and so it goes.
You’d have noticed a most critical work is missing in this write up. Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” written in ……1792! The reason is that im still awed by the feat. The sheer progressiveness of such a book, the kind of resistance the author would have to deal with from the moment of conception of such a work is mind boggling. Hers was the first feminist work – she buried the seed for the movement which was to sprout and grow only a 135 years later. If youre a woman and you're literate: please - write write write!
I have left out huge chunks of this fantastic book (S/T P), because as I said earlier, I was overwhelmed by the scope of information it gave! I do hope you can get your hands on this book to read it some time (not to mention all the other wonderful writing on which this is based).
so that concludes the dash through feminist literature. i gather you folks werent wildly excited readin it, but i must say i was grinning happily whenever i was writing it! talk about awesome ideas for a life time... have a nice weekend all :)
Sexual/Textual Politics - the beginning of feminist writing
Kate Millett - Sexual Politics
Katherine M Roger, Mary Ellman
Labels: themes
scribbled by m. at 5:40 am
5 Comments:
sriram: wow... you made my day! im so glad you found it interesting :) hmm, no, i wouldnt tag any womans work as feminist literature. the writers politics should be feminist. while thats irrespective of the gender, im all for more women speaking up because if WE dont state our issues and fight against our conditions, we're going into victim mode and learned helplessness again. i dont know if its just my experience (i dont think it is) but even in this blog world ive seen far more men than women writing - i guess were very deeply conditioned to put up and shut up.
Thanks for these last few posts. I bought a very battered copy of 'A Vindication ...' some months ago at a bookfair for Rs. 10, but was rather reluctant to read it (after all, it was written long ago). Will read it now.
I have (more than once) been made acutely aware of the (perceived and real) 'not speaking up' problem. When I have expressed a feminist opinion to support a woman's opinion, I have been shot down twice or thrice by the retort, "Can't she stand up for herself?"
In fact, this is why when there was an ongoing argument between my male friends and a female reader on the feminist post on my blog, I decided to steer clear of the whole thing and let her silence them. Which she did very well. I know my friends, and if I'd supported her, they'd have said she's no true feminist because she 'needs' male support.
But I would like to add something to your blog world comment - a majority of my favourite blogs are by women. It seems to me that when women do shirk their conditioning to blog freely, they do it marvellously.
BTW, I finished 'The Female Eunuch' a few days ago. An excellent book. And it's so well-written - it's wonderfully quotable as well. Will try to get 'The Whole Woman' as soon as possible.
Hey, Supreme Court terms Women as assassins who unleash legal terrorism.
Read the last paragraph...
Supreme Court Calls women assassins...
It says,"But by misuse of the provision a new legal terrorism cam be unleashed. The provision is intended to be used as a shield and not as an assassin's weapon. If cry of wolf is made too often as a prank assistance and protection may not be available when the actual wolf appears."
One more:
It depicts women beautifully
er, rather late to the party - but I have been reading these with excitement - thanks for posting them in such detail - just haven't got around to telling you... there is so much in this I haven't read - embarrassed to say.
@aditya: yeah... its not easy being a feminist, whether youre male or female!people often equate masculine with patriarchal, which is from where the problem starts. happy hunting for whole woman :)
@anon: politicians. PAH!
@charu: hullo! youre most welcome any time :)) theyre fantastic books - and theyre so darned expensive and hard to come by - i pounce gratefully on anything decent like this that i may find in the library :)its my pet occupation to draw up book lists of routledge publications series that im going to own one day! :D
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