Talk:Amy Tan

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Untitled
how old was amy tan when she wrote the joy luck club?


 * I think it was published in '89, so she was 37, I suppose. Everyking 16:39, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Thought She Was Dead
I could have sworn this woman died within the past couple of years during cosmetic surgery. Or was that someone else?
 * MSTCrow 13:39, Apr 1, 2005 (UTC)
 * Nope, that was Olivia Goldsmith, author of The First Wives Club. Amy Tan is still living. RedRollerskate 18:35, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

An American Writer
Amy Tan prefers to be known as an American, not Chinese-American, writer. This is as noted in her autobiography, "The Opposite of Fate", written in 2003.

Gillian, Scotland


 * I edited the beginning of the article to reflect this important change, also based on information from Tan's website (www.amytan.net). Bapb 15:23, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I like the intro. On the hand, one could also mention that she prefers not be known as a Chinese-American writer... what do you think? --Ibn Battuta 20:49, 9 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Whether she likes it or not, she is of Chinese descent. There is no problem with her calling herself American but her Chinese descent should be mentioned somewhere in the intro. If no one has any objections, I'm changing this. --Wikipope 19:53, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

grandmother committing suicide
Tan's mother witnessed her own mother commit suicide. It's probably a good guess that that's where Tan got the inspiration for the one character in her book The Joy Luck Club.Jlujan69 00:41, 23 August 2006 (UTC)


 * It's explained in The Opposite of Fate as well. Tan actually asks her mother about her grandfather, and her mother says that she was the first wife and died in an accident.  Tan changes the details to make it more dramatic, which happens to be the real truth of what happens to her grandmother. Hbdragon88 05:07, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

psychiatrist falling asleep???
That psychiatrist story sounds very much like an urban legend. I've taken it out, if someone can provide a reliable source, we can still put it back in. Amy Tan has tied at least her career as a non-fiction writer to quite different motivations. --Ibn Battuta 20:48, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Video Interview with Amy Tan
I'm a professor/writing center director at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. Last Sunday I posted a link to a one-hour public television interview with Amy Tan. One editor allowed it, another deleted it, citing conflict of interest. It's true that, with sponsorship help from non-profit agencies, I produced the program for public television, but I received no money for it. One of our sponsors of the show is the National Endowment for the Humanities, and they only underwrite public service programs. Also, since the show was aired and produced for a PBS affiliate, we have to abide by a strict no advertising policy. So this and other programs in the series have already passed some very stringent litmus tests when it come to ethics.

If you visit writetv.org, you'll see that this is a university site and that all sponsors are non-profit foundations. Our reason for doing the site, and the reason we want to share it with Wikipedia as an external link, is that there are very few interviews available for most of the writers featured, so our site, like yours, is a great research tool for students.

Ironically, you'll notice that there is already one public tv link for Amy Tan, and it seems arbitrary to allow one and not another.

Again, our interest is only in promoting research of the authors we've interviewed, and we hope you'll your community will reconsider. Tmillerok (talk) 15:41, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

NPOV
The article says her mother Daisy "was forced to leave her three daughters from a previous marriage behind in Shanghai." That's one way of putting it. Another is that she chose to leave her daughters behind in order to escape the Communist revolution. It seems clear that Daisy was not permitted to take her daughters with her, but in the absence of evidence that she was forced to leave China, the latter explanation is more accurate and therefore more neutral. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.35.160.223 (talk) 15:00, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Not Wikiquote
Quotations sections do not belong on Wikipedia WP:NOT WP:QUOTE they go on Wikiquote instead. 64.4.93.100 (talk) 17:12, 6 July 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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Removal of a work from Tan's bibliography
A work was recently removed from the bibliography. But the term bibliography leads at least some people to think that it is comprehensive 9at least for books). I think either a good reason for the removal should be given, the work re-admitted, or the heading  'Bibliography' changed. Kdammers (talk) 11:18, 3 July 2018 (UTC)
 * - are you referring to the removal of Rules for Virgins? I agree. It seems that the novella was an excerpt from The Valley of Amazement, another book Tan wrote. However, it was independently published and I see no reason for its removal. I support you re-adding that content, and I assume there's a consensus to. It was removed without explanation. ‡ Єl Cid of ᐺalencia  ᐐT₳LKᐬ  15:40, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

Wording of the criticism part of the lead
The current wording of the criticism part of the lead is this:

"Despite her success, Tan has also received substantial criticism for her depictions of Chinese culture and apparent adherence to stereotypes."

My contention with this wording is that it seems too vague and does not specify what exactly the criticisms are. The word 'apparent' in particular does not seem appropriate, as it seems to cast doubt on what the source is asserting. I have proposed this wording instead:

"Despite her success, Tan has also received substantial criticism due to inaccuracies in her depictions of Chinese culture and a creative reliance on racial stereotypes."

This wording adds more specificity and clears up exactly what the contentions are with her work. I have been reverted several times because other editors have said that I am pushing a non-neutral point of view, but I am only restating and summarizing what the criticisms are. I am not pushing their point of view, I am only reporting their point of view.

Sawnew (talk) 21:17, 3 August 2018 (UTC)

>Please do not use the word "racial" stereotypes. Tan has probably been criticised for portraying cultural stereotypes, or even creating/inventing some, but racial stereotypes are a whole other thing-thanks. 2601:80:4580:5A3D:7C79:6ECC:A4F0:71B9 (talk) 13:15, 11 August 2018 (UTC)

Criticism section
Does anybody besides me think the "Criticism" section is heavy-handed? I note it was introduced by User:Ohio girl, who has since been banned for sock puppetry. Tan's books have been well received by critics in general. It appears to me User:Ohio girl had an ax to grind. I would like to remove this heavy-handed "Criticism" section. Any objections? Chisme (talk) 00:47, 25 September 2018 (UTC)

I think so. Heavy-handed that is. The whole paragraph sounds like a laundry list of accusations made by people who simply don't like Tan because she doesn't always portray Chinese culture or Chinese men in a flattering light. Sorry but they need to get over that. After all, if they don't like the way she writes they can always try writing their own books. Tell us how "it really is". Sweetness and light no doubt. LOL. Tan is the only American author I know of who has even attempted to write about the Chinese experience here in the States. Her work is seminal in that respect alone. The paragraph needs to be rewritten or taken out altogether. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.138.90.39 (talk) 08:43, 17 March 2019 (UTC)

Agreed that this section is heavy-handed, unbalanced, and not encyclopedic in tone. I have changed it to "Critical Reception" and added content to reflect the reality, that reception to Tan's books is overwhelming positive from literary critics and the public alike. Edits thus far are: 1) Added content related to positive reviews, awards, and 2) summarized the 'critical' section, which feels far too heavy for an encyclopedic article. If you or anyone else can help fill out Amy's positive contributions to literature and society, please feel free to expand this work. She is a jewel of a human being and writer, and this article should reflect that. --Pmlydon (talk) 02:57, 4 January 2024 (UTC)