Analyzing the Fiction
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 6:30 pm
An article about the fiction on the Eunuch Archive has been accepted (pending very minor revision) by an academic journal. I will post full information once it is in print. But, in the meantime, here are a few points that speak to some recent posts here.
The article analyzes the 100 stories that received the most 5-star ratings on the Archive and compares them with the 100 stories that received the fewest star ratings. One of the immediate findings is that the lowest ranked stories are written at an average 5th grade reading level. This is where most popular romance novels rank, so it is certainly within the range of published literature. What is most interesting to me is that the top stories averaged toward the upper end of 7th grade reading level. Some popular authors whose published fiction ranks about the same are Thomas Pynchon, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Virginia Woolf. Reading specialists have commented that most adults prefer pleasure reading a couple of grade levels below their actual reading level.
Very little popular fiction ranks above 8th grade reading level, and some well-known authors rank at 6th grade reading level such as Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Stephen King, Susan Collins, etc.
The most common theme in the most highly-rated stories is that the castration results in securing a permanent sexual partnership. Long-term romantic relationships are a common outcome of the castration, whether it was voluntary or involuntary in the story.
That many of the castrations are involuntary is consistent with Male-to-Female fiction before widespread acceptance of MtF transition. The protagonist is forced to do what he really wants to do. As everyone here knows, its difficult to discuss desire for castration with others. Its very difficult to obtain from medical personnel. Its difficult to talk about the desire with friends or family. Loss of control is a major theme in the fiction. Having the castration done to one involuntarily removes any stigma from the desire. This aspect of the fiction may change as orchiectomies become easier to obtain.
Many of the aspects of the fiction closely parallel the survey data that weve gathered about the eunuch community. Gay vs. straight percentages are almost exactly the same. Even the number of stories that feature minors tracks survey data on when those already castrated would have preferred to have been castrated. A survey asked 131 eunuchs (already castrated) that, if they could live their lives over, at what age would they prefer to have been castrated. Just over one-half indicated an age of 18 or younger with one-quarter of the 131 choosing 12 or younger. Twelve was the most common single age chosen. Twenty-seven who were actively seeking castration also responded with similar ages. Among the top-rated stories, 43% involved children ages 18 and younger, a lower percentage than those who would prefer to have been castrated as minors.
[This essay is written at 10.7 grade reading level]
The article analyzes the 100 stories that received the most 5-star ratings on the Archive and compares them with the 100 stories that received the fewest star ratings. One of the immediate findings is that the lowest ranked stories are written at an average 5th grade reading level. This is where most popular romance novels rank, so it is certainly within the range of published literature. What is most interesting to me is that the top stories averaged toward the upper end of 7th grade reading level. Some popular authors whose published fiction ranks about the same are Thomas Pynchon, Tom Clancy, John Grisham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Virginia Woolf. Reading specialists have commented that most adults prefer pleasure reading a couple of grade levels below their actual reading level.
Very little popular fiction ranks above 8th grade reading level, and some well-known authors rank at 6th grade reading level such as Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson, Stephen King, Susan Collins, etc.
The most common theme in the most highly-rated stories is that the castration results in securing a permanent sexual partnership. Long-term romantic relationships are a common outcome of the castration, whether it was voluntary or involuntary in the story.
That many of the castrations are involuntary is consistent with Male-to-Female fiction before widespread acceptance of MtF transition. The protagonist is forced to do what he really wants to do. As everyone here knows, its difficult to discuss desire for castration with others. Its very difficult to obtain from medical personnel. Its difficult to talk about the desire with friends or family. Loss of control is a major theme in the fiction. Having the castration done to one involuntarily removes any stigma from the desire. This aspect of the fiction may change as orchiectomies become easier to obtain.
Many of the aspects of the fiction closely parallel the survey data that weve gathered about the eunuch community. Gay vs. straight percentages are almost exactly the same. Even the number of stories that feature minors tracks survey data on when those already castrated would have preferred to have been castrated. A survey asked 131 eunuchs (already castrated) that, if they could live their lives over, at what age would they prefer to have been castrated. Just over one-half indicated an age of 18 or younger with one-quarter of the 131 choosing 12 or younger. Twelve was the most common single age chosen. Twenty-seven who were actively seeking castration also responded with similar ages. Among the top-rated stories, 43% involved children ages 18 and younger, a lower percentage than those who would prefer to have been castrated as minors.
[This essay is written at 10.7 grade reading level]