Editing Fiction Containing Gender-Neutral Pronouns
Louise Harnby
- 13 december 2023
- 9781915141286
Samenvatting:
CIEP guides provide a short, basic introduction to the various skills and knowledge needed to work as an editorial professional. They are intended for copyeditors and proofreaders, both practising and potential, and will also prove useful to others involved in publishing content, including businesses, organisations, agencies, students and authors.
Every person has the right to choose the pronouns that align with their own sense of self. This has implications for fiction editors. Normative pronoun use centres objective perception, meaning characters' pronouns are prescribed. A conscious‑language approach centres subjective identity, meaning those pronouns are revealed.
Louise Harnby explores the implications for narrative viewpoint and outlines a workable approach to editing gender-neutral pronouns in fiction. The guide includes:
- traditional and conscious-language approaches to pronouns
- different narrative viewpoint styles and why they matter
- how single- and multiple-pronoun universes work
- acknowledging gender identity without pronouns
- a comprehensive list of third-person gender-neutral pronouns
- how much explanation writers should give about the pronouns they've used.
Basing its examples on real works of fiction, the guide offers a wealth of options for working with gender-neutral pronouns. This essential resource should be a part of every mindful fiction editor's toolkit.