The pet lobster thing totally diverted me and I discovered that people are adopting what we call yabbies and you in the US call Australian red claw crayfish. I had a pet one in the 90s that I rescued from a fishmonger and called Dead Elvis. He would impale his goldfish friends at night and eat them. You have also convinced me to go buy this book.
Michelle, I will enroll immediately in any online lit crit/analysis course you develop. Or a book club around syllabi you propose. This was such an engaging and insightful analysis of how AOO ties to the literary lineages of NE U.S.A. writing. It left me wondering, though: where is the women-opting-out literary and social lineage? And people of the working and lower socioeconomic classes. Most of the opting out related in AOO and the lineage you recount is contingent on a lot of privilege. I'm not asking why we don't see these other story lines in literary history; but rather, where are they. I don't believe they don't exist. (I guess I'm saying, I'm not talking about the Strayeds and the Brontës or whoever else is the class equiv of Alan and Emerson et al.)
This is such a great question, Bethann! I think two things are true here. One is that the history of opting out, whether through intentional communities or solo, is filled with women and the poor and other marginalized figures—although the production of printed texts about those experiences are far fewer. The second is that patriarchy and capitalism are everywhere, including in utopian efforts to escape one or both of those systems, and that has often made these spaces less welcoming and less free for women and the poor (and the non-white and non-Christian). I think your question also makes it clear that our ways of defining “opting out” often start with assumptions that prevent us from seeing the truly broad and complex range of what opting out actually looks like, today and in the past.
Thanks for this thoughtful and detailed reply, Michelle! So much to ponder here. Looking forward to talking more about it with you when you're done with your teaching stint in Monterey!
The pet lobster thing totally diverted me and I discovered that people are adopting what we call yabbies and you in the US call Australian red claw crayfish. I had a pet one in the 90s that I rescued from a fishmonger and called Dead Elvis. He would impale his goldfish friends at night and eat them. You have also convinced me to go buy this book.
😂
"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."--Henry David Thoreau.
"Beware of all enterprises that require deodorant." Alan Anderson/ Courtney Maum
"The scent of these arm-pits [is an] aroma finer than prayer." -- Walt Whitman
Totally seeing the lineage here Michelle! Wonderful piece!
Ok that’s genius!
Absolutely loved this! I loved Vivian and Alan so much more than I expected to love them. Here’s to opting out!
You will always feel like my twin opt-outer, Bridget ❤️
Yes!! I love that so much. 2026 seems to be a good year for opting out. Can’t wait to hear more about what comes next ❤️
Great book review.I can't wait to read it. Thanks for opting out in order to share more of yourself, Michelle.
Thanks Judy ❤️
I love this type of analysis! It feels like being back in college, in a lit class, dissecting works of art
Thank you for reading!
Michelle, I will enroll immediately in any online lit crit/analysis course you develop. Or a book club around syllabi you propose. This was such an engaging and insightful analysis of how AOO ties to the literary lineages of NE U.S.A. writing. It left me wondering, though: where is the women-opting-out literary and social lineage? And people of the working and lower socioeconomic classes. Most of the opting out related in AOO and the lineage you recount is contingent on a lot of privilege. I'm not asking why we don't see these other story lines in literary history; but rather, where are they. I don't believe they don't exist. (I guess I'm saying, I'm not talking about the Strayeds and the Brontës or whoever else is the class equiv of Alan and Emerson et al.)
This is such a great question, Bethann! I think two things are true here. One is that the history of opting out, whether through intentional communities or solo, is filled with women and the poor and other marginalized figures—although the production of printed texts about those experiences are far fewer. The second is that patriarchy and capitalism are everywhere, including in utopian efforts to escape one or both of those systems, and that has often made these spaces less welcoming and less free for women and the poor (and the non-white and non-Christian). I think your question also makes it clear that our ways of defining “opting out” often start with assumptions that prevent us from seeing the truly broad and complex range of what opting out actually looks like, today and in the past.
Thanks for this thoughtful and detailed reply, Michelle! So much to ponder here. Looking forward to talking more about it with you when you're done with your teaching stint in Monterey!
Soon!!
I just finished the book and love this take!
Thank you for reading!
It's great to see you back on Substack, Michelle! Congrats on the retirement; looking forward to reading more of your writing!
May we all always contain multitudes! Loved this one. Thanks, Michelle!