Reviews for Female sexuality

The average rating for Female sexuality based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-23 00:00:00 James Hunt I think if I'd have read it a few years ago I'd be utterly losing my shit over this book. As things stand, the authors were way too uncritically immersed in Freudian-era theory, and heteronormative to the point of absurdity. Published in the early 90s, it even goes so far as to acknowledge and celebrate the mainstream cultural absorption of declaratively non-het experience in that period, but still somehow seems unable to extend even the courtesy of using genderless descriptives in discussions of romantic/sexual relations. In fairness, a central concern here is how a woman asserts herself and thrives in a male world, but (so?) the absence remains peculiar. That being said, I gained a lot from discussions of the foundations of rage, and the complicated bodily experience of such strong emotions. The retelling of the Medusa myth felt deeply important, and validating, and in many ways this book foregrounds the "misandry movement" currently taking place online (though always seems to quickly back away from actually indicting men). I really enjoyed the book's incorporation of ancient mythological and pop cultural (contemporary mythological) case studies, but a strange tic was the frequent lack of context when relating contemporary media-friendly criminal trials, as though the authors didn't expect this book to outlive its decade (a self-fulfilling prophecy). All in all, worth a read, especially if like me you've always had a soft spot for Medusa without quite knowing why. Or if, like me, you've always had a sneaking suspicion you'll die alone from a ruptured ulcer at the age of 32.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-07-05 00:00:00 Kate Sweeney This is definitely an outdated book. It made me feel the same way I feel whenever I read a "white feminist" book from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s (with the exception of Backlash/Faludi). So many things are no longer relevant. There's too much gender essentialism, too much Freud, too much heteronormativity, too little intersectionality in Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power. I give it three stars for the Medusa myth and its retelling. It was the best part.