Mary Burt Messer
Messer, Mary Burt. The Family in the Making: An Historical Sketch. New York: The Knickerbocker Press. 1928.Though she relies on what I'm told is the outdated "food-gatherer" hypothesis for human social evolution, Mary Burt Messer's book is a nice read, and is often very inspiring and comforting in its thorough-going feminism. She convincingly evokes a nearly (nearly!) paradisal picture of an ancient matriarchal society. Her chapters nine and ten, concerning the social position of Biblical women, are especially nice, and they made my haphazard stumbling on this book well worth it. Messer writes of Egyptian women, in "Passing of the Mother Age":
Anyone who has a fear that power and freedom in women is destined to be divorced from the tender regard of men must read the following passage ... a passage nowhere surpassed or even equalled as a tribute from man to motherhood. We shall see how there is no such note struck in all the splendor of classic civilization. Kneusu-Hetep, the sage, (1500 B.C.) is speaking to his son:
"Thou shalt never forget thy mother and what she has done for thee. From the beginning she has borne a heavy burden with thee in which I have been unable to help her. Wert thou to forget her, then she might blame thee, lifting up her arms to God, and he would hearken to her. For she carried thee long beneath her heart, a heavy burden, and after thy months were accomplished she bore thee. Three long years she carried thee upon her shoulder and gave thee her breast to thy mouth, and as thy size increased her heart never once allowed her to say, 'Why should I do this?' And when thou didst go to school and wast instructed in the writings, daily she stood by thy master with bread and beer from the house."
The Woe of Man
Centuries ago, someone once proposed the idea that the word "woman" means "the woe of man," implying that whole Adam-Eve original sin scheme again, and showing more than a little misogyny.
However, as that spiteful idea is a thorough fabrication, totally ignoring real word origins, I therefore feel justified in creating my own word origins, based on actual pronunciation:
woman --> "womb an", "womb-man"
meaning "a man with a womb." After all, contrary to the popular view shared by numerous ancient male philosophers, a woman is not a "mutilated male" from whom something vital is missing; she is a male to whom something vital is added.
women --> "wi men", "with men"
meaning that women are the natural companions of men. I said "companion," not "helpmate," not "servant," not even "lover," for I'm not about to be horrible enough to call homosexual love unnatural. I mean that all human beings are linked, and that the two genders are inseparable from each other when speaking of humanity. My brand of feminism, (and others' I hope), does not consider all males scum, nor does it propose that women believe that they can possibly live entirely independent of men. If not as husbands or lovers, then as brothers, fathers, and friends, we need them, just as they need us, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.
And physically? I did not place "physically" in that list because you will assume "physical" to mean "sexual," and although that is something many of us adore about the other gender, it is also a trait basic to animals, and not uniquely human. (I can just hear you saying, "Vive la animal!")
Christian Women
As stated in my religion section, I've learned a lot about faith vs. dogmatism from certain pious men and women, and the women especially have taught me that feminism can go hand in hand with obeying the will of one's God. Margery Kempe is a medieval mystic whose dictated memoirs have been rediscovered in the 20th century. I've written a fictional story of Margery Kempe's encounter with the Wife of Bath. On feminism and religion, I consider myself lost in the quandary between Kempe and Alisoun.
The following quoted article is one of the things which have sparked my interest in Mary Magdalen, around whom I am building a small but intrigued obsession.
You will ask me, I'm sure, if I'm plugging Dr. Spivey's book because he was once my college's President, or if he's merely plugging feminism because he was President of a woman's college. Just read.
Spivey, Robert A. and D. Moody Smith. Anatomy of the New Testament. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 5th ed. 1995."The Role of Women" pp. 450-451, just before the Epilogue.
When the genuine Pauline letters and the Gospels, particularly Mark and John, are considered, the reader is struck with the role played by women among the disciples of Jesus and in the first churches. Paul speaks of a Phoebe, a deacon (or minister) of the church of Cenchrae, near Corinth (Rom 16:1), who has been of great assistance to himself and others. Prisca, or Priscilla, with her husband Aquila, is mentioned a number of times in Paul's letters and Acts, where she is associated with Paul in his missionary work. According to Romans 16:3-5, a church meets in the couple's house. The fact that Prisca is usually mentioned before Aquila may mean she was a more important figure in the church than he. Paul's strictures against women speaking in church (1 Cor 14:34-36) seem to stand in contradiction to his assumption that they will pray and prophesy publicly (1 Cor 11:5, 13). In fact, 14:33b-36 breaks the chain of Paul's thought and the NRSV [New Revised Standard Version] puts it in parentheses. Although the passage is found in all manuscripts, it may be a later interpolation.
The role of women in the early church doubtless followed from their prominence among Jesus' followers. With the exception of the Beloved Disciple of John's Gospel, only women, particularly Mary Magdalene, witnessed his death, and they are described in Mark (15:41) as those who followed him in Galilee (cf. Luke 8:13). These faithful women became the first witnesses to the resurrection when they discovered Jesus' tomb standing empty. John (20:14-18) describes a poignant scene near the tomb when Mary Magdalene first encounters, and ultimately recognizes, the risen Jesus. Even though the twelve disciples were men, the Gospels make clear that Jesus had other followers, prominent among whom were the women who figure so largely in the passion and resurrection narratives.
The later New Testament writings reflect what has been called the increasingly patriarchal nature of early church organization and ministry.... When one compares the Pastorals with the earlier, authentic Pauline letters, it is clear that the process by which the church leadership became increasingly male and male-oriented is well underway. Although the leadership of the church was never predominately female, women had played a much larger role among Jesus' followers and in the Gentile Christian churches than they were to play in subsequent generations.
What happened to the role of women is perhaps typical of the direction of developments in the early church. The first Christian communities obviously lived within, but in some ways--as is seen in the prominence of women--stood out from, the larger societies of which they were a part. As their numbers grew and decades passed, it became increasingly evident that Jesus would not soon return to inaugurate his kingdom in any tangible or visible way. The church, whether consciously or not, prepared to live as a community or religious institution within a larger society that it eventually came to dominate. Ironically, as the church conquered the Mediterranean world in the second, third, and fourth centuries, it gradually, perhaps necessarily, became more closely conformed to that world (contrast Rom 12:2) in which male domination was the rule. The fact that its leadership became increasingly male should be seen against that background; it is an example of how living in the world, and especially enjoying success, presents the church with the danger of succumbing to the world's values.
Artemis
Mythologically and symbolically speaking, though, I am drawn to the classical Greek goddess Artemis. This is a poem about her from my Zoid collection.
Artemis
She was the Bright and Dark side of the Moon,
Attendant on new-born life,
And swift harbinger of an untimely end.
She was a lover of shepherds and a killer of huntsmen,
A goddess and a witch.
She smiled and danced after days of slaughter.
She was Lilith, she was Eve.
Loved few, killed many.
See Artemis in Ancient Greek Art
Painters
Coming back from the National Gallery of Art, where I discovered the wonderful artist Elisabeth Vigée Lebrun, I've decided to start a collection of information on women painters.
Let me know if you have any suggestions for other painters to put here.
Kevin J. Kelly has devoted an excellent site to Elisabeth Vigée Lebrun and her work. Her self-portraits especially are wonderful.
I have found a biography of Artemisia Gentileschi, though no good collection of her work. She is most famous for her brutal depiction of Judith Slaying Holofernes.
Quotations
These are women's quotations that I put together while working at my college's Woman's Resource Center. The quotes were given out to teenage girls participating in a self-esteem workshop. Many of these quotes are from the recent Wild Words from Wild Women collection. I don't have dates for all the women, but they are arranged semi-chronologically.
Life is an unfoldment, and the further we travel the
more truth we can comprehend. To understand the things that are at our
door is the best preparation for understanding those that lie beyond.
--Hypatia (370-415)
I am a lioness
And will never allow my body
To be anyone's resting place.
--'Aisha bint Ahmad al-Qurtubiyya
Riches and power are but gifts of blind fate, whereas
goodness is the result of one's own merits.
--Héloise (1098-1164)
. . . the lady
Ought to do exactly for her lover
As he does for her, without regard to rank;
For between two friends neither one should rule.
--Marie de Ventadorn (12th century)
Courage is relaxed by delay.
--Aldrude (12th
century)
Make two homes for thyself, my daughter. One actual
home... and another spiritual home, which thou art to carry with thee
always.
--Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
They tell me nothing but lies here, and they think
they can break my spirit. But I believe what I choose and say nothing.
I am not so simple as I seem.
--Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)
All creatures are flames of love.
--Catherine Cibo
(1501-1557)
Remember that you have only one soul; that you have
only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and
has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one glory, which is
eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you
care nothing.
--Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
For the face, I grant, I might well blush to offer,
but the mind I shall never be ashamed to present. For though from the
grace of a picture the colours may fade by time, may give by weather,
may be spotted by chance; yet the other ... time with her swift wings
shall [not] overtake, nor the misty clouds with their lowerings may
darken, nor chance with her slippery foot may overthrow.
--Elizabeth
I of England (1533-1603)
Man was created of the dust of the earth, but woman
was made of a part of man, after that he was a living soule: yet was
she not produced from his head to be his superior, but from his side,
neare his heart, to be his equall.
--Rachel Speght
We see nothing, we walk gropingly, and ... ordinarily
things do not come about as they have been foreseen and advised. One
falls and, just when one thinks oneself at the bottom of an abyss, one
finds oneself on one's feet.
--Marie de L'Incarnation (1599-1672)
Tie yourself to a daily self-examination.
--Brilliana Harley (1600-1643)
When we know the truth in our own consciences, it is
unnecessary to be troubled about anything else.
--Madeleine de
Scudéry (1607-1701)
I want to learn from traveling. I want the
opportunity to prove myself. I want to learn about myself, and, if
possible, I want the whole world to know my name.
--Madeleine de
Scudéry (1607-1701)
It is better to find glory in one's own merit. In
fact it is more important to have self-respect than to gain respect
from others, and it is better to earn glory than to publicize it.
--Madeleine de Scudéry (1607-1701)
You are women; in creation, noble; in Redemption,
gracious; in use, most blessed; be not forgetfull of yourselves.
--Ester Sowernam
I had rather die in the adventure of noble
achievements, than live in obscure and sluggish security.
--Margaret
Cavendish
Endeavor to be innocent as a dove, but as wise as a
serpent.
--Ann Fanshawe (1625-1680)
This life is like an inn, in which the soul spends a
few moments on its journey.
--Christina of Sweden (1616-1689)
I have always had a dread of becoming a passenger in
life.
--Margrethe II of Denmark
It is the mind that makes the body.
--Sojourner
Truth
Women have been called queens for a long time, but
the kingdom given them isn't worth ruling.
--Louisa May Alcott
People call me feminist whenever I express sentiments
that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.
--Rebecca West
Friendship with oneself is all-important, because
without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your
consent.
--Eleanor Roosevelt
Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is
stand still and look stupid.
--Hedy Lamarr
Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic.
--Rosalind Russell
It's the friends you can call up at 4 A.M. that
matter.
--Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)
It matters more what's in a woman's face than what's
on it.
--Claudette Colbert
As we discover we remember, remembering, we discover,
and most intensely do we experience this when our separate journeys
converge.
--Eudora Welty
To eat bread without hope is still slowly to starve
to death.
--Pearl S. Buck
It may be that religion is dead, and if it is, we had
better know it and set ourselves to try to discover other sources of
moral strength before it is too late.
--Pearl S. Buck
I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this
year's fashions.
--Lillian Hellman
You mustn't force sex to do the works of love or love
to do the work of sex.
--Mary McCarthy
I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to
combine marriage and a career.
--Gloria Steinem
Only she who attempts the absurd can achieve the
impossible.
--Robin Morgan
Be critical. Women have the right to say: This is
surface, this falsifies reality, this degrades.
--Tillie Olsen
We cannot take anything for granted, beyond the
first mathematical formulae. Question everything else.
--Maria
Mitchell
Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades,
but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now
that's a real treat!
--Joanne Woodward
A woman is like a teabag--you can't tell how strong
she is until you put her in hot water.
--Nancy Reagan
I don't need a man to rectify my existence. The most
profound relationship we'll ever have is the one with ourselves.
--Shirley MacLaine
We haven't come a long way, we've come a short way.
If we hadn't come a short way, no one would be calling us "baby".
--Elizabeth Janeway
My goal is to be accused of being strident.
--Susan Faludi
A diet counselor once told me that all overweight
people are angry with their mothers and channel their frustrations into
overeating. So I guess that means all thin people are happy, calm, and
have resolved their Oedipal entanglements.
--Wendy Wasserstein
I've always been independent, and I don't see how it
conflicts with femininity.
--Sylvia Porter
I can, therefore I am.
--Simone Weil
Girlhood ... is the intellectual phase of a woman's
life, that time when, unencumbered by societal expectations or hormonal
rages, one may pursue any curiosity from the mysteries of a yo-yo to
the meaning of infinity. These two particular pursuits were where I
left off in the fifth grade when I discovered a hair growing in the
wrong place and all hell broke loose.
--Alice Kahn
This is a youth-oriented society, and the joke is on
them because youth is a disease from which we all recover.
--Dorothy
Fuldheim
I enjoy my wrinkles and regard them as badges of
distinction--I've worked hard for them!
--Maggie Kuhn
Well, I can't seem to find the original site this banner came from, so instead,
I'll link to