Misogyny: the world's oldest prejudice
Jack Holland Constable & Robinson, 320pp, £8.99
ISBN 0786718234
The roots and causes of misogyny - uncontroversially defined by Jack Holland as "the hatred of women" - have not been subject to the same scrutiny as other aspects of the equality movement. Holland sets out to remedy this by tracing sin and misogyny back to the same root: Eve's responsibility for the fall of man and its subsequent treatment in the ancient Greek myth of Pandora. He then moves on to Roman culture and philosophy, the rise of Christianity and a variety of topics from the declaration of Mary's status as the mother of God to witch hunts. The whirlwind tour slows down for its treatment of the Victorian era to the present day, with a significant portion devoted to the 1960s.
In his conclusion, Holland rather predictably blames male ambivalence, in the face of female sexuality, for centuries of inequality. There is no doubt that Holland, whose family battled for his book's posthumous publication, was passionate about his subject, but the foreword's mention of his twin inspirations - "he loved history and he loved women" - is indicative of the lack of rigorous analysis to come. However, if you can stomach the hyperbolic presentation, this is an interesting overview of the forces that have sustained misogyny.
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