A review by thecatwood
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

4.0

Fear of Flying is the foremother of some of my favorite reads of the last year and a clear influence on writers such as Dodie Bellamy, Shelia Heti, Kate Zambreno, Cheryl Strayed. The themes are the same: the female artist, female expression within a masculine canon, sexuality and the conflict when it diverge with the socialized and sanitized norm, what constitutes a worthwhile subject for art and writing. Jong has a voice that flits between neurotic, self aware, and occasionally unreliable but never taxing. FoF contains the multitudes of shifting feelings and thoughts that a semi autobiographical novel explores. The feminism is second wave, the analysis a bit dated, but its worthwhile not only as a piece of historical feminist literature but a work that is funny, relevant, and illuminating.