''Sexual Politics'' is the debut book by American writer and activist Kate Millett, based on her PhD dissertation. It was published in 1970 by Doubleday. It is regarded as a classic of feminism and one of

radical feminism Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a Political radicalism, radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts, while recognizing that women's experiences are al ...

's key texts. ''Sexual Politics'' analyses the subjugation of women in prominent art and literature in the 20th century, specifically looking at the ubiquity of male domination in culture.

Summary

Millett argues that "sex has a frequently neglected political aspect" and goes on to discuss the role that

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

plays in sexual relations, looking especially at the works of

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

, Henry Miller, and

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

. Millett argues that these authors view and discuss sex in a patriarchal and

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

way. In contrast, she applauds the more nuanced gender politics of homosexual writer

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

. Other writers discussed at length include Sigmund Freud, George Meredith, John Ruskin, and

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

Influences

''Sexual Politics'' was largely influenced by

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even th ...

's 1949 book '' The Second Sex'', although Beauvoir's text is known for being more intellectually-focused and less emotionally invigorating than Millett's text.

Reception

''Sexual Politics'' has been seen as a classic feminist text, said to be "the first book of academic feminist literary criticism", and "one of the first feminist books of this decade to raise nationwide male ire", though like Betty Friedan's '' The Feminine Mystique'' (1963) and Germaine Greer's '' The Female Eunuch'' (1970), its status has declined. ''Sexual Politics'' was an important theoretical touchstone for the

second wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. Wh ...

of the 1970s. It was also extremely controversial.

, whose work, especially his novel '' An American Dream'' (1965), had been criticised by Millett, wrote the article "

The Prisoner of Sex ''The Prisoner of Sex'' is a book by Norman Mailer, originally published in 1971 in ''Harper's Magazine''. He wrote the book in reaction to developments in women's liberation and technology. Written in the third person, it defends his writing ...

" in ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' in response, attacking Millett's claims and defending Miller and Lawrence, and later extensively attacked her writings in his non-fiction book of the same name. The psychoanalyst

Juliet Mitchell Juliet Mitchell, Lady Goody (born 4 October 1940) is a British psychoanalyst, socialist feminist, research professor and author. Early life and education Mitchell was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1940, and then moved to England in 19 ...

argues that Millett, like many other feminists, misreads Freud and misunderstands the implications of psychoanalytic theory for feminism. Christina Hoff Sommers writes that, by teaching women that politics is "essentially sexual" and that "even the so-called democracies" are "male hegemonies", ''Sexual Politics'' helped to move feminism in a different direction, toward an ideology that Sommers calls "gender feminism". The author Richard Webster writes that Millett's "analysis of the reactionary character of psychoanalysis" was inspired by the philosopher

's '' The Second Sex'' (1949). The critic Camille Paglia called ''Sexual Politics'' an "atrocious book", which "reduced complex artworks to their political content". She accused it of spawning what she sees as the excesses of women's studies departments, especially for attacks on the alleged pervasive sexism of the male authors of the Western canon. The historian Arthur Marwick described ''Sexual Politics'' as, alongside Shulamith Firestone's '' The Dialectic of Sex'' (1970), one of the two key texts of radical feminism. Doubleday's trade division, although it declined to reprint it when it went out of print briefly, said ''Sexual Politics'' was one of the ten most important books that it had published in its hundred years of existence and included it in its anniversary anthology. '' The New York Times'' published a review of the book in 1970 that predicted it would become "the Bible of Women's Liberation." The article was written by Marcia Seligson and praised the book as "a piece of passionate thinking on a life-and-death aspect of our public and private lives."

Editions (incomplete list)

*Kate Millett, ''Sexual Politics'' (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1970) *Kate Millett, "Sexual Politics" (New York: Avon Discus (trade paperback reprint), 1971 *Kate Millett, ''Sexual Politics'' (London: Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd., 1971) *Kate Millett, ''Sexual Politics'' (London: Virago, 1977) *Kate Millett, ''Sexual Politics'' (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000) *Kate Millett, ''Sexual Politics'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 2016)

References

{{Radical feminism 1970 non-fiction books American non-fiction books Books by Kate Millett Books of literary criticism Debut books Doubleday (publisher) books English-language books Feminist criticism of marriage Non-fiction books about sexuality Radical feminist books Second-wave feminism Sociology books