Ah, but, wait! I’ve got a few more books about Boston for you to add to your reading list. The next three will take us through a history of feminism in our city.*

Begin in 1885-1886 with Henry James and The Bostonians, published first as a serial and later as a novel. Said novel presents to us two feminists, Olive and Verena, and a politically conservative Gentleman of the South, Basil Ransom. Olive and Basil are both enamoured of Verena, each in their own way (although it may also be the same way.) The novel explores the ensuing love triangle and Verena’s dilemma:  whether to be a feminist or a wife.  Unlike the bulk James’s work, this novel is pretty darn political. It could be an interesting read, if you have the time for it - it’s pretty darn long, too.

This brings me to our second book, really a play. While reading up on The Bostonians, I ran across the phrase “Boston marriage.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it means, “an intimate friendship between two women often maintaining a household together,” or “a long-term, intimate, sometimes discreetly sexual relationship between two women.” (Thank you, dictionary.com!) While reading up on these “boston marriages,” I came across a play by David Mamet of the same name. Boston Marriage is about two women living together in a - you guessed it! - a Boston marriage. Anna and Claire, “two women of fashion,” have a good old time, you know, bantering in stilted diction the way they do in plays. But, Claire’s lover is the daughter of Anna’s lover, and things get pretty intense!. Having looked over this, albeit briefly, I can’t say I entirely recommend it, but maybe I do. At sixty-three pages, you have nothing to lose.

Now, for the adventurous reader, I present my last book. It’s a little piece of feminist history and it happened right here in Boston. It’s Our Bodies, Ourselves, a classic book about the feminine mysteries. Surprise! Nonfiction. A New York Times book review of the lastest edition gives a comprehensive history of the project, first published by the New England Free Press in 1969. In her article, Alexandra Jacobs describes the tome as diminishing in radicalism with each subsequent edition, and she laments the passing of the granola-y, “pastoral,” outraged feminism seen in earlier printings. She says,

“But advocatory vigor, not to mention a sense of team spirit, is lacking in the slick new ”Our Bodies, Ourselves.” That beatific woman giving birth at home is nowhere to be found. The half-dozen hymen variations? Also gone. So, too, is the poetry”

I, myself, have often felt disappointed in this newer, softer, friendlier, cleaner, less literary feminism. But, Henry James predicted, in a way, that the teeth and claws wouldn’t last - sooner or later the Verenas among us are going to want to get married, which I’m sure is analogous to a whole host of alternative methods of selling out, such as giving a superficial non-reading to several Boston books about feminism, two of which were written by men. Something to think about when it gets cold out.

* Please note that I have read none of these in their entirety, so I will be adding them to my reading list as well. Hence, the links to all those (potentially disputable) Wikipedia pages throughout the post.

Tags:   Boston · David Mamet · Henry James · Katherine · Our Bodies OurselvesNo Comments