On Freud's "Femininity"

'Glocer Fiorini and Abelin-Sas Rose are to be much applauded for gathering here a prestigious cadre of authors who bring astute thinking to bear on our understanding of women. Starting with Freud's 1933 classic, "Femininity" - the stimulus to years of psychoanalytic controversy - each contributor poses questions to Freud's "answers", thereby teasing apart notions tightly woven into the fabric of psychoanalytic thought. Released from the corset of traditional thinking, contributors explore the shape, and shaping, of the female subject and the subjectively feminine. Impressive scholarship and clinical sophistication reflect a nuanced sensitivity to the multiplicity of experiences of the feminine dimension in women, and in men as well. Appreciation for the complexity of the cultural surround is heightened by the inclusion of authors from a number of different countries. This plurality of voices in richly varied languages will greatly intrigue anyone interested in the "riddle" of femininity.'- Dianne Elise, PhD, Associate Editor, Studies in Gender and Sexuality'A collection of fascinating essays on many critical issues regarding femininity from a variety of perspectives. They consider classic as well as contemporary issues, in the context of changes in psychoanalytic theory, society, and culture. Unsettled controversies on female masochism and penis envy are revisited. But the essays confirm that there is much more to a woman's destiny than her anatomy and physiology, addressing the role of object relations, culture, and education on the development and expression of femininity. The relationship of attitudes towards motherhood to instinctual drives and female sexuality is explored in a cultural context in which many women elect not to have children. Psychoanalytic views on non-traditional family patterns, such as single mother and homosexual couples with biological or adopted children invoke issues that were never envisioned in the earlier psychoanalytic literature. Bisexuality as an essential component of analytic work supersedes the narrow proposition of the "bedrock" repudiation of femininity in the male. Not disregarding universal aspects of femininity, such as periodicity, the editors emphasise the unique qualities of each woman; the creativity of women is highlighted rather than their limitations. The scope and depth of the individual essays, their stimulating cross-currents, and the balanced views and reviews engage controversy without polemics. The book is a valuable set of contributions to its timeless topic. It is highly recommended for very rewarding analytic reading and reflection.'- Harold P. Blum, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, former editor, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association