Philip Roth and Joan Didion have each written compellingly about death,
but their insights about dying and mourning signify a retreat from the
world rather than an embrace of the forces by which we all live and die.
With spring come glimmerings of new social attitudes: The popularity of
V for Vendetta proves films with a social conscience resonate;
Kanye West’s challenge to rap homophobia shows gangsta style is not the
only option.
From Brokeback Mountain’s closeted cowboys to King Kong’s
embrace of Anne Darrow, Hollywood has queered cherished icons of
masculinity. But the two films paint a bleak picture: Love that falls
outside the norm must struggle to be something more than
self-destructive.
Is Commander-in-Chief softening up the country for President
Hillary? Americans may not not be ready to put a woman in the White
House, but they may have calmed down enough to contemplate the
pleasures of female power.