LL-L: "Songs" LOWLANDS-L, 15.OCT.1999 (01) [E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 15.OCT.1999 (01) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: $ Elsie Zinsser [ezinsser at simpross.co.za]
Subject: LL-L: "Songs" LOWLANDS-L, 12.OCT.1999 (03) [E]

Hi all!

Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk] wrote:

 By the way, this song illustrates one of the things I find most
puzzling about the Merry Muses - a very large proportion of the songs
seem to be written from a woman's point of view! Why should that be?

and Ron said:

 Could it be because men tend(ed) to find it more titillating to
"hear" such things related from the point of view of a supposedly
innocent girl gone astray, just like the stories and novels written by
men through women's voices now and then, older examples being "Moll
Flanders" and "The Story of O"?

I think it was more than titillating to the target audience. The songs
were probably sing-alongs by mostly drunk and lewd tavern guests who
fall into the category of "all worked up but nowhere to go". Hearing the
object of desire's words being sung as if coming from her very own lips
must be the nearest and cheapest substitution available. Fantasy and
wishful thinking are at play here. Remember those guys did not have the
pouting mouths of Playboy core pieces to ogle at and drool on.

Regards,

Elsie Zinsser

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