In Defense of Women
Encyclopedia
In Defense of Women is H. L. Mencken
's 1918 book on women and the relationship between the sexes. Some laud the book as progressive
while others brand it as reactionary
. While Mencken did not champion women's rights
, he described women as wiser in many novel and observable ways, while demeaning average men.
According to Mencken's biographer, Fred Hobson:
"Depending on the position of the reader, he was either a great defender of women's rights or, as a critic labelled him in 1916, 'the greatest misogynist since Schopenhauer','the country's high-priest of woman-haters.'"
and Kay Laurell
, Mencken gathered material for his book not from libraries and universities, but from saloons and hotels.
The original title for Defense was A Book for Men Only, but other working titles included The Eternal Feminine as well as The Infernal Feminine. Originally published by Philip Goodman in 1922, Mencken released a new edition in an attempt to bring the book to a wider audience. This second edition, published by Alfred Knopf
, was both much longer and milder.
men, and even some escape from the notion of virginity
as sacred, which remained as "one of the hollow conventions of Christianity." Women nonetheless remained restrained by social conventions in many capacities.
), as well as his almost fanatic love of his mother. Mencken supported women's rights, even if he had no affection for the suffragist.
Although he originally intended to be ironic when he proclaimed that women were the superior race, many of the qualities he assigned to them were qualities he deeply admired - realism and skepticism among them, but also manipulative skill and a detached view of humankind.
"Women in general seem to me to be appreciably more intelligent than men... a great many of them suffer in silence from the imbecilities of their husbands."
Mencken often espoused views of politics, religion, and metaphysics that stressed their grotesqueness and absurdity; in this context, escape from the fraud of such somber subjects was welcome to him.
The first edition of the book sold fewer than 900 copies, a disappointing showing. The second edition sold much better, during the more progressive Roaring Twenties
.
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
's 1918 book on women and the relationship between the sexes. Some laud the book as progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
while others brand it as reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
. While Mencken did not champion women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, he described women as wiser in many novel and observable ways, while demeaning average men.
According to Mencken's biographer, Fred Hobson:
"Depending on the position of the reader, he was either a great defender of women's rights or, as a critic labelled him in 1916, 'the greatest misogynist since Schopenhauer','the country's high-priest of woman-haters.'"
History
The original goal of Defense was to help clarify Mencken's views on women, garnered from an inconsistent and confusing reputation in newspaper columns, various reviews, and several plays. Along with Marion BloomMarion Bloom
Marion Bloom was H. L. Mencken's lover for much of the early twentieth century - eventually becoming close enough that they seriously considered marriage. They first met February 1914 when Bloom visited the office of Baltimore Sun. Mencken and Bloom ended their relationship in the early 1920s,...
and Kay Laurell
Kay Laurell
Kay Laurell was an American actress. She appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies before moving on to plays and motion pictures. She died of pneumonia in London at the age of 37. She married Fox Film Company executive Winfield R. Sheehan in 1916.H.L...
, Mencken gathered material for his book not from libraries and universities, but from saloons and hotels.
The original title for Defense was A Book for Men Only, but other working titles included The Eternal Feminine as well as The Infernal Feminine. Originally published by Philip Goodman in 1922, Mencken released a new edition in an attempt to bring the book to a wider audience. This second edition, published by Alfred Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
, was both much longer and milder.
General
In general, biographers describe Defense as "ironic": it was not so much a defense of women as a critique of the relationship between the sexes. Topics covered by the book included "Woman's Equipment," "Compulsory Marriage," "The Emancipated Housewife," and "Women as Martyrs." Women were gaining rights, according to Mencken - the ability to partake in adultery without lasting public disgrace, the ability to divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
men, and even some escape from the notion of virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
as sacred, which remained as "one of the hollow conventions of Christianity." Women nonetheless remained restrained by social conventions in many capacities.
Suffrage
Mencken's love of women was driven in part by the sympathy he had for female literary characters (especially those brought to life by his friend Theodore DreiserTheodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
), as well as his almost fanatic love of his mother. Mencken supported women's rights, even if he had no affection for the suffragist.
Although he originally intended to be ironic when he proclaimed that women were the superior race, many of the qualities he assigned to them were qualities he deeply admired - realism and skepticism among them, but also manipulative skill and a detached view of humankind.
"Women in general seem to me to be appreciably more intelligent than men... a great many of them suffer in silence from the imbecilities of their husbands."
Demeaning
Mencken praised women, though he believed they should remain in the background of industry and politics. In personal letters especially, Mencken would write that women should appreciate men and do their best to support them. Although Mencken did not intend to demean women, his description of his "ideal scene" with a woman in the 1922 edition was not conventionally progressive:Mencken often espoused views of politics, religion, and metaphysics that stressed their grotesqueness and absurdity; in this context, escape from the fraud of such somber subjects was welcome to him.
Critical reviews
The book was reviewed very well: according to Carl Bode, there were four times as many favorable reviews as unfavorable.The first edition of the book sold fewer than 900 copies, a disappointing showing. The second edition sold much better, during the more progressive Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
.