tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post4302458834664527600..comments2024-03-01T10:16:11.283-08:00Comments on AmericanStudies: September 20-21, 2014: Crowd-sourcing Country MusicAmericanStudierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483077716534996778noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post-35761302577704610032014-09-19T18:39:40.856-07:002014-09-19T18:39:40.856-07:00ps - please excuse any typos... I've been gett...ps - please excuse any typos... I've been getting my nails did to fight off the Jolene's away from my man! :)englishteacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04295473633173919203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3939909775405220345.post-74650233172283846392014-09-19T18:38:29.612-07:002014-09-19T18:38:29.612-07:00I did want to comment on Paul B's reading of J...I did want to comment on Paul B's reading of Jolene. While I can certainly agree that the time and genre does ask that femininity be seen through the lens of vulnerability I would argue that this was Parton's intent. There is a quality of acquiescing to another woman's ability to "steal her man" but there is also a the possibility to read this as dominant over her man. Speaker argues to Jolene that "you can have your choice of men, but I know I can never love again" as a nod to J's superiority of looks (as first mentioned at the beginning of the song) but also as a nod to the fact that women have a competition of their own. In a time well before title 9 women had sports, and men were the ball. Speaker urges Jolene to leave her man alone not as a means to keeping her heart safe but her man's. Jolene would steal the man just to steal him and leave him as soon as he was won (as an easy fought victory is just as meaningless to a woman as it is to a man) so the man would be hurt by this as well. Speaker does imply that this would be a senseless theft as Jolene would take the man "just because (she) can". But to claim that this motive is selfish does seem incorrect on either front. If speaker begs J to leave her man alone to keep her heart safe this isn't really selfish, that's like asking someone to not stab me because I selfishly like my blood on the inside of my body. If for the other reason she warns off Jolene then this is truly selfless.<br />I admit to never having played with the play-back rate and will have to take a listen to it. Meanwhile I think it's great that a dialogue on a song that (except for Drunk History) no one is talking about as serious feminist criticism!<br />Cheers!englishteacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04295473633173919203noreply@blogger.com