INTERCOURSE

by Andrea Dworkin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1987

A noted feminist argues that the root cause for female oppression is--hang on--sexual intercourse. To Dworkin the sex act is ""an act of invasion and ownership"" which, in itself, renders the male dominant, the female subordinate. Both sexes, she says, regard copulation as a possession by the male of the female. The male, she says, takes the female as an imperialist nation subdues a colonial people. It is this inherent inequality, says Dworkin, that has inspired the body of canon and civil law that codifies the inferiority of women and has also produced a language that frequently demeans women, plus much literature that reinforces what is accepted as woman's essential ""inferiority."" In developing her thesis, Dworkin cites numerous sources: Holy Scripture, Moses Maimonides, Leo Tolstoy, Gustave Flaubert, Kobo Abe, Isaac Bashevis Singer, etc. The selected fictional works, in particular, demonstrate that men are often uncomfortable with their own sexuality and frequently hostile to women. But it's a far leap to conclude that the sex act in and of itself mandates a lower status for women. Dworkin evidently doesn't believe that most of the strictures that have enmeshed women have been primarily geared to assure the continuation of the species and to guarantee paternity. In fact, she virtually ignores the fruits of copulation--pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and child care--all of which make it difficult for women to compete fully for the seats of (male) power. She also doesn't tackle the dilemma she has created: if sexual intercourse renders women inferior, should women remain celibate? What then for the future of Homo sapiens? She admits: ""How to separate the act of intercourse from the social reality of male power is not clear. . ."" and mentions, almost in passing, the ideas of Victoria Woodhull who, in the 19th century, declared that the women has a ""natural right"" to be the ""controlling and dominating partner"" who alone should choose when intercourse is to occur. Dworkin hammers out her (some might say pointless) argument in impassioned, often inspired prose, with much admirable documentation. Her theme may well be just sufficiently quirky and outrageous enough to attract the kind of media attention that inspires a wider readership than her book really deserves.

Pub Date: April 1, 1987

ISBN: 0465017525

Page Count: -

Publisher: Free Press/Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION