Challenge 1064

Who and What

In Gary Inbinder’s Milady: What neutral term could have been used instead of the medical term “tumescence” in chapter 14? What consideration might have influenced the word choice?
In John Knych’s A Good Male:
1. The narrative shifts its point of view between the husband, the wife and their daughter. What do the shifts accomplish? Could they be avoided without losing important characterization? If so, how?
2. The society depicted in the story is based on misandry. Why might it be more liable than misogynistic societies to lack genetic diversity?
In Lisa Lahey’s The Fisherwoman’s Tale: Is Enid’s experience with the fish hallucination due to a tragic flaw of Enid’s or is it due to an inexorable fate?
In J. B. Polk’s The Woman from a Botero Painting: Are there other artworks that depict or suggest physical or mental disorders such as Harriet’s?
In Jennifer Thomas’s, Distant Ancestors:
1. How does Yasmin confirm rather than overstep Bewildering Stories’ guideline about stereotypes? Is Yamin part space-alien simply because the geneticists say she is?
2. Why do the geneticists not ask Yasmin’s mother to spit in a test tube and provide them with her own sample? Is space-alien stock limited to male transmission?
In Ron Sanders’ Around the Corner: Who or what might “they” be? Family? Neighbors? Political rivals? Authorities? Oneself?