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katnissevergreen's review
4.0
"One other discipline is essential both to the practice of feminism and to its theoretical integrity: the firm, unsentimental, continuous recognition that women are a class having a common condition. This is not some psychological process of identification with women because women are wonderful; nor is it the insupportable assertion that there are no substantive, treacherous differences among women. This is not a liberal mandate to ignore what is cruel, despicable, or stupid in women, nor is it a mandate to ignore dangerous political ideas or allegiances of women. This does not mean women first, women best, women only. It does mean that the fate of every individual woman—no matter what her politics, character, values, qualities—is tied to the fate of all women whether she likes it or not"
"Sexual intelligence in women, that rarest intelligence in a male supremacist world, is necessarily a revolutionary intelligence, the opposite of the pornographic (which simply reiterates the world as it is for women), the opposite of the will to be used, the opposite of masochism and self-hatred, the opposite of “good woman” and “bad woman” both. It is not in being a whore that a woman be comes an outlaw in this man’s world; it is in the possession of herself, the ownership and effective control of her own body, her separateness and distinctness, the integrity of her body as hers, not his."
"Sexual intelligence in women, that rarest intelligence in a male supremacist world, is necessarily a revolutionary intelligence, the opposite of the pornographic (which simply reiterates the world as it is for women), the opposite of the will to be used, the opposite of masochism and self-hatred, the opposite of “good woman” and “bad woman” both. It is not in being a whore that a woman be comes an outlaw in this man’s world; it is in the possession of herself, the ownership and effective control of her own body, her separateness and distinctness, the integrity of her body as hers, not his."
margztgz's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.75
kind of a depressing slog to get through and honestly veered further off topic than i think was necessary, however dworkin is consistently biting and accurate in her assessment of feminist issues and analysis of right wing women. i will say that though she lays out fantastic historical analysis, there is a certain essentialism she brings to discussion of gender that i think is somewhat outdated today and produces a nihilism around potential for empowerment within heterosexuality and within gender regardless of what it is that i think is counterproductive. i think considering the weakest links of women that are right wing is a really worthwhile subject: even still, i felt that this book could be strengthened through a theorizing of how to bridge the gap/unite/change womens' ideas in this category? which is not something feminists and left wing women are obligated to but is something worthwhile to consider. i can see how dworkin's work was extremely radical and impactful for it's time, especially by presenting the sheer horror and facts of womens' oppression, yet i don't think it exactly stands the testament of time.
nordiccowgirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I think that it’s important to read works like this to get a sense of where we were and where we are and where we can still go. I think that centering an idea of feminism around the ideas of those who came before us as well as engaging with work of those doing the work now is important so that we don’t become myopic. I don’t agree with everything Dworkin claims, but I think that she has a lot of intersectionality and grace for her “enemies” that modern feminists could use as a sign that women’s liberation has historical intersectionality. I’ve seen claims that most feminism up until now has been focused on white women, but I think that’s because books like these are no longer in print and the focus of “normal” textbooks and social media posts have been very white centered lately. I think it’s important to not try to create a divide among us now based on those misconceptions when women HAVE fought for true equality for a long time, regardless of race. As Dworkin points out, the division of women by race and class only helps the men hold the patriarchy and only the equality of all women will truly free us all.