--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has been suggested that Tiptree is…" description: "\"It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s writing. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg" --- # It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory… ![“It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s writing. I don’t think the novels of Jane Austen could have been written by a man nor the stories of Ernest Hemingway by a woman, and in the same way I…” quote by Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg) > “It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s writing. I don’t think the novels of Jane Austen could have been written by a man nor the stories of Ernest Hemingway by a woman, and in the same way I believe the author of the James Tiptree stories is male.” [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that the perceived gender of an author influences expectations of style, asserting that James Tiptree Jr.'s work feels inherently masculine, thus rejecting the notion of a female author. **In simple terms:** Gender expectations shape literary perception. Key Takeaway Author gender biases affect interpretation. Themes gender bias authorial identity literary style stereotypes perception Mood skeptical analytical Type opinion critical observation When to use this quote - literary criticism - gender studies - author attribution debates - reading groups - academic seminars Key Concepts masculinity femininity authorship genre Practical Applications - examining authorial voice - challenging gender assumptions Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing an author's gender affect your reading? - Can style be truly gendered? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Masculine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculine/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you look at any list of great modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“I'm not a writer. Ernest Hemingway was a writer. I just have a vivid imagination and type 90 WPM.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-madison/i-m-not-a-writer-ernest-hemingway-was-a-writer-i-just-have-a-vivid/) [Tiffany Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-madison/) > [I'd say Ernest Hemingway would be a blast to get drunk with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beckett/i-d-say-ernest-hemingway-would-be-a-blast-to-get-drunk-with/) [William Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beckett/) > [“Redwing had read somewhere that one of his favourite writers, Ernest Hemingway, had been asked what was the best training for a novelist. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/redwing-had-read-somewhere-that-one-of-his-favourite-writers-ernest/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [It would be hard to exaggerate Ernest Hemingway's influence over American literature, but his influence on our lives is probably larger still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-phillips/it-would-be-hard-to-exaggerate-ernest-hemingway-s-influence-over/) [Arthur Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-phillips/) > [“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?” -Ernest Hemingway”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bextor/i-love-sleep-my-life-has-the-tendency-to-fall-apart-when-i-m-awake/) [A.C. Bextor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bextor/) > [I'm a fan of Ernest Hemingway work and specifically The Old Man and the Sea. I researched the relationship he had with the captain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-garcia/i-m-a-fan-of-ernest-hemingway-work-and-specifically-the-old-man-and/) [Andy Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-garcia/) > [“One danger zone is dialogue ... At the moment of ultimate showing, we writers get nervous. ... We allow characters to tell us about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tin-house-books/one-danger-zone-is-dialogue-at-the-moment-of-ultimate-showing-we/) [Tin House Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tin-house-books/) > [The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/the-books-transported-her-into-new-worlds-and-introduced-her-to/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“By the time I got to high school, I had learned to be more cautious about revealing my dreams. I was reading—and therefore writing—adventure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-obreht/by-the-time-i-got-to-high-school-i-had-learned-to-be-more-cautious/) [Téa Obreht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-obreht/) > [The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” “Elton John?” “Close. Ernest Hemingway. In his own way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/the-best-way-to-find-out-if-you-can-trust-somebody-is-to-trust-them/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [Helpful to me over the years was some of Ernest Hemingway's writing, for example A Farewell to Arms. You have characters who speak Italian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miroslav-penkov/helpful-to-me-over-the-years-was-some-of-ernest-hemingway-s-writing/) [Miroslav Penkov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miroslav-penkov/) > [Ernest Hemingway was always uneasy in New York and liked being there less than in any other city he frequented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-hotchner/ernest-hemingway-was-always-uneasy-in-new-york-and-liked-being-there/) [A. E. Hotchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-hotchner/) > [There's this whole post-modern, nuevo beatnik, retro-bohemian thing going on, you know what I mean? You walk into some coffee shops, and it feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/there-s-this-whole-post-modern-nuevo-beatnik-retro-bohemian-thing/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [“To Frances Turnbull Nov. 9, 1938 p. 368 I've read the story carefully and, Frances, I'm afraid the price for doing professional work is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/to-frances-turnbull-nov-9-1938-p-368-i-ve-read-the-story-carefully/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More by Robert Silverberg > [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Never pass by a chance to shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/never-pass-by-a-chance-to-shut-up/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“I'm not ready to fuck an empress just yet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/i-m-not-ready-to-fuck-an-empress-just-yet/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Three Rules for Literary Success: 1. Read a lot. 2. Write a lot. 3. Read a lot more, write a lot more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/three-rules-for-literary-success-1-read-a-lot-2-write-a-lot-3-read-a/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Utopias are boring. Distopias on the other hand, are interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/utopias-are-boring-distopias-on-the-other-hand-are-interesting/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“History could be as arbitrary as poetry, he told himself: what is history, other than a matter of choice, the picking and choosing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/history-could-be-as-arbitrary-as-poetry-he-told-himself-what-is/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“It’s because I hate to think that anything goes to waste. I mean, that anything that was ever important or valuable or precious to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-s-because-i-hate-to-think-that-anything-goes-to-waste-i-mean-that/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“Death was the only question that contained its own answer, and when you asked the question and had the answer you were gone, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/death-was-the-only-question-that-contained-its-own-answer-and-when/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Men of great spirit are at high risk at a time when small souls rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/men-of-great-spirit-are-at-high-risk-at-a-time-when-small-souls-rule/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“I'm an urban New Yorker to the last molecule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/i-m-an-urban-new-yorker-to-the-last-molecule/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“He met me at the airport; it was ten in the morning, Washington time, when I arrived, after having taken a plane that left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/he-met-me-at-the-airport-it-was-ten-in-the-morning-washington-time/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“He felt disgruntled and obscurely let down at having paid good money to discover that the vision that had so irradiated his consciousness was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/he-felt-disgruntled-and-obscurely-let-down-at-having-paid-good-money/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“I tried to be good to Judith, I tried to be kind and loving, but our hatred kept coming between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/i-tried-to-be-good-to-judith-i-tried-to-be-kind-and-loving-but-our/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“As youngest boy in service, the worst jobs fell to him, and this would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/as-youngest-boy-in-service-the-worst-jobs-fell-to-him-and-this-would/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [I find the world and all it contains extremely fascinating. Is this sinful?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/i-find-the-world-and-all-it-contains-extremely-fascinating-is-this/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) [Explore all 44 Robert Silverberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s writing. I don’t think the novels of Jane Austen could have been written by a man nor the stories of Ernest Hemingway by a woman, and in the same way I believe the author of the James Tiptree stories is male.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Silverberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absurd" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30d/robert-silverberg-14952_absurd_it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-fe_58260.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something…” — Robert Silverberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Silverberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It has been suggested that Tiptree...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```