I never read Friedan, or Steinem or deBouvior (sp? wrong, I know, this is a blog) but I did read The Women's Room and internalized it along with Confessions of a High School Prom Queen and Fear of Flying.
In fact, I made my teenage daughter read a chapter from one of her books and synopsize it for me as punishment for something or other unrelated to feminism.
Now, fair warning, the following quote is harsh. We don't talk this way anymore. Why not, I'm not sure. Cuz we have to fit in, even with ourselves I guess.
But I've never forgotten it. Nor, disagreed with it.
She was called anti-male after a character in the novel says: "All men are rapists, and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes."
"Those words came from a character, and she was not a man-hater, and never said that in her personal life," Jenkins said. "But she wanted men to accept their part in the domination of women."
I did read Brownmiller and lots of others, in my own defense. Literally, my own defense.
Here's the NYT on French.
I am sorry to hear about her death. I only met her once, in Seattle when she was on a book tour. She was very clear about her beliefs and not unwilling to elaborate on them. Once she got into her stride, her amazing eyes would flash with both conviction and humor. We talked for about an hour in the bar of her hotel and I can recall her remarks almost 30 years later.
ReplyDeleteI still have copies of some of her books, including the copy of The Women's Room that she autographed for me.