The War Against Women by Marilyn French

June 13-17, 2006--War Against Women by Marilyn French

Okay, so something's happened to me since I went through composition studies training and taught freshman comp. I once was able to sit and read a feminist tome and get so very angry at society, believing everything I read. Comp studies, though, taught me to find holes in arguments. I have to say that I'm rather surprised at how popular Marilyn French is. I found her argument full of areas that lacked support and, at times, she came across as ranting (not good). If this had been presented as theory or some such, yeah, I could've bought into that (I "buy into" spiritual writing all the time), but it isn't--she presented the book as stone cold fact.

I'm trying to keep in mind that this was written back in the early 80's. There are some things that she touches on that improvements have been made. But there's this one section that really got me--a series of "scenes" of women being downtrodden and brutalized. The way it was written--without any documentation at all--it might as well have been a work of fiction. It goes back to that same old adage--show me, don't just tell me.

Something else--I agree with her about some of E.O. Wilson's findings--the way he leaps to conclusions in some of his work. However, it seemed to me that in almost the same breath French was condemning Wilson's leaping, she herself was doing the very same thing!

Final thoughts--if you're a die-hard feminist, maybe you'll agree with everything French puts on paper, without the need for her "showing her work," so to speak. I, however, think that there are other authors out there with much better thought out and proven arguments. 'Nuff said.