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As I finish up my presentation on C.L. Moore, a quick note on women writing under gender neutral pen names. Source after source claims that C.L. Moore was trying to masquerade as a man. This is quite simply not true--a claim made on assumptions rather than evidence (thread)
When Moore submitted "Shambleau" to Weird Tales at age 22, she was working as an executive secretary in Indianapolis, supporting aging parents at the height of the Depression. She said she used her initials so that no one at her job would pick up the pulp and recognize her name.
The magazine referred to her in subsequent issues using she/her pronouns, she signed letters printed in the magazine "Miss Catherine Moore," and she very soon became active and well known in the WT fan community.
H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, the most admired writers in the community, praised her work and openly used she/her pronouns--her gender was not a secret. Howard even sent her his own story about a female warrior to get her feedback.
Moore did occasionally get fan mail addressed to "Mr. C.L. Moore." One such letter was from a young writer named Henry Kuttner. Reader, she married him.
I have no major point other than that we shouldn't assume that women took male or gender-neutral pen names to hide their identity or that they were forced to do so in order to publish--which is the usual narrative given to Moore. Like most things, the truth is far more complex.
Also, women and nonbinary people don't need to be "saved" or "recovered" and published under their female birth names. Let's preserve their agency and publish them under the name they chose for themselves.
Credit for much of this information goes to Eric Leif Davin, "Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965." An essential reference source if you are interested in this topic.
Final tweet in thread: C.L. Moore was a HELL of a good writer and if you have even a shred of interest in science fiction, go find “Shambleau” or “No Woman Born” and get to know her. If you prefer fantasy, try “Black God’s Kiss.”
PS: C.L. Moore invented Han Solo. If you read her Northwest Smith stories and tell me he’s not the basis for Han, I’ll eat my space helmet.
