In Defense Of Women

by H. L. Mencken

Overview

The 1918 book In Defense of Women by H. L. Mencken discusses women and how the sexes interact. The book has received both progressive and reactionary reviews. Mencken did not advocate for women's rights, but he did disparage ordinary males by describing women as wiser in a number of innovative and observable ways. The defense was originally titled A Book for Men Only, but it also had the working titles The Eternal Feminine and The Infernal Feminine. In an effort to reach a larger audience, Mencken issued a new edition of the book in 1922 after Philip Goodman had first published it in 1918. This Alfred Knopf second edition was both lengthier and kinder than the first. Mencken frequently advocated political, religious, and metaphysical viewpoints that emphasized their grotesqueness and absurdity; in this context, he welcomed escape from the alleged deceit of such solemn issues. The book received excellent reviews, with four times as many positive as negative ones, according to Carl Bode. Less than 900 copies of the book's initial edition were sold, which was a disappointing result. During the more progressive Roaring Twenties, the second edition fared significantly better in terms of sales.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789357481328
Publisher:	Double 9 Books
Publication date:	01/02/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	463 KB

Table of Contents

	Introduction	v
I.	The Feminine Mind	1
II.	The War Between the Sexes	13
III.	Marriage	35
IV.	Woman Suffrage	69
V.	The New Age	100

Introduction

American author, critic, and journalist, H. L. Mencken maintained that "the average woman, whatever her deficiencies, is greatly superior to the average man. The very ease with which she defies and swindles him in several capital situations of life is the clearest of proofs of her general superiority." Ever the iconoclast, Mencken viewed gender relations as a battlefield. His deference to female supremacy is that of a soldier awed by an opponent's overwhelming skill and cunning: "There was no weakness of man that she did not penetrate and take advantage of. There was no trick that she did not put to effective use. There was no device so bold and inordinate that it daunted her." In Defense of Women was written during World War I and first appeared in print in 1922, only a few years after American women had achieved the right to vote. Nearly a century later its topics, ranging from monogamy, polygamy, and prostitution to the double standard, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and declining birth and marriage rates, remain of vital interest to modern readers. Written in Mencken's characteristic no-nonsense manner, this volume crackles with controversy and caustic wit.

Editorial Reviews

Mencken's 1922 treatise contends that women are superior. Although told with his usual sarcasm, the book does hit on several real issues, such as employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and other double standards that still plague society. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal