Jenny (Reading Envy)'s Reviews > Herland

For a feminist tale, this book spends an awfully disproportionate amount of time focusing on how the three male visitors to Herland view the women there. They deal with their misconceptions about women and allow the women to experiment with them in considering moving back to a bi-sexual society (they have been reproducing with the air, apparently, birthing babies without men.)

The problem with utopias is that there is little conflict. The women have a fully-functioning society with brilliant achievements in food production, education, and health. They make changes when things aren't working, their religion is unifying instead of divisive, and everyone has a place and a value.

The only conflict are the annoying men who don't belong, and they don't have any power in the world, so they are easily disposed of. Or could be, if necessary.

The culture revolves around motherhood. Motherhood is almost divine. To me, this is the opposite of feminism. It surely isn't the only reason women are placed on the earth, and I don't even believe the author thinks so. It seems short-sighted. Is it feminism to focus on motherhood? Or is it feminist because the motherhood is a shared, community-based venture? Perhaps she is Hillary Clinton taking a village?