Thursday, June 23, 2011

Books About Women & Sexuality



You poor darlings,
Today you get my thoughts on literature and women's sexuality. I read two novels when I was in South America. One was "The Widow's Children" by Paula Fox. The other, "The Country Girls" by Edna O' Brien, who is quite famous. I heard a radio interview with Edna O' Brien and realized as with so many other things, that I know all about her but have never read her. "The Country Girls" caused quite a sensation when it was published in England some fifty years ago with its frankness both about the Irish and sexuality.

After reading both I feel Paula Fox, who is almost unknown, is really the better writer. Her book is about the underlying lethal relationship in families, and touches upon a subject I feel is very universal but almost never discussed from a woman's point of view in U.S. literature. Paula Fox should be far better known. I plan to read more of her books.

Edna O'Brien, however, touches upon something I also think we know almost nothing about. That is how women feel about having sex. In her book the central woman loves being in love but accepts the sex part as a kind of duty. Not bad, but she really doesn't dig it. I wonder how many women feel this way? I kind of want to do a book "Forty Women Talk About Sex." I think even Dr. Kinsey didn't really get much real information in this area. I'd love to hear from my women blog readers, my "blogettes" on this subject.

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