Victims of a false belief system, these women were following strict social convention by loyally conforming to the pretty image of the magazines, and found themselves. Jan 27, 20 in a strange way, all those deficits are the book s strength. The feminine mystique is the classic book that sparked a national discussion on womens roles and the problem that has no name in the 1960s. The feminine mystique by betty friedan, 9780141192055, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The feminine mystique 1963 bestselling book by feminist thinker betty friedan. The feminine mystique by betty friedan, published in 1963, is often seen as the beginning of the womens liberation movement. Friedans findings provided a cleareyed analysis of the issues that affected womens lives in the decades after the second world war, and became the basis to her book, the feminine mystique. For a womens history nerd like me, this book was awesome. Male homosexuality as the endpoint of the feminine mystique is not just artificial, a regrettable but accidental distortion of the reality it overlays. Us history chapter 30 betty friedan the feminine mystique.
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the feminine mystique, betty friedans book that raised the consciousness of millions who read it and shared it in a 1960s kind of way. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with. Part social chronicle, part manifesto, the feminine mystique is filled with fascinating anecdotes and interviews as well as insights that continue to inspire. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition ebook. Friedans controversial book about these women and every woman would ultimately set second wave feminism in motion and begin the battle for equality. The book that changed the consciousness of a country. But it showed that with all the education, american women. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and.
Sep 17, 2001 the book that pulled the trigger on history. Feministic in a good way, without the morbid extravaganza other reads of that type hold, its relevant even now and if you dont choose to believe so, at least you can appreciate it as a historical document. Ive been wanting to read this book since about 2011 when i had the author as a professor in his final semester teaching. Those who think of it as solely a feminist manifesto ought to revisit its pages to get a sense of the magnitude of the research and reporting friedan. Stephanie coontz teaches at the evergreen state college in olympia, washington, and serves as the director of research and public education at the council on contemporary families, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of family researchers and practitioners based at the university of miami.
If youve never read it, read it now and reflect on what our mothers and grandmothers were feeling at the time. Interviews with betty friedan, edited by janann sherman. In it, he exposed a startling, weirdly littleknown truth about its. Until i started writing the feminine mystique she confessed in 1973, i wasnt even. The feminine mystique by friedan, first edition abebooks. In the book, friedan defines womens unhappiness as the problem that has no name, then she launches.
The mystique is an artificial idea of femininity that says having a career andor fulfilling ones individual potential somehow go against womens preordained role. The feminine mystique is the false notion that a womans role in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife nothing else. First published in 1963, the feminine mystique ignited a revolution that profoundly changed our culture, our conciousness, and our lives. Primary source analysis on the feminine mystique essay. We will all get through this hard time and be stronger for it. I found most of her ideas to be extremely well thought out, and i can imagine how much the american housewife of the sixties, and later, really needed these ideas. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition kindle. Betty friedan, the feminist crusader and author whose searing first book, the feminine mystique, ignited the contemporary womens movement in 1963 and as a result permanently transformed the. In her book she draws on research into popular culture of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and interviews with nearly 200 women who read the feminine mystique shortly after it was published. The feminine mystique forever changed the conversation as well as the way women view themselves. Jan 14, 2019 the feminine mystique by betty friedan, published in 1963, is often seen as the beginning of the womens liberation movement. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. Extract from friedans the feminine mystique tue 7 feb 2006 06.
The feminine mystique is a very specific cry of rage about the way intelligent, welleducated women were kept out of the. It was and is important because it helped encourage so many women, during that. Here are the finest feminist books to brush up on your fem literature. Betty friedans the feminine mystique gave americas housewives an answer to the problem that has. Daniel horowitz further complicated the book s legacy with his 1998 book betty friedan and the making of the feminine mystique. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The questionnaire was quite interesting, and it raised more questions than it answered. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition by betty friedan. All she wanted, she said, was what every other american girl wantedto get married, have four children and live in a nice house in a nicesubtrrty. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Betty friedan and the making of the feminine mystique.
Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s would later say the feminine mystique was the book that started it all. In 1966, friedan cofounded and was elected the first. As the repository of betty friedans papers, radcliffes schlesinger library had good cause to recognize the first 50 years of her pathbreaking book, the. Her work propelled the stagnant womens rights movement into its second wave and helped women reclaim some equality. Feministic in a good way, without the morbid extravaganza other reads of that type hold, its relevant even now and if you dont choose to believe so, at least you can appreciate it as a. Npr stories about the feminine mystique betty friedan, cofounder of national organization for women now, speaks during the womens strike for equality event in new york on aug. This murky smog is the final smut, the last dirty word in the story of the mystique. Online the feminine mystique by betty friedan english how download format german audio price. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with its insights. The feminine mystique by betty friedan, 9781423395645, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The feminine mystique now feels both revolutionary and utterly contemporary. The feminine mystique by betty friedan vulpes libris. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. The feminine mystique norton critical editions 50 anv edition by friedan, betty 2012 paperback. She coined the term feminine mystique to describe the societal assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity, and child rearing alone. The feminine mystique is a 1963 book by betty friedan which is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. Published in 1963, it gave a pitchperfect description of the problem that has no name. Every writer yearns to create a book that will seize the moment to perfectly encapsulate the problem of an era before other people even notice the problem exists. Feb 07, 2006 every wifes silent question is this all. This work challenged women to move beyond the drudgery of suburban housewifery and helped launch what would become secondwave feminism. The book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world. The feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among women in mainstream american society in the postworld war ii period.
World war ii was such a monumental event that it is commonly used as a cultural divider for the twentieth century. The feminine mystique by betty friedan page 3 of 45. Betty friedan, who ignited cause in feminine mystique. The feminine mystique has been credited or blamed for destroying, singlehandedly and almost overnight, the 1950s consensus that womens place was in the home. Potter 1 rebecca potter gray section 4975 12 may 2015 primary source analysis on the feminine mystique the feminine mystique is the title of a book written by betty friedan who has also founded the national organization for women now to help us women gain equal rights.
The feminine mystique and american women at the dawn of the 1960s basic. Using a practice that becomes common throughout the book, friedan offers several case studies of unhappy women from around the united states, and she wonders whether this unhappiness is related to the female. With her book the feminine mystique 1963, betty friedan 19212006 broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles. A leading figure in the womens movement in the united states, her 1963 book the feminine mystique is often credited with sparking the second wave of american feminism in the 20th century. For a private showing in the gallery, call pat at 52098801. In hindsight, its difficult to gauge the full impact of certain books.
The suburban houewlfeshe of the efican women it was said, of women all over the world. Four decades later, millions of individual transformations later, there is still so much to learn from this book. Definition of the feminine mystique the feminine mystique is the false notion that a womans role in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife nothing else. The hub of the book is the meaning of the title, which friedan explains as the. Today it newly penetrates to the heart of isuues determining our lives and sounds a call to arms against the very real dangers of a newe feminine mystique in the economic and political turbulence of the 1990s. It was written in a postwar era when women were sent back home from the factories to concentrate on family and home and to be the dutiful wife in a.
Barkerbenfield and catherine clinton new york, 1991, 599615. Friedans book pulled the trigger on history, in the words of future shock author alvin toffler. The feminine mystique to take a job in a realestate office. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition kindle edition by friedan, betty, collins, gail, quindlen, anna, collins, gail, quindlen, anna. Radcliffes schlesinger library commemorated the 50th anniversary of betty friedans the feminine mystique by hosting a discussion on the evolution of gender roles since the book s release and its relevance to contemporary american society. He mentioned the book in the class which was amazing and ive wanted to read it, but i waited until i finally managed to read the feminine mystique which i would recommend. Due to the uncertainty of the corona virus, the feminine mystique art gallery will be closed for 2 weeks starting march 20. The feminine mystique half a century later brain pickings. A sensation on publication selling over 3 million copies, it established friedan as one of the chief architects of the womens liberation movement. Victims of a false belief system, these women were following strict social convention by loyally conforming to the pretty image of the magazines, and found themselves forced to seek meaning in their lives only through. Betty friedan wrote the feminine mystique to illuminate the plight of american women during the midnineteenth century through interviews with american housewives. It became the bible for the secondwave of feminism.
For insightful readings of friedans book, see donald meyer, betty friedan, in portraits ofamerican women. This study guide consists of approximately 102 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the feminine mystique. It is the most famous of betty friedans works, and it made her a household name. Friedan also cites world war ii as the main impetus for the development of the feminine mystique. Throughout the book, friedan compares many prewar and postwar statistics and examples to support her points. The feminine mystique chapters 5 8 summary and analysis. Best known for starting the second wave of feminism through the writing of her book the feminine mystique an account of housewives lives in which they subordinated their own aspirations to the needs of men. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely do justice to the pioneering vision and lasting impact of the feminine mystique. When betty friedan produced the feminine mystique in 1963, she could not have realized how the discovery and debate of her contemporaries general malaise would shake up society. Friedan begins the feminine mystique with an introduction describing the problem that has no namethe widespread unhappiness of women. Since its first publication in 1963, millions of people have read the feminine.
The reinvention of american society the feminine mystique now feels both revolutionary and utterly contemporary. Mar 04, 2010 friedans findings provided a cleareyed analysis of the issues that affected womens lives in the decades after the second world war, and became the basis to her book, the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique project gutenberg selfpublishing. Why the feminine mystique is still worth reading in 20.
This 50thanniversary edition features an afterword by bestselling author anna quindlen as well as a new introduction by gail collins. Its a great moment to celebrate this milestone work, which fundamentally altered the course of. February 4, 1921 february 4, 2006 was an american feminist writer and activist. Discussion of themes and motifs in betty friedans the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique by betty friedan is an iconic book that relentlessly changed the way the american woman saw herself, until its first publication in 1963. Mar 01, 2010 the book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world. Alvin toffler, author of future shock one of those rare books we are endowed with only once in several decades. Norton in 1957, friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former smith college classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion.
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