Subject of famous/infamous New Yorker "Cat Person" short story revealed

[Anonymous]

Kind of meta - woman who wondered if the the short story, "Cat Person," (which stirred up A LOT of commentary when it was published in the NYer 3.5 years ago) was about her, confirms IT WAS based on her even though she had never met the author, and the actual story itself diverged greatly from the relationship with the older man that she had.

Kind of wild. Both the short story and the essay are really well-written.

Short story: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person[url]

Essay: https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/07/cat-person-kristen-roupenian-viral-story-about-me.html

[Anonymous]

Correct link to the original story:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person

[Anonymous]

I read that today. Super interesting. I remember the original story from when it was first written - I think we could all relate to it in some way. I feel bad for Alexis and “Charles” too. It sounded like from the way Alexis described their relationship, it wasn’t great but it wasn’t as bad as the short story either, and people immediately connected them to the short story so it had to have been SUPER awkward.

[Anonymous]

I also wonder how Kristen (the short story writer) and “Charles/Robert” knew each other.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing. I recall hating that Cat Person story. It seemed to me there was a real generational divide in how people viewed it. I’m somehow comforted by the fact that the reality of their relationship is not what was written down.

I’m pretty sure there’s a lengthy thread on here about it from when it went viral.

[Anonymous]

I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

Could you please re-explain, but in small words my fried brain can understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

OP here - are you for real?

Did you read the Slate article?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

The Slate piece is written by the woman whose life and relationship was fictionalized by the author of the short story. The background of the fictional character, including her relationship with an older man, were so similar to her real life that people were texting her about it as soon as the story came out.

Talk about someone missing the point. Jesus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

The Slate piece is written by the woman whose life and relationship was fictionalized by the author of the short story. The background of the fictional character, including her relationship with an older man, were so similar to her real life that people were texting her about it as soon as the story came out.

Talk about someone missing the point. Jesus.

The Slate writer texted with Charles after the article but didn’t ask how he and the original author knew each other. Original author said she had an “interaction” with Charles at their university. But Slate author and Charles dated for like 2-3 years in reality, right? Not just, basically, the short, almost one night stand in the original piece. My bet is that original author heard through the grapevine that early-mid 30s Charles was dating a college freshman and was so aghast at it that she decided to write a semi-scathing piece against both of them.

[Anonymous]

Why wouldn’t the Slate writer ask Charles if he knew the short story writer? Or if he understood how their story made it into print? Weird.

[Anonymous]

KR said she drew on her own experiences. Couldn’t this just be a coincidence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

So much nonsense drama.

[Anonymous]

It’s nonsense drama, but it demonstrates Roupanian lacks ethics, character, perspective, and both creative and sympathetic imagination. The story was a nothing to me when I read it and it’s further degraded knowing now that she did an insane amount of heavy lifting from real life, lied to a subject of the story, and now tried to guilt an unwitting subject of the story with “incels wanted to kill me!” It’s just pathetic and juvenile bullshit, and for what? For an inartful, unimportant little dross viral bit of crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like you're sort of (and even the slate piece) is missing the point.

The author of cat people said it was 100% fiction. The slate writer figured out it was about her and confirmed with thee cat people author that those were her details, it had been based on her. Charles admitted to another friend he was upset that the cat people author 'dragged" slate author "into it."

So, it seems like the people in the story were slate and Charles, but the truly bad experiences were Cat people and Charles. Cat people fictionalized her bad experience with Charles by subbing in slate author's bio details.

OP here - are you for real?

Did you read the Slate article?

I'm a DP. This is exactly what she did. Cat People author also apologized for not having changed out identifying details. It was bad for Slate author, but horrible for "Charles". He did not do what Cat People said he did. But by Cat People NOT changing identifying details, it is assumed "Charles" did those things. Frankly, I wonder what he died of.