our androcentric culture-第12章
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becoming acquainted with a far wider range of life in books than could
even be ours in person。 Then meeting life in reality we should be
wiseand not be disappointed。
As it is； our great sea of fiction is steeped and dyed and flavored all
one way。 A young man faces lifethe seventy year stretch； remember；
and is given book upon book wherein one set of feelings is continually
vocalized and overestimated。 He reads forever of love； good love and
bad love； natural and unnatural； legitimate and illegitimate； with the
unavoidable inference that there is nothing else going on。
If he is a healthy young man he breaks loose from the whole thing；
despises 〃love stories〃 and takes up life as he finds it。 But what
impression he does receive from fiction is a false one； and he suffers
without knowing it from lack of the truer broader views of life it
failed to give him。
A young woman faces lifethe seventy year stretch remember； and is
given the same bookswith restrictions。 Remember the remark of
Rochefoucauld； 〃There are thirty good stories in the world and
twenty…nine cannot be told to women。〃 There is a certain broad field of
literature so grossly androcentric that for very shame men have tried to
keep it to themselves。 But in a milder form； the spades all named
teaspoons； or at the worst appearing as trowelsthe young woman is
given the same fiction。 Love and love and lovefrom 〃first sight〃 to
marriage。 There it stopsjust the fluttering ribbon of announcement；
〃and lived happily ever after。〃
Is that kind of fiction any sort of picture of a woman's life？ Fiction；
under our androcentric culture； has not given any true picture of
woman's life； very little of human life； and a disproportioned section
of man's life。
As we daily grow more human； both of us； this noble art is changing for
the better so fast that a short lifetime can mark the growth。 New
fields are opening and new laborers are working in them。 But it is no
swift and easy matter to disabuse the race mind from attitudes and
habits inculcated for a thousand years。 What we have been fed upon so
long we are well used to； what we are used to we like； what we like we
think is good and proper。
The widening demand for broader； truer fiction is disputed by the slow
racial mind： and opposed by the marketers of literature on grounds of
visible self…interest； as well as lethargic conservatism。
It is difficult for men； heretofore the sole producers and consumers of
literature； and for women； new to the field； and following masculine
canons because all the canons were masculine； to stretch their minds to
a recognition of the change which is even now upon us。
This one narrow field has been for so long overworked； our minds are so
filled with heroes and heroes continually repeating the one…act play；
that when a book like David Harum is offered the publisher refuses it
repeatedly； and finally insists on a 〃heart interest〃 being injected by
force。
Did anyone read David Harum for that heart interest？ Does anyone
remember that heart interest？ Has humanity no interests but those of
the heart？
Robert Ellesmere was a popular bookbut not because of its heart
interest。
Uncle Tom's Cabin appealed to the entire world； more widely than any
work of fiction that was ever written； but if anybody fell in love and
married in it they have been forgotten。 There was plenty of love in
that book； love of family； love of friends； love of master for servant
and servant for master； love of mother for child； love of married people
for each other； love of humanity and love of God。
It was extremely popular。 Some say it was not literature。 That opinion
will live； like the name of Empedocles。
The art of fiction is being re…born in these days。 Life is discovered
to be longer； wider； deeper； richer； than these monotonous players of
one June would have us believe。
The humanizing of woman of itself opens five distinctly fresh fields of
fiction： First the position of the young woman who is called upon to
give up her 〃career〃her humannessfor marriage； and who objects to
it； second； the middle…aged woman who at last discovers that her
discontent is social starvationthat it is not more love that she
wants； but more business in life： Third the interrelation of women with
womena thing we could never write about before because we never had it
before： except in harems and convents： Fourth the inter…action between
mothers and children； this not the eternal 〃mother and child；〃 wherein
the child is always a baby； but the long drama of personal relationship；
the love and hope； the patience and power； the lasting joy and triumph；
the slow eating disappointment which must never be owned to a living
soulhere are grounds for novels that a million mothers and many
million children would eagerly read： Fifth the new attitude of the
full…grown woman who faces the demands of love with the high standards
of conscious motherhood。
There are other fields； broad and brilliantly promising； but this
chapter is meant merely to show that our one…sided culture has； in this
art； most disproportionately overestimated the dominant instincts of the
maleLove and Waran offense against art and truth； and an injury to
life。
OUR ANDROCENTRIC CULTURE； or； THE MAN…MADE WORLD
VI。
GAMES AND SPORTS
One of the sharpest distinctions both between the essential characters
and the artificial positions of men and women； is in the matter of games
and sports。 By far the greater proportion of them are essentially
masculine； and as such alien to women； while from those which are
humanly interesting； women have been largely debarred by their arbitrary
restrictions。
The play instinct is common to girls and boys alike； and endures in some
measure throughout life。 As other young animals express their abounding
energies in capricious activities similar to those followed in the
business of living； so small children gambol； physically； like lambs and
kids； and as the young of higher kinds of animals imitate in their play
the more complex activities of their elders； so do children imitate
whatever activities they see about them。 In this field of playing there
is no sex。
Similarly in adult life healthy and happy persons； men and women；
naturally express surplus energy in various forms of sport。 We have
here one of the most distinctively human manifestations。 The great
accumulation of social energy； and the necessary limitations of one kind
of work； leave a human being tired of one form of action； yet still
uneasy for lack of full expression； and this social need has been met by
our great safety valve of games and sports。
In a society of either sex； or in a society without sex； there would
still be both pleasure and use in games； they are vitally essential to
human life。 In a society of two sexes； wherein one has dictated all the
terms of life； and the other has been confined to an extremely limited
fraction of human living； we may look to see this great field of
enjoyment as disproportionately divided。
It is not only that we have reduced the play impulse in women by
restricting them to one set of occupations； and overtaxing their
energies with mother…work and housework combined； and not only that by
our androcentric conventions we further restrict their amusements； but
we begin in infancy； and forcibly differentiate their methods of play
long before any natural distinction would appear。
Take that universal joy the doll； or puppet； as an instance。 A small
imitation of a large known object carries delight to the heart of a
child of either sex。 The worsted cat； the wooden horse； the little
wagon； the tin soldier； the wax doll； the toy village； the 〃Noah's Ark；〃
the omnipresent 〃Teddy Bear；〃 any and every small model of a real thing
is a delight to the young human being。 Of all things the puppet is the
most intimate； the little image of another human being to play with。
The fancy of the child； making endless combinations with these visible
types； plays as freely as a kitten in the leaves； or gravely carries out
some observed forms of life； as the kitten imitates its mother's
hunting。
So far a
