our androcentric culture-第9部分

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masculinity　is　not　so　much　in　choice　of　subject　as　in　method　and　spirit。
　The　artist　sees　beauty　of　form　and　color　where　the　ordinary　observer
does　not；　and　paints　the　old　and　ugly　with　as　much　enthusiasm　as　the
young　and　beautifulsometimes。　　If　there　is　in　some　an　over…emphasis　of
feminine　attractions　it　is　counterbalanced　in　others　by　a　far　broader
line　of　work。

But　the　main　evils　of　a　too　masculine　art　lie　in　the　emphasis　laid　on
self…expression。　　The　artist；　passionately　conscious　of　how　he　feels；
strives　to　make　other　people　aware　of　these　sensations。　　This　is　now　so
generally　accepted　by　critics；　so　seriously　advanced　by　painters；　that
what　is　called　〃the　art　world〃　accepts　it　as　established。

If　a　man　paints　the　sea；　it　is　not　to　make　you　see　and　feel　as　a　sight
of　that　same　ocean　would；　but　to　make　you　see　and　feel　how　he；
personally；　was　affected　by　it；　a　matter　surely　of　the　narrowest
importance。　　The　ultra…masculine　artist；　extremely　sensitive；
necessarily；　and　full　of　the　natural　urge　to　expression　of　the　sex；　uses
the　medium　of　art　as　ingenuously　as　the　partridge…cock　uses　his　wings　in
drumming　on　the　log；　or　the　bull　moose　stamps　and　bellows；　not　narrowly
as　a　mate　call；　but　as　a　form　of　expression　of　his　personal　sensations。

The　higher　the　artist　the　more　human　he　is；　the　broader　his　vision；　the
more　he　sees　for　humanity；　and　expresses　for　humanity；　and　the　less
personal；　the　less　ultra…masculine；　is　his　expression。



OUR　ANDROCENTRIC　CULTURE；　or；　THE　MAN…MADE　WORLD


V。

MASCULINE　LITERATURE。


When　we　are　offered　a　〃woman's〃　paper；　page；　or　column；　we　find　it
filled　with　matter　supposed　to　appeal　to　women　as　a　sex　or　class；　the
writer　mainly　dwelling　upon　the　Kaiser's　four　K'sKuchen；　Kinder；
Kirche；　Kleider。　　They　iterate　and　reiterate　endlessly　the　discussion　of
cookery；　old　and　new；　of　the　care　of　children；　of　the　overwhelming
subject　of　clothing；　and　of　moral　instruction。　　All　this　is　recognized
as　〃feminine〃　literature；　and　it　must　have　some　appeal　else　the　women
would　not　read　it。　　What　parallel　have　we　in　〃masculine〃　literature？

〃None！〃　is　the　proud　reply。　　〃Men　are　people！　　Women；　being　'the　sex；'
have　their　limited　feminine　interests；　their　feminine　point　of　view；
which　must　be　provided　for。　　Men；　however；　are　not　restrictedto　them
belongs　the　world's　literature！〃

Yes；　it　has　belonged　to　themever　since　there　was　any。　　They　have
written　it　and　they　have　read　it。　　It　is　only　lately　that　women；
generally　speaking；　have　been　taught　to　read；　still　more　lately　that
they　have　been　allowed　to　write。　　It　is　but　a　little　while　since　Harriet
Martineau　concealed　her　writing　beneath　her　sewing　when　visitors　came
inwriting　was　〃masculine〃sewing　〃feminine。〃

We　have　not；　it　Is　true；　confined　men　to　a　narrowly　construed　〃masculine
sphere；〃　and　composed　a　special　literature　suited　to　it。　　Their　effect
on　literature　has　been　far　wider　than　that；　monopolizing　this　form　of
art　with　special　favor。　　It　was　suited　above　all　others　to　the　dominant
impulse　of　self…expression；　and　being；　as　we　have　seen　essentially　and
continually　〃the　sex；〃　they　have　impressed　that　sex　upon　this　art
overwhelmingly；　they　have　given　the　world　a　masculized　literature。

It　is　hard　for　us　to　realize　this。　　We　can　readily　see；　that　if　women
had　always　written　the　books；　no　men　either　writing　or　reading　them；
that　would　have　surely　〃feminized〃　our　literature；　but　we　have　not　in
our　minds　the　concept；　much　less　the　word；　for　an　overmasculized
influence。

Men　having　been　accepted　as　humanity；　women　but　a　side…issue；　（most
literally　if　we　accept　the　Hebrew　legend！）；　whatever　men　did　or　said　was
humanand　not　to　be　criticized。　　In　no　department　of　life　is　it　easier
to　contravert　this　old　belief；　to　show　how　the　male　sex　as　such　differs
from　the　human　type；　and　how　this　maleness　has　monopolized　and
disfigured　a　great　social　function。

Human　life　is　a　very　large　affair；　and　literature　is　its　chief　art。　　We
live；　humanly；　only　through　our　power　of　communication。　　Speech　gives　us
this　power　laterally；　as　it　were；　in　immediate　personal　contact。　　For
permanent　use　speech　becomes　oral　traditiona　poor　dependence。　
Literature　gives　not　only　an　infinite　multiplication　to　the　lateral
spread　of　communion　but　adds　the　vertical　reach。　　Through　it　we　know　the
past；　govern　the　present；　and　influence　the　future。　　In　its　servicable
common　forms　it　is　the　indispensable　daily　servant　of　our　lives；　in　its
nobler　flights　as　a　great　art　no　means　of　human　inter…change　goes　so
far。

In　these　brief　limits　we　can　touch　but　lightly　on　some　phases　of　so
great　a　subject；　and　will　rest　the　case　mainly　on　the　effect　of　an
exclusively　masculine　handling　of　the　two　fields　of　history　and　fiction。
　In　poetry　and　the　drama　the　same　influence　is　easily　traced；　but　in　the
first　two　it　is　so　baldly　prominent　as　to　defy　objection。

History　is；　or　should　be；　the　story　of　our　racial　life。　　What　have　men
made　it？　　The　story　of　warfare　and　conquest。　　Begin　at　the　very
beginning　with　the　carven　stones　of　Egypt；　the　clay　records　of　Chaldea；
what　do　we　find　of　history？

〃I　Pharaoh；　King　of　Kings！　Lord　of　Lords！　（etc。　etc。）；　〃went　down　into
the　miserable　land　of　Kush；　and　slew　of　the　inhabitants　thereof　an
hundred　and　forty　and　two　thousands！〃　　That；　or　something　like　it；　is
the　kind　of　record　early　history　gives　us。

The　story　of　Conquering　Kings；　who　and　how　many　they　killed　and
enslaved；　the　grovelling　adulation　of　the　abased；　the　unlimited
jubilation　of　the　victor；　from　the　primitive　state　of　most　ancient
kings；　and　the　Roman　triumphs　where　queens　walked　in　chains；　down　to　our
omni　present　soldier's　monuments：　the　story　of　war　and　conquestwar　and
conquestover　and　over；　with　such　boasting　and　triumph；　such　cock…crow
and　flapping　of　wings　as　show　most　unmistakably　the　natural　source。

All　this　will　strike　the　reader　at　first　as　biased　and　unfair。　　〃That
was　the　way　people　lived　in　those　days！〃　says　the　reader。

Noit　was　not　the　way　women　lived。

〃O；　women！〃　says　the　reader；　〃Of　course　not！　　Women　are　different。〃

Yea；　women　are　different；　and　_men　are　different！_　　Both　of　them；　as
sexes；　differ　from　the　human　norm；　which　is　social　life　and　all　social
development。　　Society　was　slowly　growing　in　all　those　black　blind　years。
　The　arts；　the　sciences；　the　trades　and　crafts　and　professions；
religion；　philosophy；　government；　law；　commerce；　agricultureall　the
human　processes　were　going　on　as　well　as　they　were　able；　between　wars。

The　male　naturally　fights；　and　naturally　crows；　triumphs　over　his　rival
and　takes　the　prizetherefore　was　he　made　male。　　Maleness　means　war。

Not　only　so；　but　being　male；　he　cares　only　for　male　interests。　　Men；
being　the　sole　arbiters　of　what　should　be　done　and　said　and　written；
have　given　us　not　only　a　social　growth　scarred　and　thwarted　from　the
beginning　by　continual　destruction；　but　a　history　which　is　one　unbroken
record　of　courage　and　red　cruelty；　of　triumph　and　black　shame。

As　to　what　went　on　that　was　of　real　consequence；　the　great　slow　steps　of
the　working　world；　the　discoveries　and　inventions；　the　real　progress　of
humanitythat　was　not　worth　recording；　from　a　masculine　point　of　view。　
Within　this　last　century；　〃the　woman's　century；〃　the　century　of　the
great　awakening；　the　rising　demand　for　freedom；　political；　economic；　and
domestic；　we　are　beginning　to　write　real　history；　human　history；　and　not
merely　masculine　history。　　But　that　great　branch　of　literatureHebrew；
Greek；　Roman；　and　all　down　later　times；　shows　beyond　all　question；　the
influence　of　our　androcentric　culture。

Literature　is　the　most　powerful　and　necessary　of　the　arts；　and　fiction
is　its　broadest　form。　　If　art　〃holds　the　mirror　up　to　nature〃　this　art's
mirror　is　the　largest　of　all；　the　most　used。　　Since　our　very　life
depends　on　some　communication；　and　our　progress　is　in　proportion　to　our
fullness　and　freedom　of　communication；　since　real　communication　requires
mutual　understanding；　so　in　the　growth　of　the　social　consciousness；　we
note　from　the　beginning　a　passionate　interest　in　other　people's　lives。

The　art　which　gives　humanity　consciousness　is　the　most　vital　art。　　Our
greatest　dramatists　are　lauded　for　their　breadth　of　knowledge　of　〃human
nature；〃　their　range　of　emotion　and　understanding；　our　greatest　poets
are　those　who　most　deeply　and　widely　experience　and　reveal　the　feelings
of　the　human　heart；　and　the　power　of　fiction　is　that　it　can　reach　and
express　this　great　field　of　human　life　with　no　limits　but　those　of　the
author。

When　fiction　began　it　was　the　legitimate　child　of　oral　tradition；　a
product　of　natural　brain　activity；　the　legend　constructed　instead　of
remembered。　　（This　stage　is　with　us　yet　as　seen　in　the　constant　changes
in　repetition　of　popular　jokes　and　stories。）

Fiction　to…day　has　a　much　wider　range；　yet　it　is　still　restricted；
heavily　and　most　mischievously　restricted。

What　is　the　preferred　subject　matter　of　fiction？

There　are　two　main　branches　found　everywhere；　from　the　Romaunt　of　the
Rose　to　the　Purplish　Magazine；the　Story　of　Adventure；　and　the　Love
Story。

The　Story…of…Adventure　branch　is　not　so　thick　as　the　other　by　any　means；
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