THE LEGEND OF THE ‘THE FEMALE EUNUCH  ’.

 

Notes

 

 

 

·         Born 1939 Melb. Aust. Grew up in melb suburb meltone (catholic & liberal).

·         Schooled in the Star of the Sea Convent in Gardenvale

·         Received teacher’s college scholarship.

·         Enrolled at the Melb. Uni in 1956 (received BA honors in 1958)

·         Received an MA from Syd. Uni (1963.)

·         1964 went to Camb. Uni. On Commonwealth scholarship (received PhD 1968)

·         In 1959 became active in the push, a philosophical group, used to be part of the Drift.

·         Drift focused on art and truth and beauty and argument ad hominem which to her was ideology, which was a synonym for lies -or bullshit, as they called it.

·         The push just talked about truth

 

 

·         There were 2 waves of the women’s liberation movement

·         1st wave was the more commonly known part of the suffrage movement, trying to get the vote

·         2nd wave was the focused more on the view that inequalities stemmed from deeper issues of alienation and prejudice

·         The The Female Eunuch   and Germaine Greer herself played major part in the wave

·         In the book she declares that the society in which we live oppresses women’s sexuality and freedom. She stirred up the idea of the “perfect nuclear family” and claimed that men were oppressing women because the men were envious of the women.

·         The controversy surround the book was legendary; the book caused an abundance of fight which pitted husband against wife, girl friend against boyfriend.

·         There were many incidences of the book being used as a projectile towards an argumentative spouse.

·         The book got the reaction Germaine had hoped for and started a revolution in free female thinking and culture.

·         -wrote book  The Female Eunuch   at Warwick uni. Launch coincided with the second wave of feminism.

·         Still writing today.

·         Site- http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/germaine_greer_and_the_female_eunuch

·         Title- Germaine greerand The Female Eunuch .

·         Date published. 2010

·         Date viewed- 6 sept 2010

·         Author

·         media claimed grer was a priestess and the book was the bible.

·         greer says her book was just part of a second wave of feminism 1970.

·         Criticised by the church for it’s free relatioaship view on sex

·         And men for the idead they’d oppressed women.

 

·         -GERMAINE Greer was wrong about women: wrong about their attitude to romance, about how they would wield power, and how they would organise things, if allowed to rule to world. Most of all, however, she was wrong about their desire for what she called "fripperies" -- shoes, pretty clothes, and make-up -- which they indulge in now more than ever.

·         -feels that society changed because of financial state

·         -awe sturck by single mums “Women who face this fate with equanimity have my unstinting admiration”

·         “Every new generation of women struggles to define itself. Very few young women want to turn into their mother, and even fewer want to be their grandmother.”

 

 

·        Quotes

 

·         Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it” (G.Greer, 1970)

 

·         as ideology, which was a synonym for lies -or bullshit, as they called it” (C. Wallace, 1997)

·         part of a second wave of feminism” (G.Greer, 1970) http://www.answers.com/topic/germaine-greer

 

·         Women have somehow been [...] cut off from their capacity for action.”  And she knew that it’s “got to be changed.”(G.Greer, 1971).

 

·         -Greer said that though he death of Steve Irwin was a tragic accident the animal world got it’s revenge

·         -Animals, she says, need space and that he was the only conservationist who actually actively took part in the general annoyance on animals.

 

·         100 famous Australian, 1978, Rigby limited, conglomerate, 7th September.

·         Denounced congenital women as ‘a female parasite’ argued that if woman were to realise their true potentia, they must arise, use their wits and education then ‘civilisation might be lead towards maturity in instead oh annilihilation’.

 

·         Linked to the feminist movement at large, but her individualistic nature always set her apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Site-http://www.takver.com/history/sydney/greer.htm

Title- Germaine Greer- feminist, anarchist

Publish date- 23 Sept 2003

View date 31 Aug. 2010

Author-????????

 

Site- http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/the-animal-world-got-its-revenge/2006/09/05/1157222132684.html

Title-‘the animal world got its revenge’

Date published- 6 septs 2006

Date viewed- 6 sept 2010

Author- Joe Castro

 

Monique Avakin, remarkable: past and present, sterk-vaughn company, 2000, 7th sept. 2010

 

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/germaine_greer_and_the_female_eunuch

 

http://www.takver.com/history/sydney/greer.htm

 

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/germaine_greer.htm

Site-http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/change-is-a-feminist-issue-20100308-pqs8.html Title-change is a feminist issue                                                                                                                               Date published- 8 mar. 2010                                                                                                                                  Date viewed- 6 sept 2010

Title-Germaine Greer got it wrong

Date published- 1 mar 2010-09-06

Date viewed- 6 sept 2010

Author- Caroline Overing ton

 

Site- http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-117_t-319_c-1080/nsw/history/power-people-and-politics-in-the-post-war-period/people-and-power/germaine-greer-women-s-liberation

Title- Germaine Greer- women’s liberation

Date published- 30 Aug 2010

Date viewed- 31 Aug. 2010

Author-???????

 

Site-http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/germaine-greer-didnt-understand-women/story-e6frg6nf-1225835358089

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY-

 

 

Avakin, M 2000, Remarkable: past and present, Sterk-Vaughn company, n.pub., n.p.

 

Castro, J  2006, ''The animal world got its revenge'', viewed 6 September 2010, <http://www..smh.com.au/news/national/the-animal-world-got-its-revenge/2006/09/05/1157222132684.html>.

 

'Change is a feminist issue'  2010, viewed 6 September 2010, <http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/change-is-a-feminist-issue-20100308-pqs8.html  >.

 

'Germaine Greer- feminist, anarchist.'  2003, viewed 31 August 2010, <http://www.takver.com/history/sydney/greer.htm>.

 

'Germaine Greer- women's liberation’ 2009, viewed 31 August 2010, <http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-117_t-319_c-1080/nsw/history/power-people-and-politics-in-the-post-war-period/people-and-power/germaine-greer-women-s-liberation>.

 

Overington, C, 2010, 'Germaine Greer got it wrong.', viewed 6 September 2010, <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/germaine-greer-didnt-understand-women/story-e6frg6nf-1225835358089>.

 

Quote-  n.d., <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/germaine-greer-didnt-understand-women/story-e6frg6nf-1225835358089>

 

Quote-  n.d., <http://www.womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/germaine_greer.htm>

 

Quote-  n.d., <http://www.takver.com/history/sydney/greer.htm>

 

Quote-  n.d., <http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/germaine_greer_and_the_female_eunuch>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Legend of the ‘The Female Eunuch’: Germaine Greer.

 

 

Ordinary world:

 

Germaine Greer was born in Melbourne in 1939. She grew up in the wealthy, catholic and liberal suburb of Mentone; she attended a The Star of the Sea Covent in Gardendale a heavily catholic school. Germaine Greer lived in times where, even though women had the vote, they were expected to get married, and quit their profession once they gave birth. Also, because of her background, she was taught to be celibate. After receiving a Teacher’s College Scholarship, she was thrown into the world of Philosopher’s and Hippie’s, at Melbourne University, she was part of the ‘Drift Society’, a group of philosopher’s and anthropologists, that, like all  philosopher’s, were obsessed with  human behaviour.  The Drift focused on art and truth and beauty and argument ad hominem. She received BA honours at the University. She developed an Appetite for free thinking and, after enrolling in the University of Sydney, she became an active member of the ‘Push society’. The Push society, like the Drift, were a group of philosopher’s, however, in contrast with the drift, they focused on truth and truth alone. Germaine Greer later describes the drift “as ideology, which was a synonym for lies -or bulls#*t, as they called it” (C. Wallace, 1997), in contrast with the push. After the push and the University of Sydney she received another scholarship, this time, to Cambridge University, gaining a PhD.

 

 

 

Call to Adventure:

 

Germaine’s turning point, her Call to Adventure, came from the switch from Catholic education to the Universities. She was left from the experience dazzled by the array of new experiences she had seen, and new ideas that had been put forth to her. She felt compelled, by her new experiences, to write down her thoughts. She wrote ‘The Female Eunuch ’, while lecturing at Warwick University. The ‘The Female Eunuch  ’  is a look at the imperfect world of the ‘perfect nuclear family’, study of the society-repressed female drone, scorned for breaking free and the jealousy men secretly hold for the women they’d been oppressors to for so long. The book caused controversy world wide. Husbands and wives fought over it, often, cases were documented that the book was used as a projectile, to emphasise the point to the angry spouse, it’s one way to make a point. The launch of the book coincided with the generally conceived start if the second feminist movement (the feminist movement, or suffrage movement, is split in to two recognised segments. The first movement campaigned for women’s voting rights and the second campaigned for total equality and an end to the social prejudices that stemmed from the inequality). She gave anchor point to which the suffrage movement could cling to. The media branded Greer as some-kind of priestess and the ‘The Female Eunuch’ was the bible. However Germaine Greer repudiated these claims saying she was just a “part of a second wave of feminism” (G.Greer, 1970). Though Germaine may not fully admit it she did play a major role in the suffrage movement.

Accepting Responsibility:

 

Germaine Greer, cut down the ‘drop in the ocean’ argument in one foul swoop. She had written the book that revolutionised the suffrage movement. At the time women all around the world were being oppressed by society, most realised this but not one of the acted upon the opinions. Germaine did. She accepted the responsibility that the novel put to hear. She realised that “Women have somehow been [...] cut off from their capacity for action.”  And she knew that it’s “got to be changed” (G.Greer, 1971). She believed that women needed to reach their potential for civilisation to grow instead of being lead towards annihilation.

 

 

Chasing the dream:

 

For Germaine Greer, chasing her dream was the easy part. Her great intelligence and wit, allowed her to craft the demise of oppression, through the median of a book. Though her goal was quite a broad, the end to the inequality and oppression of women, the message was not. She simply wanted freedom for the oppressed women of society. She knew that she could aid the seemingly impossible task by inspiring women to step forward and challenge everything. She along with the suffragettes obtained the freedom goal. On the subject Germaine has said “Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure is to betray it” (G.Greer, 1970)

 

Never Give In:

The response Germaine got was mixed, the criticism the book received was great. In a recent article of ‘The Australian’ the author said that Germaine’s view on women was wrong. She goes on to say that “Germaine Greer was wrong about women: wrong about their attitude to romance, about how they would wield power, and how they would organise things, if allowed to rule to world. Most of all, however, she was wrong about their desire for what she called "fripperies" -- shoes, pretty clothes, and make-up.” (C. Overington, 2010). However past this and numerous critics like the church, for Greer’s stance on ‘Free-love’ and men in general who felt that wrongfully accused of something they did not commit, the book unleashed the radical wave of feminism that started the end of oppression.

Slaying the Dragon:

Society now days are much changed to that of the oppressed women of which Germaine had grown up with. The idea of the ‘perfect nuclear family’ has been disbanded and now, more than ever female independence is on the rise. The pat traditions of ‘stay-at-home mum and trophy wives’ have been largely disbanded, though, with some, old habits die hard. Now phrases like ‘stay-at-home dad or part time mum’ are much more prevalent. However she does talk about how the new social norm of single mother’s with awe. She says on the subject “Women who face this fate with equanimity have my unstinting admiration”. She finds relief in the fact that “Every new generation of women struggles to define itself. Very few young women want to turn into their mother and even fewer want to be their grandmother” (G.Greer, 2010). Society had been much changed, and though she hates to admit it, ‘The Female Eunuch” was largely to blame.

 

Hopes, Dreams and Futures:

 

Germaine Greer has remained an active part of media and society. She appears, in her home base of England, in numerous talk shows and she writes for various newspapers and magazines including Ian Hislop’s ‘Private eye’. However in 2006, after the tragic death of Steve Irwin, Germaine Greer was heard to say the “animals got revenge” (G.Greer, 2006). Before elaborating that animals need space. The backlash caused by her claims was a cute and she has largely stayed out of the public eye. Greer still writes pieces and, to the many fans out will still play a part of our subconscious minds. Have you ever stopped to wonder, W.W.G.G.D (What Would Germaine Greer Do)?

 

Why I chose Greer:

My first memory of Germaine Greer was watching a British comedy talk show called, ‘Have I Got News for You?’ I had, of course, encountered her name before, but I had never heard or seen her. I loved, almost immediately the confident air she put out, her brashness and her *ahem* lack of propriety. On the show the subject of one of her recent outbursts had arisen. The incident involved fellow journalist, Suzanne Moore, claiming, wrongly, that Greer had had a hysterectomy at age 25. In response to this Greer replied that she felt sorry for women who were so insecure and introverted that they couldn’t leave that house without “hair bird’s-nested all over the place, three inches of fat cleavage and f#ck-me shoes” (G. Greer, 1998).  She inspired me to push, in year seven; I felt that the schooling career did not matter. Then I heard her views on the subject. She opened doors, she made me push to realise my potential. My grade average quickly went from a ‘C’ to and ‘A’. I do not claim that was all Germaine Greer be she was partly to blame. After this assignment I have come to know more and more about her. She is, in my eye, a truly great hero.