With world war ii over, women who had been working were told. Betty friedan wrote the feminine mystique to illuminate the plight of american women during the midnineteenth century through interviews with american housewives. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with. Hundreds of women have testified that the book changed their lives, and historical accounts often credit it joanne meyerowitz is associate professor of history at the university of cincinnati. Free download or read online the feminine mystique pdf epub book. The mystique is an artificial idea of femininity that says having a career andor fulfilling ones individual potential somehow go against womens preordained role. Video the feminine mystique watch makers women who make. Alvin toffler, author of future shock one of those rare books we are endowed with only once in several decades. The first edition of the novel was published in february 19th 1963, and was written by betty friedan. The feminine mystique by betty friedan this persuasive argument against the cult of the 1950s housewife was an important motor for secondwave feminism hermione hoby. The most important book of the twentieth century is the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the.
Fine, a historian at michigan state university and a coeditor of the first. A suburban housewife and sometime writer, she published the feminine mystique 1963, attacking the thenpopular notion that women could find fulfillment only as wives, childbearers, and homemakers. The book that changed the consciousness of women everywhere, the feminine mystique is published here so a new generation can visit its pages. A landmark book of its time and relevant now the feminine mystique by betty friedan the feminine mystique by betty friedan is a landmark book of its time, and it is still relevant for all women today. The feminine mystique by betty friedan, published in 1963, is often seen as the beginning of the womens liberation movement. These are the sources and citations used to research betty friedan. The feminine mystique is the tupac shakur of literary feminism, reincarnated at least once every decade with new insights that engender old beefs while at the same time serving as a reminder of. Betty friedan history bibliographies cite this for me. Though friedans book had spawned what came to be known as the. In 1963 betty friedan published a groundbreaking work that empowered a generation of women. Or, as alvin toffler put it, hers was a book that pulled the trigger on history.
The feminine mystique essays are academic essays for citation. When betty friedans the feminine mystique was released in 1963, it split the. American history chapter 23 vocab set 1 flashcards quizlet. Betty friedans feminine mystique 50 years later the new york. The feminine mystique is a 1963 book by betty friedan which is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. The feminine mystique alltime 100 nonfiction books. Widely read and extremely influential, the book played an important role in the creation of the modern feminist movement. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 592 pages and is available in paperback format. Allan wolf, in the mystique of betty friedan writes. Betty friedan is to women what martin luther king, jr.
Reading betty friedans feminine mystique for the first time, 50 years after its publication, a critic found that the book still has the power to. She coined the term feminine mystique to describe the societal assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity, and child. Top ten most influential feminist books infoplease. Start studying american history chapter 23 vocab set 1. Best known for starting the second wave of feminism through the writing of her book the feminine mystique an account of housewives lives in which they subordinated their own aspirations to the needs of men. It is a book that awakens women and men with its insights into social relations. The feminine mystique betty friedan a nonfiction book published in 1963, the feminine mystique sparked the secondwave of the womens movement in the united states, a movement that lasted until the early 1980s and, unlike the firstwaves focus on the one issue of suffrage, expanded its agenda to a wide variety of issues such as sexuality.
Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Today it newly penetrates to the heart of issues determining our lives and sounds a call to arms against the very real dangers of a new feminine mystique in the economic and political turbulence of the 1990s. Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s would later say the feminine mystique was the book that started it all. Barbara seaman, author of free and female the feminine mystique stated the trouble with women so clearly that every.
This collection helped round out wallers portrayal of the woman whose groundbreaking book, the feminine mystique, helped ignite feminisms second wave. List of books and articles about betty friedan online. Louis menand on betty friedan, the feminine mystique, and the power of the books that defined the early years of the womens movement. Throughout the book, friedan compares many prewar and postwar statistics and examples to support her points. Her book, the feminine mystique, published on february 19, 1963, shook the ground beneath an american society rooted in a myth of. The feminine mystique carries a timeless message for women who have begun fight back against patriarchy, but need the occasional reminder that beginning a fight isnt winning a war. Politics and war, science and sports, memoir and biography theres a great big world of nonfiction books out there just waiting to be read. An excellent new social history of the impact of betty friedans landmark book on american women coontz is the rare social historian who knows how to. What was the message of the feminine mystique what was the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among. Betty friedans most popular book is the feminine mystique. Betty friedan and the making of the feminine mystique.
The feminine mystique was a book written during the womens liberation movement by betty friedan. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the feminine mystique by betty friedan. This book describes the early 20th century turning of women from vital human beings, who were fulfilled by higher education and work, into a. Like her last novel, our kind, which was a national book award finalist, a short history of women consists of linked stories.
Writings on the womens movement 1976, the second stage 1982, the fountain of age 1993. The feminine mystique is the false notion that a womans role in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife nothing else. It is the most famous of betty friedans works, and it made her a household name. Summary of the feminine mystique 723 words bartleby. She coined the term feminine mystique to describe the societal assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity, and child rearing alone. Her book, the feminine mystique, published on february 19, 1963, shook the ground beneath an american society rooted in a myth of pleasant. The impact it has had on american womens history is unparalleled, and the book should therefore remain canonized as a pivotal feminist text. World war ii was such a monumental event that it is commonly used as a cultural divider for the twentieth century.
Focusing on interviews that relate to friedans views on men, women and the american family, sheman traced friedans life with an analysis of the feminine mystique. Summary of betty friedans the feminine mystique 1537 words 7 pages. In 1957, friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former smith college classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion. This bibliography was generated on cite this for me on monday, april 24, 2017. Video the feminine mystique watch makers women who make america online pbs video. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and longlasting effects of betty friedans the feminine mystique. First published in 1963, the feminine mystique ignited a revolution that profoundly changed our culture, our consciousness, and our lives. The feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among women in mainstream american society in the postworld war ii period.
Pdf the feminine mystique book by betty friedan free. Rarely has a title in this series flown off the shelves as this did, selling. Friedan wrote a book named the feminine mystique, which has become an international bestseller and has sold over one million copies since its release in 1963citation, from opening of book. With her book the feminine mystique 1963, betty friedan 19212006 broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles. The book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world. The feminine mystique tends to be hailed simply as the book that started secondwave feminism, said lisa m. The feminine mystique, reassessed after 50 years the. Books by betty friedan author of the feminine mystique. Feminine mystique by betty friedan started it all thoughtco. Journalist janann sheman wrote a book called interviews with betty friedan containing interviews with friedan for the new york times, working women and playboy, among others.
Friedan also cites world war ii as the main impetus for the development of the feminine mystique. In this book, friedan discusses the dissatisfaction and frustration of american women around the country who were college educated but were still only seen as a housewife. Besides the feminine mystique 1963, friedan authored it changed my life. This book is pure outdated drivel, something we should be thankful was released into the world at the time, but should now be placed in a museum and looked upon wistfully, as a curious relic of an exciting yet still misguided period in feminine history. She helped to change not only the thinking but the lives of many american women, but recent books throw into question the intellectual and. Her book, the feminine mystique, published on february 19, 1963, shook the ground beneath an american society rooted in a myth of pleasant domesticity and supported by the physical and emotional. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. The feminine mystique by betty friedan is published history. Betty friedan has 17 books on goodreads with 79663 ratings. The feminine mystique by betty friedan buy the quintessential text of second wave feminism, friedans 1963 book became one of the original pieces of feminist theory to become a.
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