Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
**Warning--this is a LONG review but I wanted to remember some of the important parts of this book that had meaning to me, so I explain and quote in detail here.**Although I feel the writing in this book could use a bit more editing and refining (according to the intro, the author died and his family worked to get this published, so that may be why it is a little rough), I found the topic to be fascinating. This book really is a "brief" history of misogyny--and yet, although I know the author could have gone into so much more detail, there are still so many examples of misogyny packed into this little book it could make your head spin. Holland begins his history with the ancient Greeks. He doesn't just arbitrarily choose this period to begin with, though--he affirmatively argues that this is the right beginning of misogyny. I don't know if I buy that--and I know other reviewers have taken issue with the Western bias as well. But I let it pass because, as I mentioned earlier, this is a "brief" history and I don't take it to be a complete treatise on the matter and because Western history is most relevant to my own heritage.Let me point out just a few things that struck me about the book. For one, and this was probably naïve, but I was shocked by the severe misogyny of the long extolled Greek philosophers, especially Aristotle. I was angry that we learn about these "great thinkers" in school, with no mention of the more pernicious side. (This is nothing unique, of course--school children are notoriously taught a gilded version of history). For example, Aristotle taught that semen carried the human soul, and women played a merely nutritive role in the human creation process. Furthermore, "the full potential of the child is reached only if it is born male; if the 'cold constitution' of the female predominates, through an excess of menstrual fluid in the womb, then the child will fail to reach its full human potential and the result is female. 'For the female is, as it were, a mutilated male,' Aristotle concludes." This irritates me because he just pulls this conclusion out of thin air, and yet it goes on to dominate thought for nearly 2,000 years, greatly influencing social behaviors and Christianity along the way. So, I found myself struggling on how to feel about these men, and many, many others throughout history who are famous or "great" for one reason or another, but who carried and/or perpetuated horrible views about women (or Jews, or blacks, or what have you). Take Washington and Jefferson--great founding fathers, but both slave owners; or King--great civil rights leader, but a philanderer. I guess you just have to acknowledge people as being merely human--no one is perfect, and perhaps we ought to look at each person in the context of their time in history (because we are all victims to our time). It is a question of gradation--there is a line to be drawn, somewhere, when a person has gone too far to any longer be held up as admirable. Maybe we ought to just reserve our severe judgment for those whose views have not only been merely a reflection of their time, but have harmfully promoted and furthered those views. I don't really know the answer.Back to the book. The next thing that struck me was learning a little more about the history of Christianity, in terms of its misogyny. It all begins, for some reason, with a train of thought perpetuated by the likes of St. Paul, early Christian writer Turtullian, and St. Augustine (all perhaps influenced by early classical thinkers), rejecting the body--its needs and desires--as inherently evil and a hindrance to greater knowledge of God and to salvation (one of Christianity's newly created ideas). Marriage was seen as a necessary evil to at least reign in bodily (sexual) desires, but "sanctity was identified more and more with virginity." These views worked themselves especially harshly on women--"women was bound to suffer because of our nasty habit of blaming that which we desire for making us desire it." (And of course it didn't help that it was woman that caused the original downfall of man in the first place, according to Genesis). So as just one resulting example, women must dress modestly to avoid tempting men who can't help themselves. (Gosh, does this sound like a familiar idea even today?)So this actually brings me to the point I found most interesting--the exaltation of Mary (at least within what would eventually became the Catholic church). It was just really fascinating to me to see how this actually came about--it was really such a snowball effect. This is just to summarize: after Jesus dies, people are left to sit and think about it all and men inevitably begin coming up with explanations for everything. First they argue and decide that Jesus was both man and God (something Jesus never really said outright). So, if Jesus is God, that means Mary has to be the mother of God. The Gospels mention Mary being a virgin at Jesus' birth, but because of the nasty feelings about sex going around, it seemed unfitting that the Mother of God had defiled herself ever in such a way--so it was determined that Mary was always a virgin. Also, they decided it was unsuitable that Mary should have suffered a fate as human and base a death, so they decided that she ascended into heaven, body and soul, instead of dying. Later, people decided it would be unbefitting of the Mother of God to have been born with original sin like the rest of us shmoes, so it was decided that Mary was the only human being (other than Jesus) to have been born without original sin (the Immaculate Conception). It took hundreds of years after Jesus' death to come to all of these conclusions--most of which have no basis in Jesus' teachings or the Bible. (In fact, the author calls Jesus' views on women "revolutionary," and of course in many ways the status of women did improve somewhat with Christianity). In the end, the glorifying of Mary created quite a problem for real women, though. How is anyone supposed to live up to that standard of perfection? It is impossible, and women are continued to be seen as evil, sexual impediments to Godly salvation. The best a woman could do was to remain a virgin (and these thoughts remain today to a large extent), thus denying women one important aspect of their being--their sexuality. Skipping far ahead to the end of the book, I just wanted to point out that I liked Holland's conclusions on the subject. He quotes Steven Pinker in saying that there is "no incompatibility between the principles of feminism and the possibility that men and women are not psychologically identical." Holland explores in the book the fact that trying to argue that men and women are exactly the same, which many feminists have done in the past, can be just as harmful to women and is really just another form of misogyny in that it denies women their unique traits. He continues in his quote in saying that "equality is not the empirical claim that all groups of human beings are interchangeable; it is the moral principle that individuals should not be judged or constrained by the average properties of their group." Example: just because women, as a whole, are not as physically strong as men does not mean that those who are qualified should be denied a place in the military, if they so desire. (As my own personal side note--I think it is also important, of course, not to give credence to inaccurate "average properties" such as that women are less intelligent than men.) Continuing with this idea, we shouldn't denigrate things that are considered "female"--"the solution is not to reject beauty, but to reject misogyny," as the author puts it. One final conclusion that I liked was Holland's argument that "the women's right to choose is not only central to their own integrity, but to the very roots of what makes us human and distinguishes us from other primates." Think of how much better things are when women are allowed to choose their partner, be allowed to control when they have sex (the right to say NO!), to control their own property, and to vote. My final comment is that one thing I found lacking with the book was an explanation of why there is misogyny in the first place. This book is really just a collection of examples. Perhaps it is too difficult to really get at the root of why or how this began, and that still baffles me. I know humans are always suspicious of the "other"--such as other races, religions, nationalities, etc. But with women being half the world's population, why is gender discrimination historically so one-sided? Was it really just because men are physically more dominant and began asserting their control and their will (and their supposed superiority)at the most early phases? Who knows.
How many people have sat down one day and said, "Gee, I think I need to learn more about the history of misogyny!"? I did! I saw my coworker reading this and expressed interest in it. Unfortunately, I don't think the brief part of A Brief History of quite sank in at the time ... I was expecting something a bit more....For anyone largely uninitiated into gender issues or the history of misogyny, I would recommend this book as a good read. Holland is a good writer, and he covers the subject comprehensively. However, the book was difficult to finish. It didn't pull me into the analysis of misogyny like I had hoped. This book suffers from several oversights or deficiencies that don't detract from the material in the book so much as they prevent the book from achieving its full potential. Firstly, it should be called A Brief Western History of Misogyny. Jack Holland starts in ancient Greece and Rome and works his way up to Victorian Britain and 1960s America. Yes, he briefly detours into pre-colonial India and China, and toward the end he turns his gaze on Taliban Afghanistan and the Muslim Middle East. Overall, however, his overview of misogyny is written from a Western perspective. It's understandable, since most of modern society can trace its roots to ancient Greece and Rome. However, I would have liked to hear in more detail about the other ancient cultures that contributed to modern society (mostly Eastern cultures), as well as a little expansion into tribal Africa.Secondly, Holland's adherence to the historical pattern of development is often at odds with his tendency to draw parallels to the various contributing factors toward misogyny (his favourite appears to be dualism). This is why I had to force myself through some parts--they just felt very dry.Finally, I think Holland over-extends his analysis a little too much. I do agree when he points out the misogynistic aspects of the Holocaust, of Nazism, of communism, etc. Sure, fine. However, these mentions feel more cursory than other areas of the book. I don't think he did these topics justice.A Brief History of Misogyny is exactly as advertised. It's brief, and it's a history. It's comprehensive and informative. It's not an incredibly entertaining book, so if you're worried your non-fiction enthusiasm is waning, don't read this book right now. On the other hand, if you're like me and spontaneously develop a desire to learn more about misogyny, then this book will serve that purpose fine.
What do You think about Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice (2006)?
A fascinating look at male/female relations throughout history. Neither a rant nor a justification for injustice, this book clearly explains how and (as much as he could) why half of the human population has for numerous reasons mistreated the other half. He shows how for the most part women have either been demonized as whores or elevated beyond reality as goddesses. Even in modern times the idea that women should control their bodies (abortion) or their sexuality and procreative abilities (contraceptives and promiscuity) have encountered opposition by religion, philosophy, nationalism, science and women themselves.
—Jessica Strider
Misogyny: The World’s Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland“Misogyny” is a powerful and riveting book about the cruel and crude history of misogyny. The late Jack Holland delivers an important book, an eye-opening book that at times is very uncomfortable to read but the knowledge is appreciated. This 320-page book is composed of the following nine chapters: 1. Pandora’s Daughters, 2. Women at the Gates: Misogyny in Ancient Rome, 3. Divine Intervention: Misogyny and the Rise of Christianity, 4. From Queen of Heaven to Devil Woman, 5. O Brave New World: Literature, Misogyny and the Rise of Modernity, 6. Victorians’ Secrets, 7. Misogyny in the Age of Supermen, 8. Body Politics, and 9. In Conclusion: Making Sense of Misogyny. Positives: 1.tPassionate prose. The late Mr. Holland pulls no punches.2.tWell-written and well researched.3.tThe fascinating topic of misogyny in the hands of a master.4.tTakes you on a ride that covers the globe and time.5.tA heartfelt introduction from author’s daughter.6.tThe book grabs and doesn’t let you go. At times jaw-dropping, at times horrifying but never boring.7.tHow the rise of Greece and Rome laid the foundation for misogyny.8.tA recurring theme, how woman’s supposed weakness is responsible for all subsequent human suffering, misery and death. The Fall of Man…9.tThe similarities and differences between slavery and misogyny.10.tSo much interesting history packed into three-hundred pages.11.tThe influence of Plato…the Theory of Forms as the basis for the Christian doctrine of Original Sin.12.tAristotle as one of the most ferocious misogynists of all time.13.tSome of the most amusing anecdotes you will ever read. Aristotle once stated that women had fewer teeth than men, Bertrand Russell’s comment, “Aristotle would never have made this mistake if he had allowed his wife to open her mouth once in a while”.14.tSome ancient customs (and current ones for that matter) will blow your mind. The custom of allowing male babies to live over female. WT??15.tThe history of some prominent Roman women.16.tCleopatra…always a riveting read.17.tThis book really does a good job of expressing the hang-ups of men throughout history. 18.tThe basis of Christian misogyny in its entire splendor.19.tI can’t tell you how many jaw-dropping moments I had reading this book. 20.tThe history of Christian apologetics and misogyny: Tertullian, Aquinas, St. Paul, Origen, St. Augustine, etc…some of the philosophy of Tertullian is just utter ridiculous.21.tHypatia…BTW, I highly recommend Agora, the movie about Hypatia played beautifully by Rachel Weisz. 22.tThe history of the Catholic Church and misogyny. Oh my G…23.tOne of the most horrifying accounts of cruelty, witch hunts! Witchcraft and demonic sex.24.tThe Enlightenment meets the Dark Ages.25.tThe history of religious upheavals. Martin Luther makes his presence felt.26.tGreat quotes. “If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?” Mary Astell.27.tIn short, the basic attitude of Christianity towards sex was that it was a shameful act. Shame on them.28.tThe Enlightenment and sex.29.t Eastern religions and sexuality.30.tGreat wisdom, “Perhaps poverty doesn’t create misogyny, but experience suggests that it tends to reinforce it”. So true.31.tEvil is never be complete until Hitler is mentioned. Nazism and misogyny.32.tThe cruelty of North Korea toward women. Appalling!33.tMany examples of nationalist, religious-based misogyny throughout book.34.tRape as war crimes.35.tWomen and abortions. Some of the best material on this sensitive topic. Great stuff!36.tWhat do Hitler, Stalin and Mao have in common? A woman’s right to choose, a fundamental aspect of her autonomy, must be crushed in order to achieve what they have deemed a “higher” religious, moral or social goal”. Wow.37.tMisogyny from the Taliban.38.tThe eye-opening fact, “Women still own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Just wrong! 39.tGreat book suggestions. Comprehensive notes section.Negatives:1.tLinks did not work.2.tSome of the crude tortures illustrated in this book may be a bit much for some. Very troubling accounts.In summary, “Misogyny” is a must read. All truth be known, I haven’t read a lot about this topic and my newfound fascination for it may have biased my review. Be that as it may, I found the topic not only fascinating but also enlightening. I highly recommend this book. Further recommendation: “The Blank Slate” by Steven Pinker, and “Man Made God” by Barbara G. Walker.
—Book
How anyone who is a subscriber to any of the major religions could read this, and not have an immediate crisis if faith feels next to impossible. Jack Holland has put together a brief history of Misogyny in which he starts way back in the Roman times of Caesar, around 100 BC, and ends during present day. While it may seem like attempting to drink from a fire-hose, Holland has broken the book up into different eras, and is made even more captivating by the immense amount of reference (for EVERYTHING!), which feels like it would have taken a lifetime to track down. Even if you are acutely aware of the misogynistic horrors and atrocities committed throughout history, you will still walk away from reading this shaken and in a start of disbelief. This should be required reading in young adulthood, and by anyone who is a supporter of women and equality.
—Zippy
