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The Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality 1880-1930
Sheila Jeffreys examines the activities of feminist campaigners around such issues as child abuse and prostitution and how these campaigns shaped social purity in the 1880s and 1890s. She demonstrates how the thriving and militant feminism of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was undermined, and asserts that the decline of this feminism was due largely to the promotion of a sexual ideology which was hostile to women’s independence. The circumstances about which she writes are frighteningly familiar in the present political climate.
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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1349 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Jeffreys
24 books264 followersSheila Jeffreys writes and teaches in the areas of sexual politics, international gender politics, and lesbian and gay politics. She has written six books on the history and politics of sexuality. Originally from the UK, Sheila moved to Melbourne in 1991 to take up a position at the University of Melbourne. She has been actively involved in feminist and lesbian feminist politics, particularly around the issue of sexual violence, since 1973. She is involved with the international non-government organization, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, in international organising.
She is the author of The Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality, 1880-1930 (1985/1997) Anticlimax: A Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Revolution (1990), The Lesbian Heresy: A Feminist Perspective on the Lesbian Sexual Revolution (1993), The Idea of Prostitution (1997), Unpacking Queer Politics: a lesbian feminist perspective (2003) and Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West (2005).
She is the author of The Spinster and Her Enemies: Feminism and Sexuality, 1880-1930 (1985/1997) Anticlimax: A Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Revolution (1990), The Lesbian Heresy: A Feminist Perspective on the Lesbian Sexual Revolution (1993), The Idea of Prostitution (1997), Unpacking Queer Politics: a lesbian feminist perspective (2003) and Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West (2005).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 22, 2009
Jeffreys takes on the pedigree of a pseudo-conflict that had long made me itch - the apparent tension between loving women and loving sex that is still fanning the a-historical rant contingent of the "pro-sex" discourse, was a thorn-in-the-side of some periods of second-wave feminism, is being addressed with much more nuance by the third, but that is rarely considered when assessing the first wave.
Most of my formative feminist reading was done around the time of this book's publication - 1985 - but I only stumbled across it recently second-hand. Apparently this is a "classic" - re-issued in 1997, but as always I wonder what the true fate of such passionate and essential work will be...
from the jacket:
Sheila Jeffreys examines the activities of feminist campaigners around such issues as child abuse and prostitution and how these campaigns shaped social purity in the 1880s and 1890s. She demonstrates how the thriving and militant feminism of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was undermined, and asserts that the decline of this feminism was due largely to the promotion of a sexual ideology which was hostile to women’s independence. The circumstances about which she writes are frighteningly familiar in the present political climate.
For someone like me - bright enough to feel itchy, but not focused enough to pursue and explore, this book is one of those affirmations of the DUH we know is waiting in history if we are willing to look. The descriptions of court cases illuminating victorian - thru- the twenties court-approved attitudes towards & treatment of children & women are horrific in a whole new way.
One of the ideas which had still not become common when Jeffreys was writing is the simple notion of "sex" including more than "sexual intercourse." That the "sexual freedom" advocated by Shaw, Ellis et al sounds so much like the "sexual revolution" of the 60's is no accident: for women it amounted to the freedom to be fucked. That this vision of "freedom" had survived nearly intact says a lot about the power of the definitions of both "sex" and "freedom" written into the western psyche during the era covered by this book.
This is not ancient history, and could be recommended to those complacently comfortable with Time magazine letting them know when the revolutions are over, or confused and dismayed that some women still seem so angry: those probably just as likely to think that Obama spells the end of racism. But books like this have always been for the reality-based reader - who is hope enough.
Most of my formative feminist reading was done around the time of this book's publication - 1985 - but I only stumbled across it recently second-hand. Apparently this is a "classic" - re-issued in 1997, but as always I wonder what the true fate of such passionate and essential work will be...
from the jacket:
Sheila Jeffreys examines the activities of feminist campaigners around such issues as child abuse and prostitution and how these campaigns shaped social purity in the 1880s and 1890s. She demonstrates how the thriving and militant feminism of late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was undermined, and asserts that the decline of this feminism was due largely to the promotion of a sexual ideology which was hostile to women’s independence. The circumstances about which she writes are frighteningly familiar in the present political climate.
For someone like me - bright enough to feel itchy, but not focused enough to pursue and explore, this book is one of those affirmations of the DUH we know is waiting in history if we are willing to look. The descriptions of court cases illuminating victorian - thru- the twenties court-approved attitudes towards & treatment of children & women are horrific in a whole new way.
One of the ideas which had still not become common when Jeffreys was writing is the simple notion of "sex" including more than "sexual intercourse." That the "sexual freedom" advocated by Shaw, Ellis et al sounds so much like the "sexual revolution" of the 60's is no accident: for women it amounted to the freedom to be fucked. That this vision of "freedom" had survived nearly intact says a lot about the power of the definitions of both "sex" and "freedom" written into the western psyche during the era covered by this book.
This is not ancient history, and could be recommended to those complacently comfortable with Time magazine letting them know when the revolutions are over, or confused and dismayed that some women still seem so angry: those probably just as likely to think that Obama spells the end of racism. But books like this have always been for the reality-based reader - who is hope enough.
May 29, 2015
I Love the Word Spinster
Sheila Jeffreys is, I'm led to understand, a polarizing figure in modern debates on feminism and gender issues. So I'd meant to read her, and a book with spinster in the title sealed the deal.
This book is essentially a history of how spinsters were viewed from 1880 to 1930 in England (and consequently most of the western world). In a nutshell, the number of spinsters grew in the late Victorian era, and crusaded for women's rights. A large part of this struggle was related to protecting women and girls from sexual exploitation. (Although Jeffreys doesn't go into this much, the spinster suffragettes sowed many of the seeds of their own destruction in their harsh treatment of heterosexual sex.) The backlash against this was the sexual revolution of the 1920s, which was a movement to convince women that boinking men was the only natural course of action to take, that sexually submitting themselves to men was the only true freedom, and that they'd otherwise end up dangerously frigid and neurotic.
Whether or not one agrees with the author's conclusions, it's clear that she "knows her sh*t." Personally, I like reading a well-researched history like this because it makes me more critical of what I read/hear/see today. I feel I much better understand *radical* feminism's STFU stance on a lot of modern sexuality issues.
Sheila Jeffreys is, I'm led to understand, a polarizing figure in modern debates on feminism and gender issues. So I'd meant to read her, and a book with spinster in the title sealed the deal.
This book is essentially a history of how spinsters were viewed from 1880 to 1930 in England (and consequently most of the western world). In a nutshell, the number of spinsters grew in the late Victorian era, and crusaded for women's rights. A large part of this struggle was related to protecting women and girls from sexual exploitation. (Although Jeffreys doesn't go into this much, the spinster suffragettes sowed many of the seeds of their own destruction in their harsh treatment of heterosexual sex.) The backlash against this was the sexual revolution of the 1920s, which was a movement to convince women that boinking men was the only natural course of action to take, that sexually submitting themselves to men was the only true freedom, and that they'd otherwise end up dangerously frigid and neurotic.
Whether or not one agrees with the author's conclusions, it's clear that she "knows her sh*t." Personally, I like reading a well-researched history like this because it makes me more critical of what I read/hear/see today. I feel I much better understand *radical* feminism's STFU stance on a lot of modern sexuality issues.
Want to read
February 7, 2010"The Invention of the Frigid Woman"
January 4, 2021
I was really excited to finally get my hands on The Spinster and Her Enemies. It covers a period of history and a subject that I've had a lot of trouble finding good sources on -- specifically, first wave feminism around sex and sexual crimes, rather than the campaign for the right to vote. It's a book that took me longer than the page count suggested it would -- it's very dense, and very academically written. It's also got some shaky editing, which I don't hold against it -- it's a niche subject, which was even more niche when it was published. It was guaranteed a small press from the start, and I'm glad it exists and that I was able to find a copy at an affordable price.
It covers a few different feminist missions and many different groups. It's largely about the English feminist movement, but the American movement appears occasionally. It's also about the collapse of the feminist movement after World War One, and talks a bit about the factors that contributed to that.The topic of first wave feminism and sexuality is wider than I had expected when I picked up the book, and I'm really impressed at how much detail went into each section. I felt like it moved from being very history based to a bit more theory based as the book went on, which was fine for me.
One of the most depressing things in a book full of depressing things (special shout-out to the guy whose defense for raping a seven year old was that she seduced him, and to the step-father who claimed not to know the age of his step-daughter so that he wasn't on the hook for the assault and the judge that prompted him to do so) was that the first wave feminists fought to get marital rape considered a crime and as of the writing of the book, in the '80s, it still wasn't. That really threw me into a bit of a spiral about how much this world hates women!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of feminism, with these caveats: it's a bit sex essentialist (understandable, in my opinion, given the topic, time period covered and written in), and the editing is rough.
It covers a few different feminist missions and many different groups. It's largely about the English feminist movement, but the American movement appears occasionally. It's also about the collapse of the feminist movement after World War One, and talks a bit about the factors that contributed to that.The topic of first wave feminism and sexuality is wider than I had expected when I picked up the book, and I'm really impressed at how much detail went into each section. I felt like it moved from being very history based to a bit more theory based as the book went on, which was fine for me.
One of the most depressing things in a book full of depressing things (special shout-out to the guy whose defense for raping a seven year old was that she seduced him, and to the step-father who claimed not to know the age of his step-daughter so that he wasn't on the hook for the assault and the judge that prompted him to do so) was that the first wave feminists fought to get marital rape considered a crime and as of the writing of the book, in the '80s, it still wasn't. That really threw me into a bit of a spiral about how much this world hates women!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of feminism, with these caveats: it's a bit sex essentialist (understandable, in my opinion, given the topic, time period covered and written in), and the editing is rough.
stricken
February 20, 2020
November 16, 2018
Excellent book, and vital to the understanding of the history of feminism. It aged extremely well and is arguably more pertinent now than at the time when it was written (if you need any more proof that history repeats itself, read this book).
March 2, 2009
genius genius genius
November 2, 2021
Ao propôr uma análise feminista da sexualidade, Jeffreys mostra um déficit óbvio quando universaliza o ponto de vista feminista ao da mulher não racializada, especialmente porque em nenhum momento ela reconhece os limites da análise que completa.
Posto isto, a recuperação histórica e interpretação crítica de Jeffreys das revoluções sexuais de 1880-1930 é sólida dentro do que ela abarca. Eu daria especial atenção ao papel fundamental da sexologia na patologização da sexualidade feminina/lésbica, incluindo aí o trabalho de sexólogos homossexuais masculinos como Carpenter.
Posto isto, a recuperação histórica e interpretação crítica de Jeffreys das revoluções sexuais de 1880-1930 é sólida dentro do que ela abarca. Eu daria especial atenção ao papel fundamental da sexologia na patologização da sexualidade feminina/lésbica, incluindo aí o trabalho de sexólogos homossexuais masculinos como Carpenter.
November 19, 2021
I love reading books that confirm my belief that everything men think or do and every way in which they harm women can be traced right back to their dicks. Always has been that way and always will be.
As with any feminist book, it's sadly still very relevant cause the misogynist script never really changes, just gets differently disguised.
I had two problems, though:
1) Jeffreys speculates that Stella Browne had relationships with women purely based on how lesbophobic she was????? She does the same with Ruth Hall. Jeffreys is quite sarcastic throughout the book, but there was no chance of that there.
2) I agree that lesbians likely had a prominent role in the feminist movement at the time (as well as every other time), but I don't like how Jeffreys brings forth anti-feminists quotes as evidence of this rather than giving examples of lesbians who played major parts and what they've done. Because, first, that's simply more informative; and second, we all know how anti-feminists love to fear monger and exaggerate.
Both of these things make her much less credible in my eyes.
The book took me so long to finish because the first 3 chapters were a fucking feat to get through. Too many names of acts and laws and societies, too much detail that I'm not interested in. This didn't go into my rating of the book though because I do believe it's important.
One of my favourite quotes in the book, if we take it out of context and ignore that a misogynist said it: "A thwarted instinct does not meekly subside. It seeks compensation and damages for its rebuff"
As with any feminist book, it's sadly still very relevant cause the misogynist script never really changes, just gets differently disguised.
I had two problems, though:
1) Jeffreys speculates that Stella Browne had relationships with women purely based on how lesbophobic she was????? She does the same with Ruth Hall. Jeffreys is quite sarcastic throughout the book, but there was no chance of that there.
2) I agree that lesbians likely had a prominent role in the feminist movement at the time (as well as every other time), but I don't like how Jeffreys brings forth anti-feminists quotes as evidence of this rather than giving examples of lesbians who played major parts and what they've done. Because, first, that's simply more informative; and second, we all know how anti-feminists love to fear monger and exaggerate.
Both of these things make her much less credible in my eyes.
The book took me so long to finish because the first 3 chapters were a fucking feat to get through. Too many names of acts and laws and societies, too much detail that I'm not interested in. This didn't go into my rating of the book though because I do believe it's important.
One of my favourite quotes in the book, if we take it out of context and ignore that a misogynist said it: "A thwarted instinct does not meekly subside. It seeks compensation and damages for its rebuff"
books-i-actually-gave-up-on
February 7, 2018I gave up about 15% in when it was clear that Jeffreys wasn't going to cite enough sources or quote enough of the women she discusses to get a sense of whether Jeffreys' vehemence was actually based in fact. Jeffreys may be stating a case that is 100% true, but given that she has a clear (and, to her credit, stated!) agenda, I need more citations/verification to take her word for it.
The 1997 preface is definitely enough to give you a sense of the tone of this book, so I suggest reading it before you spend any money.
The 1997 preface is definitely enough to give you a sense of the tone of this book, so I suggest reading it before you spend any money.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews