For years I've been advocating a mass-market paperback called Fascinating Womanhood, by Helen Andelin, to all and sundry who would put up with it. But over the weekend I learned of an even older source - a charming little book published in the 1920s, from which Andelin gets most of her ideas, and, I'm very sorry to say, most of her content - unattributed.
Like Andelin's book, it is called Fascinating Womanhood. The author is anonymous, which intrigues me a bit.
You have to make some allowances for the period in which this was written - the writing style itself is simplistic to the point of feeling patronizing - but there's a lot of quality there, too. Human nature, after all, doesn't change.
Do, please, check it out.
And a special thinks to Penelope for introducing me to this booklet.
4 comments:
Oy, Laura! When I was first married my mother-in-law gave me a copy of this book. She used the "techniques" on all the men in her life--including my husband. But, I found the book very disturbing--to do things like tell a guy he looks like some movie star--sounds like manipulative lying. The book seems so dis-honest, manipulating men with your feminity, I think it's kinda not nice :( And I would hate a man manipulating me with his masculinity.
Tara, I don't remember manipulations of the nature you describe. To me, the great value of the book is that it taught basic psychology for understanding men - their need for acceptance, appreciation and admiration - and also affirmation - and for pointing out the distinctives between masculine and feminine, which we certainly have lost in this progressive feminist-dominated age.
Hello Laura :-)
Yes, that is a wonderful book with some timeless wisdom.
Love Melina xx
Thnaks, Laura, I saved it and am going to print it out and read it when I get a chance..
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