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The Disappearance
“The female of the species vanished on the afternoon of the second Tuesday of Februaryat four minutes and fifty-two seconds past four o'clock, Eastern Standard Time. The event occurred universally at the same instant, without regard to time belts, and was followed by such phenomena as might be expected after happenings of that nature.”On a lazy, quiet afternoon, in the bli...more
Paperback, 407 pages
Published
October 1st 2004
by Bison Books
(first published 1951)
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This novel represents speculative fiction at its best. What if, one day, all the women on Earth disappeared, leaving men alone -- and, on a parallel Earth, all men disappeared, leaving women alone? This novel traces the fate of both worlds, and in so doing questions the foundations of contemporary governments, religions, sexual politics, and even family structures. Wylie asks the big questions about the ways in which we've ordered society and the unexamined assumptions that undergird these arran...more
This is the fifth time I have read the book but the first in almost thirty years. It was almost like reading the book for the first time. Not quite science-fiction, not quite dystopian, The Disappearanceby Philip Wylie is a study of the male and female psyches set amidst a varied array of essays commenting on the ills of American attitudes and philosophies leading into the early Cold war period.
In characteristic Wylie fashion, his protagonists are literate, highly intelligent beings who seem to...more
In characteristic Wylie fashion, his protagonists are literate, highly intelligent beings who seem to...more
Aug 11, 2011
Ketan Shah
added it
A stunning example of speculative fiction. What if all the men disappeared from the world,leaving just the women ? What if the same thing happened to the men,with all the women disappearing from their world.The world seems to split into two alternate realities,one with just men remaining,and the other with just the women.In this novel from 1951,Philip Wylie explores the consequences of an event like that and uses this clever idea to examine the role of gender in society.His characters are well d...more
I read this book way back in the late 60's and had forgotten about it until my mother mentioned rereading it. The premise of the book caught my interest and I have to admit I couldn't remember any of the details so I read it again. What a difference a few decades make!
I was shocked by the racism and sexism. The attitude that women and 'colored' people were so ill prepared to live in a world without men to tell them what to do was really disturbing. Especially since the book was written just afte...more
I was shocked by the racism and sexism. The attitude that women and 'colored' people were so ill prepared to live in a world without men to tell them what to do was really disturbing. Especially since the book was written just afte...more
One of the most beautiful, haunting and thought-provoking novels ever. Written in 1950, it's astonishingly relevant in some aspects - and an excellent historical account of a certain period in American history, in others.
I didn't dislike this book, I loved to hate this book, if that makes any sense. The self-righteous philosopher-narrator loves to hear himself speak (and drones on and on throughout much if the book.). It was also too difficult for me to put myself in the mind of a 1950's author to forgive the incredible sexism. If anything, the author saw women taking over traditional male roles in the workplace during the war - so why would the entire premise of his book rest so easily on women's inability to f...more
Of all my books, this is in the top 10 of my favorites. No, I lie! This is number one, such that I return to reading it again and again. The first copy I bought decades ago wore out, and I recently had to buy a new copy. If there were a six-star rating, this novel would receive one.
Today I once again am rereading Philip Wylie's The Disappearance, which is a book everyone should read at least once.
Set back in the 1950s, Mr. Wylie thoughtfully writes about how men and women survive when the othe...more
Today I once again am rereading Philip Wylie's The Disappearance, which is a book everyone should read at least once.
Set back in the 1950s, Mr. Wylie thoughtfully writes about how men and women survive when the othe...more
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I loved aspects of this book, and many other aspects made me cringe. Let's get the negatives out of the way first. There are a lot of racist, classist, sexist, homophobic ideas and scenes in this book. It's a product of its time, and I have a feeling it was quite progressive when it was written back in 1951, but even so, it can be very cringe-inducing at times, and is disappointing overall because of this.
However! It is worth reading, with a critical eye. The story is really fascinating, and the...more
However! It is worth reading, with a critical eye. The story is really fascinating, and the...more
Since exams, have ended, I've jumped back onto the reading train full force. This book is pretty amazing, from both a science-fiction/dystopia perspective as well as from a gender studies angle.
The gist of the book is, instantly, all the men vanish from the world. At the same time, a sort of parallel earth i suppose, all the women vanish from the world.
The book then splits into two different narratives, chronicling the days and years after the "disappearance." Being the 1950's, when all the me...more
The gist of the book is, instantly, all the men vanish from the world. At the same time, a sort of parallel earth i suppose, all the women vanish from the world.
The book then splits into two different narratives, chronicling the days and years after the "disappearance." Being the 1950's, when all the me...more
What if...
All the men disappeared from the women and all the women disappeared from the men into 2 separate worlds from the world as we know it, male and female ?
That is what this book explores in parallel stories about how each sex copes without the other and how the world is in each place...unbalanced by the other not being there to complete the world as it was intended to be.
When I first read this, it haunted me and made me think. It still does to this day.
It was out of print for many years...more
All the men disappeared from the women and all the women disappeared from the men into 2 separate worlds from the world as we know it, male and female ?
That is what this book explores in parallel stories about how each sex copes without the other and how the world is in each place...unbalanced by the other not being there to complete the world as it was intended to be.
When I first read this, it haunted me and made me think. It still does to this day.
It was out of print for many years...more
The women of the world wake up in the same world--but with no men--and the same happens for the men in this classic work of British speculative fiction.
It's interesting to think about, and fun, considering this was written in the fifties.
This book is definitely an interesting time capsule of thought.
It's interesting to think about, and fun, considering this was written in the fifties.
This book is definitely an interesting time capsule of thought.
WHY I PICKED IT UP
A co-worker told me about it, and it sounded fascinating!
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT
I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting, especially considering when it was written, and very well written. Whether or not you agree with Wylie's outcomes of a world without women and a world without men, the depiction is engrossing and thoughtful. This is a book that will really make you think!
A co-worker told me about it, and it sounded fascinating!
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT
I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting, especially considering when it was written, and very well written. Whether or not you agree with Wylie's outcomes of a world without women and a world without men, the depiction is engrossing and thoughtful. This is a book that will really make you think!
This maybe a great book but it is not a good book. It is unfortunately 'wordy', by that I mean that there are big blocks of text that stand the reader and the characters which makes it hard for you to know what the characters are feeling or even caring about them.
This is an old book -- I first read it in the 1950's. It still is a powerful look at gender differences. It is science fiction with a very human touch. One of my favorite books of all times and I've read it three times.
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A most interesting book. Made you think about the gender roles that we, as a society, hold. Although written in the 50's, it is amazing how little has really changed.
Really incredible book. I read it over a year ago and want to read it again. Really well thought out and realistic. I loved it! Definitely in my top 10 favorite books
A book that really will make you think about the human condition. Intelligently written and insightful for having been written in 1950.
A strange little book. On the whole, I didn't much care for it. The premise started out fine: one fine day, all the women in the world just vanish. And then you find out that on that same fine day, all the men in the world just vanished. Very interesting what happens in the world of just men contrasted with the world of just women.
But oh! the preaching, the pontificating, the tedious thrashing out of theories of how we've gone wrong, etc. Pages and pages of it. Ugh!
And in the end, the ending is...more
But oh! the preaching, the pontificating, the tedious thrashing out of theories of how we've gone wrong, etc. Pages and pages of it. Ugh!
And in the end, the ending is...more
One of the most riveting, memorable books I've read in a lifetime.
Loved the IDEA, but found the execution to be lacking... not sure if it was the fact that the attitudes were so dated, or if the main male character was so unlikeable. However, the character Paula was so very engaging that I kept reading.
Dec 04, 2011
Suzy
marked it as to-read
I read back in the 60's and want to revisit. It will be a great companion to Tom Perrota's The Left Overs (I think).
Interesting book on the strengths and weaknesses of the two genders. It's an old book, so the scenarios and outcome reflec the social environment at that time, but it's still interesting.
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Nov 07, 2008
Chan
added it
A great SciFi story
Apr 27, 2013
Lisa
marked it as to-read
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Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, he was the son of Presbyterian minister Edmund Melville Wylie and the former Edna Edwards, a novelist, who died when Philip was five years old. His family moved to Montclair, New Jersey and he later attended Princeton University from 1920–1923. He married Sally Ondek, and had one child, Karen, an author who became the inventor of animal "clicker" training. After a d...more
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