Jude Ellison Sady Doyle's 'Spezzate' Examines Society's Obsession with Women Who Fail

Jude Ellison Sady Doyle's book 'Spezzate. Perché ci piace quando le donne sbagliano' (Tlon, 2022, translation by Laura Fantoni and Andrea Salomone) explores the voyeuristic fascination with women who deviate from patriarchal norms, termed 'trainwrecks.' Doyle analyzes figures like Charlotte Brontë, Mary Wollstonecraft, Sylvia Plath, Billie Holiday, Miley Cyrus, and Britney Spears, arguing they are stripped of narrative control. Originally published in the US in 2016, the book now sees social media as the primary tool for destroying women who fail to conform. Doyle cites Monica Lewinsky as a successful reclaimant of her narrative, shifting focus to cultural sexism. The interview discusses the 'queer art of failure' (Jack Halberstam) and the dichotomy in portraying historical women like Valerie Solanas as either martyrs or monsters. Doyle critiques tokenism and 'cancel culture,' noting that in the US, censorship targets marginalized voices, not the powerful.