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Book Review
Jan. 22nd, 2014 12:42 pmFear of Flying
by Erica Jong
This highly autobiographical novel, narrated by the main character, Isadora, is a fun read. Isadora recounts and reflects on her life and relationships as she accompanies her husband on a professional trip to Vienna and tries to figure out what she really wants in life. Jong's writing is vivid, witty, and lively. Isadora is a very sympathetic character - even when I didn't agree with her choices or opinions, I still very much liked her and if she were a real person, I would want to be her friend.
My only issue with Fear of Flying is that is has not aged entirely well. I'd always heard it described as a revolutionary feminist novel, and I can see how it would have been very much that in 1973. Jong is very frank about female sexual desire and female experience and takes on issues of gender roles in a way that was surely exceedingly rare in that day. However, such honest and open explorations of women's inner and sexual lives are much less rare, which made Fear of Flying seem hardly ground-breaking or revolutionary at all to me. Nonetheless, I am really glad I read this book, for both the historical perspective on feminist writing and for the sheer pleasure of reading it.
by Erica Jong
This highly autobiographical novel, narrated by the main character, Isadora, is a fun read. Isadora recounts and reflects on her life and relationships as she accompanies her husband on a professional trip to Vienna and tries to figure out what she really wants in life. Jong's writing is vivid, witty, and lively. Isadora is a very sympathetic character - even when I didn't agree with her choices or opinions, I still very much liked her and if she were a real person, I would want to be her friend.
My only issue with Fear of Flying is that is has not aged entirely well. I'd always heard it described as a revolutionary feminist novel, and I can see how it would have been very much that in 1973. Jong is very frank about female sexual desire and female experience and takes on issues of gender roles in a way that was surely exceedingly rare in that day. However, such honest and open explorations of women's inner and sexual lives are much less rare, which made Fear of Flying seem hardly ground-breaking or revolutionary at all to me. Nonetheless, I am really glad I read this book, for both the historical perspective on feminist writing and for the sheer pleasure of reading it.
