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Women and Other Monsters
Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology | Jess Zimmerman
15 posts | 15 read | 25 to read
A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more "monstrous" version of feminism The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures. In our language, in our stories (many written by men), we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds--who are angry or greedy or ambitious, who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough--aren't just outside the norm. They're unnatural. Monstrous. But maybe, the traits we've been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths. Through fresh analysis of eleven female monsters, including Medusa, the Harpies, the Furies, and the Sphinx, Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology. She guides women (and others) to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger, anger, ugliness, and ambition, teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero: one that looks a lot like a monster, with the agency and power to match. Often, women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness, of being grotesquely alien, by tamping down those qualities that we're told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity. But monsters also get to do what other female characters--damsels, love interests, and even most heroines--do not. Monsters get to be complete, unrestrained, and larger than life. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us. After seeing where compliance gets us--harassed, shut out, and ruled by predators--women have never been more ready to become repellent, fearsome, and ravenous.
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BekaReid
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Pickpick

I was drawn to the idea of reclaiming/reframing what it means to be a woman classed as a monster. The concept of this book is great although I found the execution weak in parts. Still worth the read.

EvieBee An authentic Caesar! With anchovies? 😍😍 2y
BekaReid @EvieBee oh, yes! Our local pub is one of the few places I know of that actually serves it with anchovies, and it has spoiled me. I cannot get a Caesar without them anymore. 2y
18 likes2 comments
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rachelsbrittain
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Mehso-so

Meh. Possibly this books biggest failure is its misleading title that led me-- and likely others-- to this it would be more mythology and less memoir / essay. It the latter and that's fine just not what I was looking for. Zimmerman made some interesting points but not enough for a books worth, which led to a lot of the same points being made repeatedly.

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hissingpotatoes
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Bailedbailed

.5/5⭐ I'm so disappointed.

This book is a rambling, repetitive mess of justified anger but no action. The author constantly reminds you 1) that she's “ugly“ and “fat“ and 2) about things she's already established (yes, you already said it was Athena who cursed Medusa; you don't need to state so in a parenthetical every time you mention Athena's name). (cont'd in comments)

hissingpotatoes Most disappointing was the basis of the book's theme using Greek myth. She primarily uses Ovid as a myth source, but he was a Roman writer centuries after the Classical Greek period. Using Ovid for Greek mythology is like using the Grimm brothers (whom she also sources) for all European fairytales. Those particular authors were often severely removed from the original story contexts & are notorious for adding their own interpretations & ideals. 3y
hissingpotatoes I get that the author wanted to focus on how modern society at large views the stories, and in that case it wouldn't have been a problem to use Ovid and the Grimms because they are arguably the most popular. But those sources and the way she words her descriptions reveal her extremely shallow research. 3y
hissingpotatoes The tagline for her book is "Building a New Mythology," but she doesn't include the myriad ways these monsters have been used for exactly that purpose for millennia. She points out that ancient Greeks used the symbol of Medusa on shields to terrify the enemy and on doors to scare away intruders, but she mixes up that Medusa with Ovid's. 3y
See All 6 Comments
hissingpotatoes She doesn't discuss how women used the symbol in the domestic space, or how Athena's* "curse**" could and has been re-interpreted as a blessing to protect Medusa from men's lustful gazes (which literally would have fit into the author's entire thesis).
3y
hissingpotatoes *In fact Minerva's curse; Roman and Greek gods are not the same, and the whole rape/curse addition is entirely Ovid's and not original to Greek myth.

**which the author demonizes in an effort to show how Athena, born from Zeus' thigh and not from a womb, is such an evil anti-woman figure O_O
3y
wanderinglynn Well that‘s disappointing. 3y
15 likes6 comments
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she.hearts.horror
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Mehso-so

This is the Instacart order of a book: Not bad but not what I asked for 🤷🏾‍♀️

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Eyelit
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My #bookhaul from my field trip to Nowhere Bookshop. I‘m so excited about all of these 🤩

Soubhiville What a cute bookmark! 3y
77 likes1 comment
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SilverShanica
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 207.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

2 likes1 stack add
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Jen2
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Pickpick

Wonderful!!!!

SeaToSkyes So cute! 3y
57 likes1 stack add1 comment
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cleoh
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Between starting my new job and getting my first COVID vaccine shot, I did not accomplish my #AwesomeApril readathon goals, BUT I did have a great first week, bought 7 books, and had minimal side effects to the dose. Treating myself to sushi and a Starbucks drink and reading outside feels like the perfect way to end my weekend before going back to the real world.

Gissy Book shopping📚📚📚📚great medicine! Fabulous treatment with that 🍱 sushi. 🤗 3y
Andrew65 Well done on what you did achieve 👏👏👏 A lot going on for you. (edited) 3y
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Librariana I'm with Andrew on this one! Kudos to you for accomplishing all that you did given the exciting week you had! 😊 I'll have my first dose of the vaccine tomorrow and this is exactly how I would love to celebrate: yummy sushi 🍣 and books 📚 ! (Although my book shopping will have to wait until this weekend for Indie Bookstore Day!) 🥰 3y
cleoh @Librariana thank you! And that‘s so exciting!! My arm was sore for a couple days afterward so I suggest having Tylenol or ibuprofen on hand. Excellent choice waiting for IBD, my new job is at an indie bookstore so I support this plan 😉 3y
64 likes6 comments
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Palimpsest
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Pickpick

This book feels like a different genre. Sort of a non-fiction/ memoir where the author uses female monsters from Greek mythology as a lens to show how women are treated as monsters (mostly by men) and how women should embrace these monstrosities within us. I mostly found myself nodding in agreement with the author especially as the book moved into subjects such as angry women and domestic details. I only questioned the women getting 👇

Palimpsest Preferential treatment for being thin because I have thought about writing about myself and how badly I was body shamed in the past for being stick thin and small chested, where most people only think heavy people are shamed. I also give men more benefit of the doubt here although some men can be awful, but anyone can be awful regardless of sex. As a liberal feminist this is a pick from me even if it isn‘t the topic I originally thought it was. (edited) 3y
rsteve388 I am reading this now and it's excellent. 3y
Palimpsest @rsteve388 I thought it was pretty great too and it was nice to have the author write so candidly about her own experiences but those experiences I think resonate with so many women. 3y
rsteve388 @Palimpsest Absolutely, hearing her experiences with her own life is hard and is really making me think about my own life and the ways in which I have down played my own needs and wants. She's really good at holding up a mirror for other people to look through. 3y
54 likes4 comments
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StaceyKondla
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Pickpick

Listened to this today and LOVED it - awesomely feminist and gave me fresh food for thought. Jess Zimmerman tackles some hard topics regarding women and women‘s rights within the framework of mythology and monsters.

Eyelit This sounds awesome! Stackity stack stacked! 😍 3y
60 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Well-ReadNeck
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49 likes3 stack adds
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Jgotham
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The author is talking about her personal experiences and her issues with sex and eating disorders.

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Jgotham
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Beauty is a cheat code..

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Jgotham
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Waiting at my gf doctor appointment, I saw this quote in my new book, “in a society centered on the male citizen, the feminization of monsters served to demonize women.”

9 likes1 stack add
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Well-ReadNeck
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Pickpick

I‘ve been loving the recent trend of researched non fiction/personal memoir mash ups. This one is excellent and empowering. #ARC #Edelweiss

ElleSkel I can‘t wait to read this one! 3y
69 likes5 stack adds1 comment