'A treasure house of self-knowledge'

 

“One thing that makes artdifferent from life is that in art things have a shape... it allows us to fixour emotions on events at the moment they occur, it permits a union of heartand mind and tongue and tear.” – Marilyn French

 

Born in Brooklyn on thisdate in 1929, French began her writing career in journalism while still incollege, although she hoped to become a musician andcomposer.   After marrying and having two children, she wentinto teaching for several years, earned both her Master’s and Doctorate degreesin English, and returned to writing.  While she was an essayist andsometime short story writer, her biggest impact came through her novels.

  

French's first andbest-known novel, The Women's Room, follows the details and livesof Mira and her friends in 1950s’ and 1960s’ America during the dawning andsubsequent impact of militant radical feminism.  The 1977 novel soldover 20 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 20languages.      

 

 Shortly before herdeath in 2009, she was asked what advice she might give beginning writers, andshe said to capitalize on things that might seem to get in your way, such asfear of failure.  

 

“Fear is a question,” shesaid.  “What are you afraid of and why? Our fears are a treasurehouse of self-knowledge if only we explore them.”