our androcentric culture-第8章

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what　do　we　find　of　history？

〃I　Pharaoh；　King　of　Kings！　Lord　of　Lords！　（etc。　etc。）；　〃went　down　into
the　miserable　land　of　Kush；　and　slew　of　the　inhabitants　thereof　an
hundred　and　forty　and　two　thousands！〃　　That；　or　something　like　it；　is
the　kind　of　record　early　history　gives　us。

The　story　of　Conquering　Kings；　who　and　how　many　they　killed　and
enslaved；　the　grovelling　adulation　of　the　abased；　the　unlimited
jubilation　of　the　victor；　from　the　primitive　state　of　most　ancient
kings；　and　the　Roman　triumphs　where　queens　walked　in　chains；　down　to　our
omni　present　soldier's　monuments：　the　story　of　war　and　conquestwar　and
conquestover　and　over；　with　such　boasting　and　triumph；　such　cock…crow
and　flapping　of　wings　as　show　most　unmistakably　the　natural　source。

All　this　will　strike　the　reader　at　first　as　biased　and　unfair。　　〃That
was　the　way　people　lived　in　those　days！〃　says　the　reader。

Noit　was　not　the　way　women　lived。

〃O；　women！〃　says　the　reader；　〃Of　course　not！　　Women　are　different。〃

Yea；　women　are　different；　and　_men　are　different！_　　Both　of　them；　as
sexes；　differ　from　the　human　norm；　which　is　social　life　and　all　social
development。　　Society　was　slowly　growing　in　all　those　black　blind　years。
　The　arts；　the　sciences；　the　trades　and　crafts　and　professions；
religion；　philosophy；　government；　law；　commerce；　agricultureall　the
human　processes　were　going　on　as　well　as　they　were　able；　between　wars。

The　male　naturally　fights；　and　naturally　crows；　triumphs　over　his　rival
and　takes　the　prizetherefore　was　he　made　male。　　Maleness　means　war。

Not　only　so；　but　being　male；　he　cares　only　for　male　interests。　　Men；
being　the　sole　arbiters　of　what　should　be　done　and　said　and　written；
have　given　us　not　only　a　social　growth　scarred　and　thwarted　from　the
beginning　by　continual　destruction；　but　a　history　which　is　one　unbroken
record　of　courage　and　red　cruelty；　of　triumph　and　black　shame。

As　to　what　went　on　that　was　of　real　consequence；　the　great　slow　steps　of
the　working　world；　the　discoveries　and　inventions；　the　real　progress　of
humanitythat　was　not　worth　recording；　from　a　masculine　point　of　view。　
Within　this　last　century；　〃the　woman's　century；〃　the　century　of　the
great　awakening；　the　rising　demand　for　freedom；　political；　economic；　and
domestic；　we　are　beginning　to　write　real　history；　human　history；　and　not
merely　masculine　history。　　But　that　great　branch　of　literatureHebrew；
Greek；　Roman；　and　all　down　later　times；　shows　beyond　all　question；　the
influence　of　our　androcentric　culture。

Literature　is　the　most　powerful　and　necessary　of　the　arts；　and　fiction
is　its　broadest　form。　　If　art　〃holds　the　mirror　up　to　nature〃　this　art's
mirror　is　the　largest　of　all；　the　most　used。　　Since　our　very　life
depends　on　some　communication；　and　our　progress　is　in　proportion　to　our
fullness　and　freedom　of　communication；　since　real　communication　requires
mutual　understanding；　so　in　the　growth　of　the　social　consciousness；　we
note　from　the　beginning　a　passionate　interest　in　other　people's　lives。

The　art　which　gives　humanity　consciousness　is　the　most　vital　art。　　Our
greatest　dramatists　are　lauded　for　their　breadth　of　knowledge　of　〃human
nature；〃　their　range　of　emotion　and　understanding；　our　greatest　poets
are　those　who　most　deeply　and　widely　experience　and　reveal　the　feelings
of　the　human　heart；　and　the　power　of　fiction　is　that　it　can　reach　and
express　this　great　field　of　human　life　with　no　limits　but　those　of　the
author。

When　fiction　began　it　was　the　legitimate　child　of　oral　tradition；　a
product　of　natural　brain　activity；　the　legend　constructed　instead　of
remembered。　　（This　stage　is　with　us　yet　as　seen　in　the　constant　changes
in　repetition　of　popular　jokes　and　stories。）

Fiction　to…day　has　a　much　wider　range；　yet　it　is　still　restricted；
heavily　and　most　mischievously　restricted。

What　is　the　preferred　subject　matter　of　fiction？

There　are　two　main　branches　found　everywhere；　from　the　Romaunt　of　the
Rose　to　the　Purplish　Magazine；the　Story　of　Adventure；　and　the　Love
Story。

The　Story…of…Adventure　branch　is　not　so　thick　as　the　other　by　any　means；
but　it　is　a　sturdy　bough　for　all　that。　　Stevenson　and　Kipling　have
proved　its　immense　popularity；　with　the　whole　brood　of　detective　stories
and　the　tales　of　successful　rascality　we　call　〃picaresque〃　　Our　most
popular　weekly　shows　the　broad　appeal　of　this　class　of　fiction。

All　these　tales　of　adventure；　of　struggle　and　difficulty；　of　hunting　and
fishing　and　fighting；　of　robbing　and　murdering；　catching　and　punishing；
are　distinctly　and　essentially　masculine。　　They　do　not　touch　on　human
processes；　social　processes；　but　on　the　special　field　of　predatory
excitement　so　long　the　sole　province　of　men。

It　is　to　be　noted　here　that　even　in　the　overwhelming　rise　of　industrial
interests　to…day；　these；　when　used　as　the　basis　for　a　story；　are　forced
into　line　with　one；　or　both；　of　these　two　main　branches　of
fiction；conflict　or　love。　　Unless　the　story　has　one　of　these
〃interests〃　in　it；　there　is　no　storyso　holds　the　editor；　the　dictum
being；　put　plainly；　〃life　has　no　interests　except　conflict　and　love！〃

It　is　surely　something　more　than　a　coincidence　that　these　are　the　two
essential　features　of　masculinityDesire　and　CombatLove　and　War。

As　a　matter　of　fact　the　major　interests　of　life　are　in　line　with　its
major　processes；　and　thesein　our　stage　of　human　developmentare　more
varied　than　our　fiction　would　have　us　believe。　　Half　the　world　consists
of　women；　we　should　remember；　who　are　types　of　human　life　as　well　as
men；　and　their　major　processes　are　not　those　of　conflict　and　adventure；
their　love　means　more　than　mating。　　Even　on　so　poor　a　line　of
distinction　as　the　〃woman's　column〃　offers；　if　women　are　to　be　kept　to
their　four　Ks；　there　should　be　a　〃men's　column〃　also；　and　all　the
〃sporting　news〃　and　fish　stories　be　put　in　that；　they　are　not　world
interests；　they　are　male　interests。

Now　for　the　main　branchthe　Love　Story。　　Ninety　per　cent。　of　fiction　is
In　this　line；　this　is　preeminently　the　major　interest　of　lifegiven　in
fiction。　　What　is　the　love…story；　as　rendered　by　this　art？

It　is　the　story　of　the　pre…marital　struggle。　　It　is　the　Adventures　of
Him　in　Pursuit　of　Herand　it　stops　when　he　gets　her！　　Story　after
story；　age　after　age；　over　and　over　and　over；　this　ceaseless　repetition
of　the　Preliminaries。

Here　is　Human　Life。　　In　its　large　sense；　its　real　sense；　it　is　a　matter
of　inter…relation　between　individuals　and　groups；　covering　all　emotions；
all　processes；　all　experiences。　　Out　of　this　vast　field　of　human　life
fiction　arbitrarily　selects　one　emotion；　one　process；　one　experience；　as
its　necessary　base。

〃Ah！　but　we　are　persons　most　of　all！〃　protests　the　reader。　　〃This　is
personal　experienceit　has　the　universal　appeal！〃

Take　human　life　personally　then。　　Here　is　a　Human　Being；　a　life；
covering　some　seventy　years；　involving　the　changing　growth　of　many
faculties；　the　ever　new　marvels　of　youth；　the　long　working　time　of
middle　life；　the　slow　ripening　of　age。　　Here　is　the　human　soul；　in　the
human　body；　Living。　　Out　of　this　field　of　personal　life；　with　all　of　its
emotions；　processes；　and　experiences；　fiction　arbitrarily　selects　one
emotion；　one　process；　one　experience；　mainly　of　one　sex。

The　〃love〃　of　our　stories　is　man's　love　of　woman。　　If　any　dare　dispute
this；　and　say　it　treats　equally　of　woman's　love　for　man；　I　answer；　〃Then
why　do　the　stories　stop　at　marriage？〃

There　is　a　current　jest；　revealing　much；　to　this　effect：

The　young　wife　complains　that　the　husband　does　not　wait　upon　and　woo　her
as　he　did　before　marriage；　to　which　he　replies；　〃Why　should　I　run　after
the　street…car　when　I've　caught　it？〃

Woman's　love　for　man；　as　currently　treated　in　fiction　is　largely　a
reflex；　it　is　the　way　he　wants　her　to　feel；　expects　her　to　feel；　not　a
fair　representation　of　how　she　does　feel。　　If　〃love〃　is　to　be　selected
as　the　most　important　thing　in　life　to　write　about；　then　the　mother's
love　should　be　the　principal　subject：　This　is　the　main　stream。　　This　is
the　general　underlying；　world…lifting　force。　　The　〃life…force；〃　now　so
glibly　chattered　about；　finds　its　fullest　expression　in　motherhood；　not
in　the　emotions　of　an　assistant　in　the　preliminary　stages。

What　has　literature；　what　has　fiction；　to　offer　concerning　mother…love；
or　even　concerning　father…love；　as　compared　to　this　vast　volume　of
excitement　about　lover…love？　　Why　is　the　search…light　continually
focussed　upon　a　two　or　three　years　space　of　life　〃mid　the　blank　miles
round　about？〃　　Why　indeed；　except　for　the　clear　reason；　that　on　a
starkly　masculine　basis　this　is　his　one　period　of　overwhelming　interest
and　excitement。

If　the　beehive　produced　literature；　the　bee's　fiction　would　be　rich　and
broad；　full　of　the　complex　tasks　of　comb…building　and　filling；　the　care
and　feeding　of　the　young；　the　guardian…service　of　the　queen；　and　far
beyond　that　it　would　spread　to　the　blue　glory　of　the　summer　sky；　the
fresh　winds；　the　endless　beauty　and　sweetness　of　a　thousand　thousand
flowers。　　It　would　treat　of　the　vast　fecundity　of　motherhood；　the
educative　and　selective　processes　of　the　group…mothers；　and　the　passion
of　loyalty；　of　social　service；　which　holds　the　hive　together。

But　if　the　drones　wrote　fiction；　it　would　have　no　subject　matter　save
the　feasting　of　many；　and　the　nuptial　flight；　of　one。

To　the　male；　as　such；　this　mating　instinct　is　frankly　the　major　interest
of　life；　even　the　belligerent　instincts　are　second　to　it。　　To　the
female；　as　such；　it　is　for　all　its　intensity；　but　a　passing　interest。　
In　nature's　economy；　his　is　but　a　temporary　devotion；　hers　the　slow
processes　of　life's　fulfillment。

In　Humanity　we　have　long　since；　not　outgrown；　but　overgrown；　this　stage
of　feeling。　　In　Human　Parentage　even　the　mother's　share　begins　to　pale
beside　that　ever…growing　Social　love　and　care；　which　guards　and　guides
the　children　of　to…day。

The　art　of　literature　in　this　main　form　of　fiction　is　far　too　great　a
thing　to　be　wholly　governed　by　one　dominant　note。　As　life　widened　and
intensified；　the　artist；　if　great　enough；　has　transcended　sex；　and　in
the　mightier　works　of　the　real　masters；　we　find　fiction　treating　of
life；　life　in　general；　in　all　its　complex　relationships；　and　refusing　to
be　held　longer　to　the　rigid　canons　of　an　androcentric　past。

This　was　the　power　of　Balzache　took　in　more　than　this　one　field。　　This
was　the　universal　appeal　of　Dickens；　he　wrote　of　people；　all　kinds　of
people；　doing　all　kinds　of　things。　　As　you　recall　with　pleasure　some
preferred　novel　of　this　general　favorite；　you　find　yourself　looking
narrowly　for　the　〃love　story〃　in　it。　　It　is　therefor　it　is　part　of
life；　but　it　does　not　dominate　the　whole　sceneany　more　than　it　does　in
life。

The　thought　of　the　world　is　made　and　handed　out　to　us　in　the　main。　　The
makers　of　books　are　the　makers　of　thoughts　and　feelings　for　people　in
general。　　Fiction　is　the　most　popular　form　in　which　this　world…food　is
taken。　　If　it　were　true；　it　would　teach　us　life　easily；　swiftly；　truly；
teach　not　by　preaching　but　by　truly　re…presenting；　and　we　should　grow　up
becoming　acquainted　with　a　far　wider　range　of　life　in　books　than　could
even　be　ours　in　person。　　Then　meeting　life　in　reality　we　shou