Running Head: ANALYZING THE SCENT OF A WOMANS INK

Analyzing the Scent of a Womans Ink

Samantha Maria Cabrera
Ivy Tech Community College

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Abstract
This rhetorical analysis examines Francine Proses Scent of a Womans Ink. The purpose of this
analysis is to understand why Prose chooses the topic and how she effectively makes use of
empirical data, primary sources and her own personal opinions to shape the article. The scope of
this paper is very small, only using the four references to pick apart the magazine issue. The
audience should be able to understand how Prose tackled the issue of female writers works
being taken less seriously in literature than mens.

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Analyzing the Scent of a Womans Ink

The topic of this rhetorical analysis is Harpers Magazines issue Scent of a Womans Ink
by Francine Prose. The purpose of the analysis is to examine how Francine Prose takes the topic
of female writers publishing their works and approaches how the field is still domineered by
male authors. By thoroughly inspecting the details of the article, understanding the context of
when it was written, and researching the authors personal background, the reader will be able to
understand the motivations of the subject and how Francine Prose chose to tackle it.
The context of the article in question takes place in June 1998, the tail-end of the decade,
and also a prominent point in time when strong women in works of fiction and film were on the
rise. Francine Prose, during that time, acted as both an author and writer of several works in
Harpers Magazine. She graduated from Radcliffe College and later Harvard University
(Discover, 2015). Aside from contacting Harpers Magazine directly, the only contact
information available is through her Facebook.
In her writing, Prose does her best to display an inquiring tone, however, she often comes
off as passive-aggressive in her questioning of mens comments on how they view womens
writing. Her targeted audience are the magazines readers, women who feel their writing isnt
taken seriously by the opposite sex, and men whom she desires opinions and insight from on the
issue (Adams, 2014). Her main point in her inquiry is, But some of us cant help noting how
comparatively rarely stories by women seem to appear in the few major magazines that publish
fiction, how rarely fiction by women is reviewed in serious literary journals, and how rarely
work by women dominates short lists and year-end ten-best lists. (Prose, 1998).
The type of argument being presented based on information in CTW is of evaluation and
substantiation. Her purpose in Scent of a Womans Ink is to understand how and why womens

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literary work is not taken as seriously as mens (Prose, 2011). The argument is structured both on
empirical data and primary sources from acclaimed male authors that have strong opinions of
female literature.
In the following passages, Prose displays her use of empirical data and primary sources to
make this point to the audience; there is proof in the lack of female authors being celebrated in
major award ceremonies when compared to men, as well as common opinions on womens work
by men:
In last years New York Review of Books, twenty-five books of fiction by men were
reviewed and only ten books by womenin essays written by three times as many men as
women. Since 1980, sixteen men and two women have won the PEN/Faulkner Award; and
fourteen men and four women, the National Book Award. No works of fiction by women were
included among the five finalists for the Los Angeles Times book prize last year (though the Los
Angeles Timess winner in a category for first fiction was a woman, the short-story writer
Carolyn Ferrell, who took the prize with the appropriately named collection Dont Erase Me).
(Prose, 1998).
In an essay on Katherine Anne Porter, Theodore Solotaroff referred to Porters
bitchiness and relentless cattiness, terms used, perhaps too rarely, to scold mean-spirited
male writers. (Prose, 1998).
Using the sources in her article, Francine Prose evokes from her reader a sense of
injustice and dismay; demanding that the audience becomes aware of this issue and feels
sympathy towards female writers. She continues to lead the reader on with more varied
information; making her own analysis on what defines a written piece as belonging to either a
male or female authors ink. She presents literary works of both genders together for the reader

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to debate which belongs to the proper sex, and disproves the myth that men cannot write
sentimental pieces and that women cannot create gruesome, brash works of fiction.
Prose does not rely on imagery or any sensory details to influence or add flavor text to
her audience. While this may have a negative effect on visual thinkers, leaving the article bare
allows the reader to focus solely on the controversy of the topic and allows the article to maintain
a sense of professional integrity that would only detract with some fancy clip art or image blurb.
One of the major issues displayed in Scent of a Womans Ink is the lack of a clearly
defined main point or thesis. Prose spins paragraph upon paragraph of well written opinion and
fact, however, understanding what her main point was required reading Proses own analysis, On
Women Writers and V.S. Naipaul. Despite the main point being deciphered through a thorough
reading of the entire text of Scent of a Womans Ink, such a difficult comprehensive display
lowers readability and understanding.
Another glaring problem with her article is that her sources, while defined, are not
properly cited with a reference page. The piece does its best to appear almost academic in
formality but strays short by binding itself to Harpers Magazines format. Francine also neglects
to poll opinions from female authors, although it is cause for debate whether those opinions are
necessary since she supplies ample support statements through her own personal experience as a
woman with a written career. Choosing such a grey topic to evaluate as she has limits her ability
to come up with a sound argument. Her article remains within the genres of controversial
research over the sexes.
Francine Proses Scent of a Womans Ink is an inquiry into understanding how
and why female writers works are viewed in a less serious manner than mens. Her use of
empirical data and primary sources along with her strong voice propel the article into being a

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credible research piece despite lacking a clear thesis statement and choosing such a morally grey
topic. Her writing manages to continue raising questions and controversy in her audience even
after more than a decade has passed since she wrote her piece (Prose 2011).

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References
Adams, J. (2014). MRI Doublebase, 2014: Demographics Highlights. Harpers Magazine.
Retrieved from http://harpers.org
Prose, F. (1998, June). Scent of a Womans Ink. Harpers Magazine, (June). Retrieved from
http://harpers.org
Prose, F. (2011, June 9). On Women Writers and V. S. Naipaul. Harpers Magazine, (June).
Retrieved from http://harpers.org
Discover Author: Francine Prose. (2015) New York: Harper Collins Publishers. Retrieved from
http://harpercollins.com