"A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more ""monstrous"" version of feminism
A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more ""monstrous"" version of feminism
The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures. In our language, in our stories (many written by men), we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds-who are angry or greedy or ambitious, who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough-aren't just outside the norm. They're unnatural. Monstrous. But maybe, the traits we've been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths.
Through fresh analysis of eleven female monsters, including Medusa, the Harpies, the Furies, and the Sphinx, Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology. She guides women (and others) to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger, anger, ugliness, and ambition, teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero- one that looks a lot like a monster, with the agency and power to match.
Often, women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness, of being grotesquely alien, by tamping down those qualities that we're told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity. But monsters also get to do what other female characters-damsels, love interests, and even most heroines-do not. Monsters get to be complete, unrestrained, and larger than life. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us. After seeing where compliance gets us-harassed, shut out, and ruled by predators-women have never been more ready to become repellent, fearsome, and ravenous."
By:
Jess Zimmerman
Imprint: Beacon Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780807054932
ISBN 10: 0807054933
Pages: 356
Publication Date: 18 May 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
A Note to the Reader Introduction: Sister Monsters How to Turn a Man to Stone Voracious Dogs Below the Waist Singing for Bread The Snatchers That’s What You Think Social Justice Warriors Deep Houses Shark, Snake, Swarm Come Back Twice as Hard Epilogue: Mother of Monsters Acknowledgments Resources Credits
Jess Zimmerman is the editor in chief of Electric Literature. Her essays, fiction, opinion pieces, and prose poetry have appeared in publications including Vice, Slate, The Cut, the Washington Post, The Guardian, and the New Republic. She lives in Brooklyn. Connect with her @j_zimms.
Reviews for Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology
A thoughtful and deeply personal set of meditations on two subjects dear to my heart. Though as I read this, I couldn't help but feel that it had been written for me personally, I suspect that it was written for you too. --Kelly Link We are so long overdue for new mythologies about women and power. Jess's book is a pitch-perfect antidote to the sexist hash of our traditional stories. --Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes Her Jess Zimmerman's writing is always intimate and fierce, piercing and warm. I loved Women and Other Monsters--I ate it up, and it felt a little like it devoured me right back. --Scaachi Koul, author of One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter Women and Other Monsters reconsiders and spins anew myths that have long instructed and inspired us, detailing modern and longstanding terrors women face while illuminating the monstrous powers we may yet reclaim. I started to make a list of people I wanted to give this book to, then realized the answer was just 'everyone I know.' Jess Zimmerman's writing is always a gift, and this is a work of epic bravery and beauty, brimming with insights that slice to the bone. --Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir
