Nancy K. Miller Quotes
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Who we were as personalities, or our emotional styles. In retrospect, I’ve come to think that mood and temperament, especially depression, not just the vagaries of career or accomplishment, in the long run shape friendships for better or worse.
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My move to autobiography came about after two public humiliations, one by my advisor, one by another feminist. Don’t believe in the institution and its authorities, but do your work.
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The friendships with women—the women I write about in the book and others—included work. I wanted to show how shared work—parallel or in collaboration—makes for a different kind of affection and intensity.
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Feminism is what makes the role political, because mentorship means more than providing scholarly guidance and encouragement. It’s about demystifying one’s relationship to the institution. Helping younger women make their way is key, but so is acknowledging that the institution is corrupt.
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To justify an unorthodox life by writing about it is to re-inscribe the original violation, to re-violate masculine turf.