The Gray Area with Sean Illing

When you can't separate art from artist

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What do we do when an artist we love does something monstrous? Constance Grady, a culture writer at Vox, talks with Claire Dederer, the author of Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma. They discuss how to reckon with the facts and feelings of consuming art by someone who's done something bad, if it's possible to separate the art from the artist, and what responsibility — if any — comes with being a fan.

Host: Constance Grady, (@constancegrady), culture and gender writer

Guest: Claire Dederer, author of Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma 

References: 

  • Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer (Penguin Random House, 2023)
  • “What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?” by Claire Dederer (The Paris Review, 2017)
  • Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Ofill (Penguin Random House, 2014)
  • Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman’s Guide to Truth by Pearl Cleage (Cleage Group Publication, 1990)


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    This episode was made by: 

    • Engineer: Patrick Boyd
    • Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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