y separately published work icon Australian Feminist Studies periodical issue   peer reviewed assertion
Issue Details: First known date: 2016... vol. 31 no. 87 2016 of Australian Feminist Studies est. 1985 Australian Feminist Studies
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles published in the issue on topics including feminism, Germaine Greer's book "The Female Eunuch", and process of canonisation.'

Notes

  • Contents indexed selectively.

Contents

* Contents derived from the 2016 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
‘Revolution for the Hell of It’ : The Transatlantic Genesis and Serial Provocations of The Female Eunuch., Marilyn Lake , single work criticism

'In a synopsis sent to her publisher outlining her plans for a ‘sensational’ book, Germaine Greer wrote: If Eldridge Cleaver can write a book about the frozen soul of the negro, as part of the progress towards a correct statement of the coloured man’s problem, a woman must eventually take steps towards delineating the female condition as she finds it scored upon her sensibility. I know myself to be an anomaly, a lucky survival, but men, so is Cleaver: if he is a genius, a criminal, a delinquent only such a person who escapes from the glass mountain can describe it and pass the message on … . The recent opening of the Greer archive at the University of Melbourne offers researchers new understanding of the transAtlantic orientation of The Female Eunuch and the inspirations and models provided by a range of contemporary radical male American writers, notably Eldridge Cleaver, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and Norman Mailer. Greer’s papers contain pitches to the publisher, numerous drafts and revisions of her book proposal, summaries of the book’s contents, clues to its anticipated readers and towards the end of the process, a ‘dedication’. Drafts are partly handwritten, partly typed and combinations of these, amended and revised, all evolving, illuminating Greer’s chosen genre, discursive frames of reference and themotifof castration. The papers provide insight into The Female Eunuch’s defining analogy between the condition of woman and that of the ‘American Negro’ and illuminate media strategies that ensured the book became an iconic feminist text.' (Publication abstract)

 (p. 7-21)
The Record Keeper, Rachel Buchanan , single work criticism
'Germaine Greer is an exceptional record keeper. Since the 1950s, Greer has retained and protected papers relating to her extraordinary public and private lives and her diligence has resulted in the Germaine Greer Archive, a large, world-class collection now held by the University of Melbourne Archives. As curator of the archive, I am now the record keeper. This article explains two connections—one personal and the other institutional—that are shaping the way I think about Greer’s papers. ' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 22-27)
Resurrecting Germaine’s Theory of Cuntpower, Megan le Masurier , single work criticism
'In the early years of the second wave, two very different approaches to female sexuality and feminist politics were in circulation, Anne Koedt’s ‘The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm’ and Germaine Greer’s theory of cuntpower. While the clitoral orgasm became the ‘feminist orgasm’ during these years, Greer’s more open and genitally inclusive theory of cuntpower encouraged women to explore the variations of their own heterosexuality in the name of women’s and sexual liberation. This article will argue that Greer’s ideas about cuntpower are worth resurrecting and integrating into our understanding of second wave feminist sexual politics. It will also argue that Greer’s utilisation of the media allowed her ideas to influence ordinary women’s understanding of the potential of their sexuality, their right to orgasm and its connection to women’s liberation.' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 28-42)
Germaine Greer’s ‘Arch Enemy’ : Arianna Stassinopoulos’ 1974 Australian Tour., Isobelle Barrett Meyering , single work criticism
'In 1973, Arianna Stassinopoulos published her anti-feminist tract,The Female Woman. Specifically formulated and marketed as a response to Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch(1970), the book went on to become one of the bestselling backlash texts of the 1970s. This article examines the impact of this opposition on popular understandings of Greer and second-wave feminism, through a case study of media coverage of Stassinopoulos’ visit to Australia in November 1974. Although The Female Woman capitalised on Greer’s celebrity for the purposes of backlash politics and Stassinopoulos’ own career, I argue that its invocation of Greer ultimately served to extend the mainstream media’s engagement with feminism. While one effect of the book and the publicity around it was to perpetuate a view of Greer as synonymous with women’s liberation, media coverage of the tour also helped to extend discussion about the nature of leadership and representation in feminist politics. Furthermore, Greer’s own popularity proved to be a key factor militating against Stassinopoulos’ appeal. In this instance, Greer’s celebrity – the very quality that Stassinopoulos sought to exploit for her own benefit – served as a powerful countervailing force to anti-feminism, moderating the traction that Stassinopoulos was able to achieve.' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 43-61)
‘If We Had More like Her We Would No Longer Be the Unheard Majority’ : Germaine Greer’s Reception in the United States., Rebecca J. Sheehan , single work criticism
'This article examines Germaine Greer’s reception in the United States in 1971, the year that The Female Eunuch was first published there. Using hundreds of previously unexamined letters sent by television viewers after she hosted The Dick Cavett Show, the article explores the impact of Greer’s media engagement and the overwhelmingly positive reception she received from this particular audience. The letters detail Greer’s strength, intelligence, wit, and keen ability to communicate. They demonstrate that she educated many audience members about feminist issues including abortion and rape, and inspired pride in her female audience. The sympathetic portrait of Greer in these letters contrasts with the more polarised view of Greer in the print media responses to her: the mainstream print media portrayed and embraced Greer as its ideal non-threatening, attractive and heterosexual feminist, and American feminists dismissed her as an opportunist. Taken together, the unpublished audience letters and the print media sources provide a more complex portrait of Greer’s reception and effectiveness. The letters speak for Greer and – now that they are available in Greer’s carefully preserved personal archive – restore the voices of the ordinary people who helped to shape the history of feminism.' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 62-77)
A Feminist Fashion Icon : Germaine Greer's Paisley Coat., Petra Mosmann , single work criticism
'This article concerns Germaine Greer’s paisley coat, featured in Vogue and Life magazines in May 1971. Focusing on the coat disrupts how we locate Greer as a subject and women’s liberation as an event. The article explores the intersection of fashion and feminist movements by analysing Greer’s coat, its archive and by placing the coat in a conversation with Greer’s thoughts on fashion.Women’s liberation’s relationship with fashion has primarily been remembered through anti-fashion and anti- beauty protests. The making, wearing and display of Greer’s coat challenges simple categorisations of both Greer and feminism’s history. ' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 78-94)
The Second Best Bed, or the Female Unique? Germaine Greer’s Unlikely Championing of Love and Marriage in Shakespeare’s Wife., Donald McManus , single work criticism
'Germaine Greer’s remarkable career has obscured her original vocation as a Shakespeare scholar. Her drama criticism stands as a corrective check to the conservative, still male-biased, established word on the popular perception of Shakespeare’s legacy. As we perversely celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, it is instructive to re-visit Greer’s contribution to our understanding of what his life and work meant, as well as exploring who best hears his voice today. It would have been an easy thing for Greer to let the world forget her formative years as a Shakespeare scholar, and accept the identity of feminist icon. However, with the publication of Shakespeare’s Wife(2009) she reasserted her scholarly and critical identity in a profoundly stimulating way, re-focusing the discussion of love and marriage she broached in The Female Eunuch back to Shakespeare. The most fascinating element of Greer’s biography of Ann Hathaway is her ability to shake us back to the fore play of Shakespeare studies with rigorous historical detail. This article explores the points of harmony and contradiction between Greer’s Shakespeare criticism and her oft-quoted views on society, sex, marriage and love.' (Publication abstract)
 (p. 95-108)
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