-ll-love-me-unconditionally-through-the-good-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think people are more likely to comment on a thin person's weight then the weight of an over weight person. Double standard?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-people-are-more-likely-to-comment-on-a-thin-person-s-weight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jennifer Weiner > [Divorce isn't such a tragedy. A tragedy's staying in an unhappy marriage, teaching your children the wrong things about love. Nobody ever died of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/divorce-isn-t-such-a-tragedy-a-tragedy-s-staying-in-an-unhappy/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Right now women are using surrogates because they can't be pregnant. 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