Uh, oh, the whole thing of leaving the novel in the cab and everything.Husbands and Wives · 1992 — Chapter 13 of 15 · 3'26" · C1
Rain Critiques Gabe's Novel, Explained: in your corner
A young reader tells the novelist she misplaced his manuscript in a cab, then admits the book made her feel threatened. What starts as a small confession becomes a fight about what fiction is allowed to say, and it ends with him calling her a twenty-year-old twit.
What happens
A young woman who has read the novelist's new book tells him she left it in a taxi. She then explains that parts of it made her feel threatened, and criticizes the way his characters treat women and the attitudes they express. He defends the book, loses his patience, and finally tells her he does not need a lecture on writing from a twenty-year-old.
Listen for
in your cornerturn on meretrogradebeneath you
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
in your corner
supporting you and on your side
雷恩把盖布的小说批得一无是处，盖布却强调自己始终站在她这边，是她的头号粉丝，随后才露出真正的火气。
Whatever you decide, I'm in your corner.
Also in this scene
- turn on me
to suddenly attack or turn against someone
- retrograde
going backwards; old-fashioned and regressive
- beneath you
not worthy of someone's dignity or standards
Everything marked in this scene
21 notes across 57 lines
No, don't be silly. You know, it could happen to anybody.- You misplaced it for a moment. - No.I think, maybe, I could have been threatened.- That's abs... - I mean, I'm very competitive by nature.supporting you and on your side
Because I'm in your corner. You know, I'm, I'm your biggest fan.Because I'm in your corner. You know, I'm, I'm your biggest fan.No, tell me. Tell me what your criticisms were.Uh, I was a little disappointed, I guess, with, uh, with some of your attitudes.- That's... - The book doesn't condone affairs.- I'm exaggerating for comic purposes. - Yeah.I mean, but are our choices really between chronic dissatisfaction and suburban drudgery?Well, you have to be careful not to trivialize with things like that.It's so retrograde. It's so shallow, you know?It was a great movie, but you despise the ideas behind it.not worthy of someone's dignity or standards
Okay, isn't it beneath you, as a mature thinker, I mean,to allow your lead character to waste so much of this emotional energy obsessing over this psychotic relationship with a woman that you fantasize as powerfully sexual and inspired when,Look, let's stop this right now because I don't need a lecture on maturity or writing from a 20-year-old twit.to suddenly attack or turn against someone
And you're weeping, and I'm consoling you. And suddenly you turn on me.Okay. I must have hit a nerve with you.Boy, I'd hate to be your boyfriend. He must go through hell.Rain Critiques Gabe's Novel, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a small collision between a writer's ego and a reader's honesty. The reader opens with a mild confession about losing the manuscript, and the writer immediately reassures her, saying he is "in your corner" and her biggest fan. That generosity disappears the moment she names what bothered her: the casual affairs and the way women are viewed. He tries to answer criticism with a comparison to Triumph of the Will, arguing that a work can be powerful and still be disliked, and she turns it around by asking if he despises her ideas. The argument ends where arguments like this usually do, with the older man calling the younger one a twit. She got under his skin, and he proves her point.
Theme
PrideA novelist cannot take criticism of his book, and his wounded ego turns a reader's honest notes into a personal attack.
IdentityThe fight is about whether the views in his fiction are his own, which makes the critique feel like a judgement of him.
What you'll learn
- 'the fucking thing' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'despise the ideas behind it' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
I mean, but are our choices really between chronic dissatisfaction and suburban drudgery?Her summary of the book's bleak view: it seems to say that adults can only choose between being unhappy or being bored.
It was a great movie, but you despise the ideas behind it.His analogy for criticism: a film can be excellent while its message is something you reject, so disliking the ideas is not the same as denying the craft.
Look, let's stop this right now because I don't need a lecture on maturity or writing from a 20-year-old twit.His attempt to end the argument by pulling rank: he refuses to be taught how to write or how to be mature by someone much younger.
Okay. I must have hit a nerve with you.Her read on his outburst: the criticism only hurt so much because it was true, which is exactly what he does not want to admit.
Questions about this scene
Why does Rain say the book threatened her?
She feels the attitudes in it, especially toward women, are one-sided and outdated. Rather than a single line, it is the book's whole view of relationships that makes her uneasy.
Why does Gabe bring up Triumph of the Will?
He wants to argue that a work can be artistically powerful and still have ideas you reject. It is meant to defend the novel, but it sounds like he is comparing himself to a notorious film.
Why does Gabe call her a 20-year-old twit?
He has run out of arguments and resorts to dismissing her age and experience. It is the moment the conversation stops being about the book and becomes about his pride.
What does "in your corner" mean?
It means being on someone's side and supporting them. Gabe uses it to reassure her that he is not attacking her, right before he starts defending himself.
Who wins the argument?
Neither of them really does. She makes her criticisms clear and refuses to take them back, while he ends the conversation by insulting her, which suggests he was the one who was rattled.
Husbands and Wives · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14go sourJudy Tells Gabe It's Over
Chapter 1grow apartJack and Sally Announce a Split
Chapter 2to the best of my knowledgeGabe and Judy's Late-Night Talk
Chapter 3a different ball gameSally Calls Jack During a Date
Chapter 4I meant it as a complimentGabe Praises a Student's Story
Chapter 5penchant forGabe's Kamikaze Women Theory
Chapter 6out of left fieldGabe and Jack Fight Over Sam
Chapter 7touch a nerveFriends Discuss Divorce Over Lunch
Chapter 8knocked out by itGabe and Rain Talk About Writing
Chapter 9Sooner or laterSally Stops Michael From Rushing
Chapter 10cleaned up my actGabe Meets Rain's Parents
Chapter 11out of lineJack and Sam Fight About Astrology
Chapter 12wipe outJack Comes Back to Sally Drunk
Watching · Chapter 13in your cornerRain Critiques Gabe's Novel
Chapter 14go sourJudy Tells Gabe It's Over
Chapter 15get the wrong ideaRain's Birthday Party in a BlackoutChapter 13 of 15 · about 7 min to go