Anticlimax: A Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Revolution

by Sheila Jeffreys

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Sexuality has been reframed by postmoderism, but this clear discussion of literature, politics, and popular culture provides a useful historical view. The sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s is remembered as a time of great freedom for women, but did the sexual revolution have the same goals as the Women's Liberation Movement? Was it truly liberation for women or just another insidious form of oppression? This provocative book argues that sexual freedom sometimes directly opposed actual show more freedom for women. Tracing sexual mores and attitudes from the 1950s through the 1990s, it explores the show less

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1 review
This book is definitely on the extremes of radical feminism. That said, it will definitely make you think. Almost every page had an epiphany-inducing statement. While I didn't agree with everything she said, everything she said was well-backed and extremely well written and had real ties to what is going on in the world. This book is very dense, so it's not the kind of feminist theory book I would recommend to someone just starting to discover the field of women's studies. However, anyone who considers themselves a radical feminist or has an interest in that spectrum should consider this required reading. It challenges just about every social norm and sexual norm you can think of, and since radical feminism is about changing the roots show more (radical=root) of society and norms, this book is pretty much the definition of radical feminism. Some of the book can be a bit hard to get through and choke down, but it's well worth reading. show less

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Author Information

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Sheila Jeffreys is a Professorial Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Australia. In 1973, in the UK, she became involved in the Women's Liberation Movement and became a lesbian in 1977. She moved to Australia in 1991, where she became a Professor of Feminist Politics at the University of Melbourne, show more and has authored numerous books on the history and politics of sexuality, the global sex industry, lesbian feminism, harmful beauty practices, religion and women's rights and the politics of transgenderism. She moved back to the UK in 2015. show less

Common Knowledge

Dedication
For Anne Rowett with the greatest thanks for her patience and support and with my love
First words
Marriage guidance and marital sex illustrate a central premise of Anticlimax: that the heterosexual couple embodies a relationship of power and control, rather than representing a consequence of nature, biology or sexual pref... (show all)erence.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In such a situation, when heterosexuality was no longer an institution, we cannot yet be sure what women would choose.

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, Sexuality and Gender Studies, General Nonfiction, Sociology, History
DDC/MDS
305.3Society, government, & cultureSocial sciences, sociology & anthropologySocial group - Age, Gender, EthnicityPeople by gender or sex
LCC
HQ1075 .J43Social sciencesThe family. Marriage, Women and SexualityThe Family. Marriage. WomenSex role
BISAC

Statistics

Members
60
Popularity
501,537
Reviews
1
Rating
(3.75)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
6
ASINs
2