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Book Club Discussions!
Jul. 5th, 2006 01:17 pmOur first discussion board….
Harold Bloom is a renowned and award-winning literary critic and in his introduction is a book of literary criticism of “The Handmaid’s Tale” he writes that the book shouldn’t be read as a dystopian look at the future of American politics but as a Gothic tale that warns against the ugly streak of Puritanism that America has never gotten out of its system. Mr. Bloom is right that the book is definitely a warning against the fanaticism and culture of control that seems to rear its monstrous head in America and then slumbers, only to be awoken later, but Mr. Bloom also states that Margaret Atwood’s reason for writing the book—that this book is about what happens when the common statements made about women by the Christian Right, in particular, are taken to their logical conclusion—is wrong. Mr. Bloom feels that no one in America could possibly get away with telling women to pop those babies out and stay in the kitchen. And yet, even now as I sit at my desk at work, I am looking at a book by a woman who advocates that women should stay home with their children (nothing wrong with that, if that’s your cup of tea) and that the man should, absolutely, no questions asked, be in charge of the household (again nothing particularly wrong with that, if that is how you and your mate decide to run things) and a book by Dr. Laura Schlessinger that basically turns a marriage into the relationship of a pet and its owner (except that the owner must submit to the pet’s wishes because he is the man and breadwinner). The title of the book is “The Proper Care And Feeding Of A Husband” and I have read it cover to cover. The premise is basically that women are too selfish in marriage and need to put their spouse first. Which is fine, advocating unselfishness, but Dr. Schlessinger also pretty much states that a man is no better than an iguana or a hamster and that feeding him and loving him like you would your doggie is the key to a happy marriage. She writes that marriage is about as complicated as taking care of your cat. It is also one-sided, total responsibility for the marriage rests in what the woman does and says. (Granted, she apparently wrote a book for men on how to treat women, but I have not read it because I don’t think I could stomach it). It is a bestseller on the non-fiction lists. I checked--this particular volume has over 55 circs. Impressive for a volume just added to the catalogue six months ago. So Americans are reading these works. The problem with them in my opinion isn’t what they say, as abhorrent as I find many of the ideas, but that they are directed to ALL women in America and much of their political commentary is basically, well America sucks because women aren’t doing the things we advocate. So my question to you dear members is, do you think that Bloom is right and that the issues in the “Handmaid’s Tale” are no longer a problem and that the only people who worry about these things are silly feminists that don’t realize there is no more need for feminism or is there a very real danger of women losing many of the rights to choose that they have recently gained? Keep in mind current political discourse and debate while discussing this.
Harold Bloom is a renowned and award-winning literary critic and in his introduction is a book of literary criticism of “The Handmaid’s Tale” he writes that the book shouldn’t be read as a dystopian look at the future of American politics but as a Gothic tale that warns against the ugly streak of Puritanism that America has never gotten out of its system. Mr. Bloom is right that the book is definitely a warning against the fanaticism and culture of control that seems to rear its monstrous head in America and then slumbers, only to be awoken later, but Mr. Bloom also states that Margaret Atwood’s reason for writing the book—that this book is about what happens when the common statements made about women by the Christian Right, in particular, are taken to their logical conclusion—is wrong. Mr. Bloom feels that no one in America could possibly get away with telling women to pop those babies out and stay in the kitchen. And yet, even now as I sit at my desk at work, I am looking at a book by a woman who advocates that women should stay home with their children (nothing wrong with that, if that’s your cup of tea) and that the man should, absolutely, no questions asked, be in charge of the household (again nothing particularly wrong with that, if that is how you and your mate decide to run things) and a book by Dr. Laura Schlessinger that basically turns a marriage into the relationship of a pet and its owner (except that the owner must submit to the pet’s wishes because he is the man and breadwinner). The title of the book is “The Proper Care And Feeding Of A Husband” and I have read it cover to cover. The premise is basically that women are too selfish in marriage and need to put their spouse first. Which is fine, advocating unselfishness, but Dr. Schlessinger also pretty much states that a man is no better than an iguana or a hamster and that feeding him and loving him like you would your doggie is the key to a happy marriage. She writes that marriage is about as complicated as taking care of your cat. It is also one-sided, total responsibility for the marriage rests in what the woman does and says. (Granted, she apparently wrote a book for men on how to treat women, but I have not read it because I don’t think I could stomach it). It is a bestseller on the non-fiction lists. I checked--this particular volume has over 55 circs. Impressive for a volume just added to the catalogue six months ago. So Americans are reading these works. The problem with them in my opinion isn’t what they say, as abhorrent as I find many of the ideas, but that they are directed to ALL women in America and much of their political commentary is basically, well America sucks because women aren’t doing the things we advocate. So my question to you dear members is, do you think that Bloom is right and that the issues in the “Handmaid’s Tale” are no longer a problem and that the only people who worry about these things are silly feminists that don’t realize there is no more need for feminism or is there a very real danger of women losing many of the rights to choose that they have recently gained? Keep in mind current political discourse and debate while discussing this.
