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The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning of the Feminine
Foreword by Alice von Hildebrand
When The Eternal Woman was first published in Germany, Europe was a battlefield of modern ideologies that would sweep away millions of lives in war and genocide. Denying the Creator, who made male and female, Nazism and Communism could only fail to appreciate the true meaning of the feminine and reduce woman to a mere instrument of the state. In the name of liberating her from the so-called tyranny of Christianity, atheism, in any form, leads to woman's enslavement.
With penetrating insight Gertrud von le Fort understood the war on womanhood, and consequently on motherhood, that always coincides with an attack on the faith of the Catholic Church, which she embraced at the age of 50 in 1926. In The Eternal Woman, she counters the modern assault on the feminine not with polemical argument but with perhaps the most beautiful meditation on womanhood ever written.
Taking Mary, Virgin and Mother, as her model, von le Fort reflects on the significance of woman's spiritual and physical receptivity that constitutes her very essence, as well as her role in both the creation and redemption of human beings. Mary's fiat to God is the pathway to our salvation, as it is inextricably linked with the obedience unto death of Jesus her son. Like the Son's acceptance of the Cross, Mary's acceptance of her maternity symbolizes for all mankind the self-surrender to the Creator required of every human soul. Since any woman's acceptance of motherhood is likewise a yes to God, when womanhood and motherhood are properly understood and appreciated, the nature of the soul's relationship to God is revealed.
When The Eternal Woman was first published in Germany, Europe was a battlefield of modern ideologies that would sweep away millions of lives in war and genocide. Denying the Creator, who made male and female, Nazism and Communism could only fail to appreciate the true meaning of the feminine and reduce woman to a mere instrument of the state. In the name of liberating her from the so-called tyranny of Christianity, atheism, in any form, leads to woman's enslavement.
With penetrating insight Gertrud von le Fort understood the war on womanhood, and consequently on motherhood, that always coincides with an attack on the faith of the Catholic Church, which she embraced at the age of 50 in 1926. In The Eternal Woman, she counters the modern assault on the feminine not with polemical argument but with perhaps the most beautiful meditation on womanhood ever written.
Taking Mary, Virgin and Mother, as her model, von le Fort reflects on the significance of woman's spiritual and physical receptivity that constitutes her very essence, as well as her role in both the creation and redemption of human beings. Mary's fiat to God is the pathway to our salvation, as it is inextricably linked with the obedience unto death of Jesus her son. Like the Son's acceptance of the Cross, Mary's acceptance of her maternity symbolizes for all mankind the self-surrender to the Creator required of every human soul. Since any woman's acceptance of motherhood is likewise a yes to God, when womanhood and motherhood are properly understood and appreciated, the nature of the soul's relationship to God is revealed.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1934
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836 people want to read
About the author
Gertrud von le Fort
53 books40 followersGertrud von Le Fort was a German writer of novels, poems, and essays. She came from a Protestant background, but converted to Catholicism in 1926. Most of Gertrud's writings come after this conversion. In 1952 she won the Gottfried-Keller-Preis award.
Her novella Die Letzte am Schafott (The Last on the Scaffold) was the original basis for the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc. She also wrote a book called The Eternal Woman, which was published in paperback in English on March 1st, 2010.
Pseudonymes: Gerta von Stark, Petrea Vallerin
Her novella Die Letzte am Schafott (The Last on the Scaffold) was the original basis for the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc. She also wrote a book called The Eternal Woman, which was published in paperback in English on March 1st, 2010.
Pseudonymes: Gerta von Stark, Petrea Vallerin
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May 20, 2013
In the forward to the 1954 edition of Gertrude von le Fort’s classic work on the timeless meaning of the feminine, we are told this work was first published in Germany in 1934. As Hitler was beginning his meteoric rise to power which would change the face of Europe for decades this slim volume on the eternal importance of womanhood to all of humanity also came into being ... sadly overshadowed by those events.
The Eternal Woman looks at Woman and her incalculable value to humanity from the symbolic aspect. As such, it is written using the language of imagery which may present difficulty for some readers. However the interplay of ideas presented by Ms. le Fort is so fascinating, I found myself both thrilled to be a woman and challenged to accept all that is inherent in being female more seriously in the future only regretting I had not encountered this book much sooner in my life.
The author begins with creation and a correct understanding of the story.
‘God created mankind in his image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them…’ (Genesis 1:27-28)
The Eternal Woman looks at Woman and her incalculable value to humanity from the symbolic aspect. As such, it is written using the language of imagery which may present difficulty for some readers. However the interplay of ideas presented by Ms. le Fort is so fascinating, I found myself both thrilled to be a woman and challenged to accept all that is inherent in being female more seriously in the future only regretting I had not encountered this book much sooner in my life.
The author begins with creation and a correct understanding of the story.
‘...it is entirely false to say that Eve fell because she was the weaker. The Bible story clearly shows that she was the stronger and had the ascendancy over man. Man, regarded in his cosmic aspect, stands in the foreground of strength, while woman dwells in the deeper reaches. Whenever woman has been suppressed, it was never because she was weak, but because she was recognized and feared as having power, and with reason; for at the moment when the stronger power no longer desires surrender but seeks self-glorification, a catastrophe is bound to ensue.’ p.13In the chapter entitled “Woman in Time” she covers the three primary vocations of women—single virginity, marriage and motherhood—and the importance of sanctity to a woman’s ability to fulfill whatever mission she is called to by God.
‘“The holier a woman is, the more she is a woman.” This also is Dante’s meaning in that wondrous passage of his great poem when he looks upon Beatrice while her eyes remain steadfastly fixed upon God. Here Dante does not see the divine in woman, but he sees God because her glance is upon God.’ p.51“Timeless Woman” is the chapter which concludes the book. These are my favorite selections from it:
‘It is only a motherless time that cries out for a mother, and a deeply unmotherly age that can point to the mother as a demand of the time, for it is precisely the mother who is timeless, the same in all epochs and among all peoples.’ p.67I don’t expect this to be a very popular review with some, but that’s okay. I stand with all the voiceless and motherless ones. How many times have I said to my own daughters that I would be the mother to the world if I could...?
‘The increased possibility of preserving the life of the child is paralleled by the equally increased possibility of preventing or even removing the child.’ p.71
‘The recognition of the fact that there is no right on the part of the woman to a child, but only a right of the child to a mother, corresponds to the recognition of another fact that is pertinent to the present, namely, that there is in the world no woman’s right, so called to a profession or vocation, but the world has a child’s right to the woman… There is nothing that denotes the condition of the world today more profoundly and tragically than the complete absence of the maternal attitude of mind.’ p.88
‘God created mankind in his image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them…’ (Genesis 1:27-28)
September 25, 2021
This is an incredible meditation on the meaning of womanhood that I found both empowering and liberating as a woman.
Gertrud von le Fort's short but meaty treatise is both a product of its time and a timeless meditation that holds a number of thoughts worth considering, no matter where you stand spiritually.
Von le Fort wrote The Eternal Woman in the 1930s as a response to early feminism and the co-opting of motherhood as a political tool by Bolshevist and Nazi states. However, her thoughts still ring true in our age where the concept of gender identity has led many to wonder whether being a woman means anything more than carrying two X chromosomes or wearing dresses. Much of the language can be problematic for a 21st-century reader, but with a bit of patience and a willingness to lean into the discomfort, there are a lot of valuable insights to be gained.
The Eternal Woman weaves together Scripture and imagery from the world of literature, art, and culture to paint a beautiful portrait of Woman and her role as a bearer of the image of God, working through the implications both in religious symbolism and in the role of women in society. She uses concepts of femininity that are often used to subjugate women-- surrender, hiddenness, and silence-- and subverts them, reclaiming them as tools of feminine power bestowed by God as a reflection of His nature and as a means for women to accomplish great work in the temporal realm.
There are some surprisingly progressive ideas in this book, despite the apparent opposition to feminism. I found particularly intriguing her thoughts on the importance of women in all stages of life-- unmarried, childless, and as mothers-- and how women in all these stages exemplify a key characteristic of the feminine. This was a breath of fresh air for someone who grew up in a Protestant denomination where motherhood is the end-all for women and singlehood is almost a type of disease.
A very worthwhile read!
Gertrud von le Fort's short but meaty treatise is both a product of its time and a timeless meditation that holds a number of thoughts worth considering, no matter where you stand spiritually.
Von le Fort wrote The Eternal Woman in the 1930s as a response to early feminism and the co-opting of motherhood as a political tool by Bolshevist and Nazi states. However, her thoughts still ring true in our age where the concept of gender identity has led many to wonder whether being a woman means anything more than carrying two X chromosomes or wearing dresses. Much of the language can be problematic for a 21st-century reader, but with a bit of patience and a willingness to lean into the discomfort, there are a lot of valuable insights to be gained.
The Eternal Woman weaves together Scripture and imagery from the world of literature, art, and culture to paint a beautiful portrait of Woman and her role as a bearer of the image of God, working through the implications both in religious symbolism and in the role of women in society. She uses concepts of femininity that are often used to subjugate women-- surrender, hiddenness, and silence-- and subverts them, reclaiming them as tools of feminine power bestowed by God as a reflection of His nature and as a means for women to accomplish great work in the temporal realm.
There are some surprisingly progressive ideas in this book, despite the apparent opposition to feminism. I found particularly intriguing her thoughts on the importance of women in all stages of life-- unmarried, childless, and as mothers-- and how women in all these stages exemplify a key characteristic of the feminine. This was a breath of fresh air for someone who grew up in a Protestant denomination where motherhood is the end-all for women and singlehood is almost a type of disease.
A very worthwhile read!
March 6, 2025
ENGLISH: This book deals with the "eternal feminine," the essential role of women, which took shape especially in the Blessed Virgin Mary. Having been published in 1934, its description of the role of women in the world, as opposed to their spiritual role, is outdated. In the 90 years since then, the woman who lives in the world and for the world no longer resembles the woman described by von le Fort. According to her, such a woman considered herself a failure if she did not marry and have children. Today, most women do not marry and many renounce motherhood. In any case, her description of the essential role of women, and their role in the Catholic Church, remains as applicable today as it was at that time.
The author is strongly influenced by the German culture in which she lived. This can be seen, for example: a) in the contrast she draws between "culture" and "civilization," taken from Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West"; b) in her frequent citing of German authors, as if they were well known by everybody; c) in her assertion that "the outstanding period of German genius corresponds to the Ottonian... This period is contemporary also with the zenith epoch of the German people." I don't think many historians, some of them German, would agree with this.
This book brings up two different concepts of the woman: a) The eternal woman, or the eternal feminine. b) The woman in the world, the concept of the woman in our society. The first concept can be considered permanent. The second is outdated, for in the 90 years since the book was published, the concept of the woman in our society has changed. Von le Fort dedicates several pages to explain that, for society, women who are not married and never become mothers are downplayed, and sometimes get embittered. I think this is no longer true. Today, many women don't want to marry and don't want to be mothers.
Another point where this book is outdated is in von le Fort's insistence that society is (was, during her time) "crying for the child" and "crying for the mother." If that was then true (I'm not sure that it was so in the nineteen twenties), it's no longer true. Society has been, for fifty years, crying for the killing of the child (abortion) and crying against motherliness.
A few quotes from the last chapter, which is the most interesting part of the book:
[T]here is no such thing as a woman’s right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother.
Culture must not only be created; it must likewise be sustained, cherished, even loved like a child.
[T]here is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman’s spiritual motherhood.
ESPAÑOL: Este libro habla del "eterno femenino", del papel esencial de la mujer, que tomó forma especialmente en la Virgen María. Habiendo sido publicado en 1934, su descripción del papel de la mujer en el mundo, en contraposición con su papel espiritual, está atrasado, pues en los 90 años transcurridos la mujer que vive en el mundo y para el mundo ya no se parece nada a la que describe von le Fort, que según ella se consideraba fracasada si no se casaba y tenía hijos. Hoy la mayor parte de las mujeres no se casan y muchas renuncian a la maternidad. En cualquier caso, su descripción del papel esencial de la mujer, y de su papel en la Iglesia Católica, sigue siendo hoy día tan aplicable como entonces.
La autora está fuertemente influida por la cultura alemana en la que vivió. Esto se ve, por ejemplo: a) en el contraste que establece entre "cultura" y "civilización", tomado de "La decadencia de Occidente" de Oswald Spengler; b) en sus frecuentes citas de autores alemanes, como si fueran conocidos por todo el mundo; c) en su afirmación de que "el período sobresaliente del genio alemán corresponde al tiempo de los Otones... Este período es también contemporáneo de la época cumbre del pueblo alemán". No creo que muchos historiadores, incluso alemanes, estén de acuerdo con esto.
En este libro se plantean dos conceptos diferentes de la mujer: a) La mujer eterna, o el eterno femenino. b) La mujer en el mundo, el concepto de la mujer en nuestra sociedad. El primer concepto puede considerarse permanente. El segundo está desactualizado, pues en los 90 años transcurridos desde que se publicó este libro, el concepto de la mujer en nuestra sociedad ha cambiado. Von le Fort dedica varias páginas a explicar que, para la sociedad, las mujeres que no se casan y no llegan a ser madres son menospreciadas y, a veces, viven amargadas. Creo que esto ya no es así. Hoy muchas mujeres no quieren casarse y no quieren ser madres.
Otro punto en el que este libro está desactualizado es en la insistencia de von le Fort en que la sociedad está (estaba, en su época) "pidiendo a gritos al niño" y "pidiendo a gritos a la madre". Si esto era cierto entonces (no estoy seguro de que lo fuera en los años veinte del siglo XX), ya no lo es. La sociedad lleva cincuenta años pidiendo a gritos el asesinato del niño (aborto) y despotricando contra la maternidad.
Veamos algunas citas del último capítulo, que es lo más interesante del libro:
No existe el derecho de la mujer a tener un hijo; sólo existe el derecho del hijo a tener una madre.
La cultura no sólo debe ser creada, sino que también hay que mantenerla, cuidarla, incluso amarla como a un hijo.
Nada contribuye de manera tan eficaz a la decadencia de la cultura como el declive de la maternidad espiritual de la mujer.
The author is strongly influenced by the German culture in which she lived. This can be seen, for example: a) in the contrast she draws between "culture" and "civilization," taken from Oswald Spengler's "The Decline of the West"; b) in her frequent citing of German authors, as if they were well known by everybody; c) in her assertion that "the outstanding period of German genius corresponds to the Ottonian... This period is contemporary also with the zenith epoch of the German people." I don't think many historians, some of them German, would agree with this.
This book brings up two different concepts of the woman: a) The eternal woman, or the eternal feminine. b) The woman in the world, the concept of the woman in our society. The first concept can be considered permanent. The second is outdated, for in the 90 years since the book was published, the concept of the woman in our society has changed. Von le Fort dedicates several pages to explain that, for society, women who are not married and never become mothers are downplayed, and sometimes get embittered. I think this is no longer true. Today, many women don't want to marry and don't want to be mothers.
Another point where this book is outdated is in von le Fort's insistence that society is (was, during her time) "crying for the child" and "crying for the mother." If that was then true (I'm not sure that it was so in the nineteen twenties), it's no longer true. Society has been, for fifty years, crying for the killing of the child (abortion) and crying against motherliness.
A few quotes from the last chapter, which is the most interesting part of the book:
[T]here is no such thing as a woman’s right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother.
Culture must not only be created; it must likewise be sustained, cherished, even loved like a child.
[T]here is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman’s spiritual motherhood.
ESPAÑOL: Este libro habla del "eterno femenino", del papel esencial de la mujer, que tomó forma especialmente en la Virgen María. Habiendo sido publicado en 1934, su descripción del papel de la mujer en el mundo, en contraposición con su papel espiritual, está atrasado, pues en los 90 años transcurridos la mujer que vive en el mundo y para el mundo ya no se parece nada a la que describe von le Fort, que según ella se consideraba fracasada si no se casaba y tenía hijos. Hoy la mayor parte de las mujeres no se casan y muchas renuncian a la maternidad. En cualquier caso, su descripción del papel esencial de la mujer, y de su papel en la Iglesia Católica, sigue siendo hoy día tan aplicable como entonces.
La autora está fuertemente influida por la cultura alemana en la que vivió. Esto se ve, por ejemplo: a) en el contraste que establece entre "cultura" y "civilización", tomado de "La decadencia de Occidente" de Oswald Spengler; b) en sus frecuentes citas de autores alemanes, como si fueran conocidos por todo el mundo; c) en su afirmación de que "el período sobresaliente del genio alemán corresponde al tiempo de los Otones... Este período es también contemporáneo de la época cumbre del pueblo alemán". No creo que muchos historiadores, incluso alemanes, estén de acuerdo con esto.
En este libro se plantean dos conceptos diferentes de la mujer: a) La mujer eterna, o el eterno femenino. b) La mujer en el mundo, el concepto de la mujer en nuestra sociedad. El primer concepto puede considerarse permanente. El segundo está desactualizado, pues en los 90 años transcurridos desde que se publicó este libro, el concepto de la mujer en nuestra sociedad ha cambiado. Von le Fort dedica varias páginas a explicar que, para la sociedad, las mujeres que no se casan y no llegan a ser madres son menospreciadas y, a veces, viven amargadas. Creo que esto ya no es así. Hoy muchas mujeres no quieren casarse y no quieren ser madres.
Otro punto en el que este libro está desactualizado es en la insistencia de von le Fort en que la sociedad está (estaba, en su época) "pidiendo a gritos al niño" y "pidiendo a gritos a la madre". Si esto era cierto entonces (no estoy seguro de que lo fuera en los años veinte del siglo XX), ya no lo es. La sociedad lleva cincuenta años pidiendo a gritos el asesinato del niño (aborto) y despotricando contra la maternidad.
Veamos algunas citas del último capítulo, que es lo más interesante del libro:
No existe el derecho de la mujer a tener un hijo; sólo existe el derecho del hijo a tener una madre.
La cultura no sólo debe ser creada, sino que también hay que mantenerla, cuidarla, incluso amarla como a un hijo.
Nada contribuye de manera tan eficaz a la decadencia de la cultura como el declive de la maternidad espiritual de la mujer.
November 21, 2017
To be perfectly frank, I often back out of reading books that deal with the topic of womanhood. It is not because I find these issues irrelevant, quite the contrary. It's rather due to the disillusion with feminism that I experienced at the university (it was presented to me as an empty ideology and a mere campaign for power... no thanks) and the fact that even though I tried, I haven't managed to read a single contemporary text I could agree with a 100%, therefore I was forced to conclude that every woman somehow has to make up her own brand of thinking about femininity, which kind of kills the whole purpose of a movement.
Then, by chance, I came across this humble title by Gertrud von le Fort and I realized that the idea of womanhood doesn't speak to me as much as a political issue, but when perceived as an eternal symbol, I find it fully comprehendible and relatable.
Symbols are signs or images through which ultimate metaphysical realities and modes of being are apprehended, not in an abstract manner but by way of a likeness. Symbols are therefore the language of an invisible reality becoming articulate in the realm of the visible. This concept of the symbol springs from the conviction that in all beings and things there is an intelligent order that, through these very beings and things, reveals itself as a divine order by means of the language of its symbols.
The individual carrier, therefore, has an obligation toward his symbols, which remain above and beyond him, inviolate and inviolable, even when he no longer recognizes their meaning, or when he has gone so far as to reject or deny them.
Von le Fort then, calling philosophy, theology and art to her aid, proceeds to explain the threefold symbolism of womanhood: the virgin (virgo), the bride/partner (sponsa) and the mother (mater). Each of these notions is problematic for the current times and it is beyond this small review to capture the beauty of the conclusions given in this richly dense philosophical essay. Let me just say that it was a relief for me to be introduced into the language of the symbol, which doesn't impose a concrete lifestyle on anyone, but (if we are willing) can help us to perceive how theses ideas are uniquely realized in our lives. Now by ''us'' I also mean men, because Gertrud von le Fort thinks of femininity and masculinity not just in mutual complementarity, but in the dynamic balance of love, which is always a sacred mystery for her (mysterium caritatis).
All in all, I find this book to be a wonderfully though-provoking collection of reflections of a dedicated observer of culture, history, religion and art, an author who tries to give honest answer, but still notbeing too proud to think that she exhausted the question.
Then, by chance, I came across this humble title by Gertrud von le Fort and I realized that the idea of womanhood doesn't speak to me as much as a political issue, but when perceived as an eternal symbol, I find it fully comprehendible and relatable.
Symbols are signs or images through which ultimate metaphysical realities and modes of being are apprehended, not in an abstract manner but by way of a likeness. Symbols are therefore the language of an invisible reality becoming articulate in the realm of the visible. This concept of the symbol springs from the conviction that in all beings and things there is an intelligent order that, through these very beings and things, reveals itself as a divine order by means of the language of its symbols.
The individual carrier, therefore, has an obligation toward his symbols, which remain above and beyond him, inviolate and inviolable, even when he no longer recognizes their meaning, or when he has gone so far as to reject or deny them.
Von le Fort then, calling philosophy, theology and art to her aid, proceeds to explain the threefold symbolism of womanhood: the virgin (virgo), the bride/partner (sponsa) and the mother (mater). Each of these notions is problematic for the current times and it is beyond this small review to capture the beauty of the conclusions given in this richly dense philosophical essay. Let me just say that it was a relief for me to be introduced into the language of the symbol, which doesn't impose a concrete lifestyle on anyone, but (if we are willing) can help us to perceive how theses ideas are uniquely realized in our lives. Now by ''us'' I also mean men, because Gertrud von le Fort thinks of femininity and masculinity not just in mutual complementarity, but in the dynamic balance of love, which is always a sacred mystery for her (mysterium caritatis).
All in all, I find this book to be a wonderfully though-provoking collection of reflections of a dedicated observer of culture, history, religion and art, an author who tries to give honest answer, but still notbeing too proud to think that she exhausted the question.
September 20, 2023
4.5 stars
This book was actually quite life changing and made me GEEK out. Fun fact: Going into it, I had zero clue that it was exploring the symbolism of the feminine. I found it on FORMED, it sounded interesting, and I wanted something short, so that was how I started reading it. Little did I know that it would actually turn out to be a deep exploration of symbolism, a subject that I am far from fully understanding, yet I find it to be a continually enriching subject that enthralls and captures my mind. It is such a comprehensive and wholistic way of viewing the world to the point that it sometimes makes me cry thinking about it (yes I am being serious). With that being said, I REALLY need to get this in a physical copy so that I can take so many notes and really ingest all of the material. It was great to listen to it for free on audiobook, however it is definitely not the best way to consume and learn the material. BUT, my mind was blown throughout the whole reading/listening of this book. There were so many eye opening parts that I hope to share when I (hopefully) reread this book, as trying to merely summarize it would be an insult to this masterpiece. Watch out for my future notes and discussions on this because I will 100% be dissecting every inch of this in the future.
This book was actually quite life changing and made me GEEK out. Fun fact: Going into it, I had zero clue that it was exploring the symbolism of the feminine. I found it on FORMED, it sounded interesting, and I wanted something short, so that was how I started reading it. Little did I know that it would actually turn out to be a deep exploration of symbolism, a subject that I am far from fully understanding, yet I find it to be a continually enriching subject that enthralls and captures my mind. It is such a comprehensive and wholistic way of viewing the world to the point that it sometimes makes me cry thinking about it (yes I am being serious). With that being said, I REALLY need to get this in a physical copy so that I can take so many notes and really ingest all of the material. It was great to listen to it for free on audiobook, however it is definitely not the best way to consume and learn the material. BUT, my mind was blown throughout the whole reading/listening of this book. There were so many eye opening parts that I hope to share when I (hopefully) reread this book, as trying to merely summarize it would be an insult to this masterpiece. Watch out for my future notes and discussions on this because I will 100% be dissecting every inch of this in the future.
November 17, 2020
I listened to the audiobook available through my parish subscription to Formed. Auditory learning is not my preferred style, but I gleaned enough to know this slim volume will be worth purchasing. There is much to meditate on.
September 18, 2024
This was one of the most beautiful books I've read. I probably highlighted 80% of it! When choosing which highlights to write down here, I had to close my eyes and skip ahead because I just wanted to share every bit of it with y'all. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!! 🤣 These quotes are just a bit of the gems that Gertrud von le Fort shares in this beautiful and necessary book! How lost and confused have women today become about the beauty and priceless value of our womanhood...
The great value of womanhood shows too, the great importance men have of protecting, cherishing and taking care of women.
Woman & A Veil
"It is likewise the symbol of womanhood, and all great forms of woman's life show her as a figure veiled. This makes it clear why the greatest mysteries of Christianity entered the world of creation not through the man, but by way of the woman." (page 10)
"It is precisely the veil that is the evidence of every great womanly mission.." (page 12)
"We have said that all the great forms of woman's life show her as concealed. The bride, the widow, the nun are the bearers of the same symbol. The outer gesture is never without meaning; for, as it issues from a thing, just so does it represent that very thing. From this point of view certain fashions become monstrous traitors; in fact, they contribute to the dismantling of woman in the actual sense of the word. To unveil her means to destroy her mystery." (page 16)
Woman = Surrender
"Wheresoever woman is most profoundly herself, she is not as herself but as surrendered." (page 11)
"The fiat of the Virgin is therefore the revelation of the religious quality in its essence. Since, as an act of surrender, it is at the same time an expression of essential womanliness, the latter becomes the manifestation of the religious concept fundamental to the human being." (page 9)
"(T)he moment when the stronger power no longer desires surrender but seeks self-glorification, a catastrophe is bound to ensue." (page 13)
"If the sign of the woman is, 'Be it done unto me,; which means the readiness to conceive or, when expressed religiously, the will to be blessed, then there is always misery when the woman no longer wills to concieve, no longer desires to be blessed." (page 15)
"Surrender to God is the only absolute power that the creature possess." (page 18)
Woman's Importance
"(T)he unpretentious is pre-eminently proper to woman, which means all that belongs to the domain of love, of goodness, of compassion, everything that has to do with care and protection, the hidden, the betrayed things of the earth." (page 12)
"(N)ations and countries, if they are to prosper, need good mothers..." (page 17)
"(M)an spends his strength in how own performance, while woman does not spend but transmits it. Man spends and exhausts himself in his work and in giving his talent gives himself with it, while woman gives even the talent away to the coming generation. Her endowment appears as equal to that of the man, but it is not for the woman herself; it is for the generation." (page 21) ISN'T THAT BEAUTIFUL!? 😭❤
"To be a mother, to feel maternally, means to turn especially to the helpless, to incline lovingly and helpfully to every small and weak thing upon the earth," (page 78)
It is the maternal woman, overwhelmed as she is by the needs of every day, who is the great conqueror of the every day. Daily she controls it anew by making it bearable, and her victory is greatest when least observed." (page 80)
"If we said before that physical motherhood is but the first breaking forth of the mother's powers, their most universal, most appealing aspect, this doe snot mean that a woman can attain to motherhood in this universal sense only through her own child. It is a remnant of the period of individualism to believe that everyone must experience everything." (page 85)
"There is no such thing as a woman's right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother." (page 86)
"The past epoch required a profession for the unmarried woman as a substitute for motherhood. The future, inspired y the concept of spiritual maternity, will call for it, but from the fulsome motherliness that is also in the single woman. The professions of women will consequently not be the substitute for a failing motherhood, but rather the working out of the never failing motherliness that is in every genuine woman.....
Although in humbler garb than that of queen, the woman in politics is in spirit a mother to her people. Only on this condition can her presence there be approved...." (page 89-90)
"(T)here is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman's spiritual motherhood. In this event the protectress of culture has become its squanderer." (page 90)
Virginity / Unmarried Women
"That our time avoids coming to terms with (the unmarried woman) is understandable. It entertains the naïve conviction that the significance of the unmarried woman comes to the fore in the bride. From a positive standpoint the age sees her only as girlish expectancy; negatively, she denotes the disappointed old maid, or what is worse, the contented bachelor girl. Consequently our period sees the unmarried woman only as as condition or as something tragic.....
The one whom we negatively call the unmarried woman is in a positive sense the virgin. Obviously she is not the only aspect of the unmarried woman, she is her most natural expression. In other times, a virgin held a definite position or dignity. Not only does Christianity approve of her, but many the values that it emphasizes have been anticipated also in pre-Christian times. Names of mountains and or constellations proclaim the virgin....
To borrow Theodore Haecker's beautiful expression, which he applied to the classical ages, the pagan period of early Germanic history, in its belief in the saving power of a virgin, became "like an advent" preparing the way for the Christian faith in Mary....
Thus from dogma, history, saga, and art, the idea of virginity emerges, not as a condition or a tragedy, but as a value and a power." (pages 23-25)
"The liturgy always places the virgin beside the martyr, who bears witness to the absolute value of the soul." (page 26)
"To the woman who does not recognize in her virginity a value that has its relationship to God, the unmarried state and childlessness are really a profound tragedy. Both to marriage and to children, woman is spiritually and physically more intimately disposed than man, and to be deprived of them can lead her to regard her own existence as utterly futile. However, the inner meaning of her unmarried state and her childlessness remains unimpaired by this apparent uselessness. In fact, by an extreme sharpening of the concept, it is perhaps exactly at this point that it becomes decidedly intensified; for it is perhaps only an existence seemingly the most worthless that can most fully establish the final value of a person as such....
In an similar way the low voice of the solitary woman, whose life in the world has remained unfulfilled, echoes in sisterly fashion the avowal of fulfillment on the part of the spouse of Christ. It is only in the complete release from every visible achievement that we have a glimmer of the ultimate, the transcendental meaning of the person." (page 29)
The ONLY thing that I found a bit strange was this quote from Ruth Schaumann, "True women are quiet and desire quiet .... show me the woman who writes about that which concerns her intimately .... If it did concern her she would be silent." While I agree that we all need to exercise a lot more caution and prudence when it comes to sharing our thoughts and "feelings" and opinions, especially online, I think this way of thinking might come off as not exactly grounded in total reality, especially since all of us women are given different gifts. Gertrude, herself for instance would not have written this beautiful book if she would have obeyed this strange quote.
All in all, I believe that we women need to learn to keep our mouths shut a lot more often and men need to step it up and say what needs to be said, but like everything else, there needs to be a balance here.
The great value of womanhood shows too, the great importance men have of protecting, cherishing and taking care of women.
Woman & A Veil
"It is likewise the symbol of womanhood, and all great forms of woman's life show her as a figure veiled. This makes it clear why the greatest mysteries of Christianity entered the world of creation not through the man, but by way of the woman." (page 10)
"It is precisely the veil that is the evidence of every great womanly mission.." (page 12)
"We have said that all the great forms of woman's life show her as concealed. The bride, the widow, the nun are the bearers of the same symbol. The outer gesture is never without meaning; for, as it issues from a thing, just so does it represent that very thing. From this point of view certain fashions become monstrous traitors; in fact, they contribute to the dismantling of woman in the actual sense of the word. To unveil her means to destroy her mystery." (page 16)
Woman = Surrender
"Wheresoever woman is most profoundly herself, she is not as herself but as surrendered." (page 11)
"The fiat of the Virgin is therefore the revelation of the religious quality in its essence. Since, as an act of surrender, it is at the same time an expression of essential womanliness, the latter becomes the manifestation of the religious concept fundamental to the human being." (page 9)
"(T)he moment when the stronger power no longer desires surrender but seeks self-glorification, a catastrophe is bound to ensue." (page 13)
"If the sign of the woman is, 'Be it done unto me,; which means the readiness to conceive or, when expressed religiously, the will to be blessed, then there is always misery when the woman no longer wills to concieve, no longer desires to be blessed." (page 15)
"Surrender to God is the only absolute power that the creature possess." (page 18)
Woman's Importance
"(T)he unpretentious is pre-eminently proper to woman, which means all that belongs to the domain of love, of goodness, of compassion, everything that has to do with care and protection, the hidden, the betrayed things of the earth." (page 12)
"(N)ations and countries, if they are to prosper, need good mothers..." (page 17)
"(M)an spends his strength in how own performance, while woman does not spend but transmits it. Man spends and exhausts himself in his work and in giving his talent gives himself with it, while woman gives even the talent away to the coming generation. Her endowment appears as equal to that of the man, but it is not for the woman herself; it is for the generation." (page 21) ISN'T THAT BEAUTIFUL!? 😭❤
"To be a mother, to feel maternally, means to turn especially to the helpless, to incline lovingly and helpfully to every small and weak thing upon the earth," (page 78)
It is the maternal woman, overwhelmed as she is by the needs of every day, who is the great conqueror of the every day. Daily she controls it anew by making it bearable, and her victory is greatest when least observed." (page 80)
"If we said before that physical motherhood is but the first breaking forth of the mother's powers, their most universal, most appealing aspect, this doe snot mean that a woman can attain to motherhood in this universal sense only through her own child. It is a remnant of the period of individualism to believe that everyone must experience everything." (page 85)
"There is no such thing as a woman's right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother." (page 86)
"The past epoch required a profession for the unmarried woman as a substitute for motherhood. The future, inspired y the concept of spiritual maternity, will call for it, but from the fulsome motherliness that is also in the single woman. The professions of women will consequently not be the substitute for a failing motherhood, but rather the working out of the never failing motherliness that is in every genuine woman.....
Although in humbler garb than that of queen, the woman in politics is in spirit a mother to her people. Only on this condition can her presence there be approved...." (page 89-90)
"(T)here is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman's spiritual motherhood. In this event the protectress of culture has become its squanderer." (page 90)
Virginity / Unmarried Women
"That our time avoids coming to terms with (the unmarried woman) is understandable. It entertains the naïve conviction that the significance of the unmarried woman comes to the fore in the bride. From a positive standpoint the age sees her only as girlish expectancy; negatively, she denotes the disappointed old maid, or what is worse, the contented bachelor girl. Consequently our period sees the unmarried woman only as as condition or as something tragic.....
The one whom we negatively call the unmarried woman is in a positive sense the virgin. Obviously she is not the only aspect of the unmarried woman, she is her most natural expression. In other times, a virgin held a definite position or dignity. Not only does Christianity approve of her, but many the values that it emphasizes have been anticipated also in pre-Christian times. Names of mountains and or constellations proclaim the virgin....
To borrow Theodore Haecker's beautiful expression, which he applied to the classical ages, the pagan period of early Germanic history, in its belief in the saving power of a virgin, became "like an advent" preparing the way for the Christian faith in Mary....
Thus from dogma, history, saga, and art, the idea of virginity emerges, not as a condition or a tragedy, but as a value and a power." (pages 23-25)
"The liturgy always places the virgin beside the martyr, who bears witness to the absolute value of the soul." (page 26)
"To the woman who does not recognize in her virginity a value that has its relationship to God, the unmarried state and childlessness are really a profound tragedy. Both to marriage and to children, woman is spiritually and physically more intimately disposed than man, and to be deprived of them can lead her to regard her own existence as utterly futile. However, the inner meaning of her unmarried state and her childlessness remains unimpaired by this apparent uselessness. In fact, by an extreme sharpening of the concept, it is perhaps exactly at this point that it becomes decidedly intensified; for it is perhaps only an existence seemingly the most worthless that can most fully establish the final value of a person as such....
In an similar way the low voice of the solitary woman, whose life in the world has remained unfulfilled, echoes in sisterly fashion the avowal of fulfillment on the part of the spouse of Christ. It is only in the complete release from every visible achievement that we have a glimmer of the ultimate, the transcendental meaning of the person." (page 29)
The ONLY thing that I found a bit strange was this quote from Ruth Schaumann, "True women are quiet and desire quiet .... show me the woman who writes about that which concerns her intimately .... If it did concern her she would be silent." While I agree that we all need to exercise a lot more caution and prudence when it comes to sharing our thoughts and "feelings" and opinions, especially online, I think this way of thinking might come off as not exactly grounded in total reality, especially since all of us women are given different gifts. Gertrude, herself for instance would not have written this beautiful book if she would have obeyed this strange quote.
All in all, I believe that we women need to learn to keep our mouths shut a lot more often and men need to step it up and say what needs to be said, but like everything else, there needs to be a balance here.
March 10, 2025
This is a very dense book, and I would like to reread it in the future.
Here are some quotes:
“The truth that most vitally concerns our times is that without eternal loyalties we lose not only eternity, but this life as well.”
"For his redemption, man has nothing to contribute to God other than the readiness of unconditional surrender"
"There is no such thing as a woman’s right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother."
"Culture must not only be created; it must likewise be sustained, cherished, even loved like a child.
There is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman’s spiritual motherhood."
Here are some quotes:
“The truth that most vitally concerns our times is that without eternal loyalties we lose not only eternity, but this life as well.”
"For his redemption, man has nothing to contribute to God other than the readiness of unconditional surrender"
"There is no such thing as a woman’s right to a child; there is only the right of the child to a mother."
"Culture must not only be created; it must likewise be sustained, cherished, even loved like a child.
There is nothing that contributes so effectively to the downfall of culture as the decline of woman’s spiritual motherhood."
August 3, 2018
Very rarely have I found a work on femininity that is as substantive and as significant as this one. 21st century women, prepare to have your preconceived notions about the meaning of femininity challenged to the core. Reading this was an absolute breath of fresh air. It’s very philosophical for the average reader, but completely worth the challenge. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time and am already preparing to read it again.
January 8, 2020
Wish I'd discovered this book years ago. A very lucid examination of the meaning of femininity within the context of the Catholic tradition. Moving and deep, and does much to vindicate femininity from the stereotypical "weaker sex" type of attitude that is prevalent in Christian circles, which seems to mostly just pay lip service to womanhood. Can be difficult at times if you don't have a philosophy background. Would recommend, as an easier but also very helpful read: The Privilege of Being a Woman by Alice von Hildebrand.
Read
October 1, 2025It is a dated work, but still worth gleaning from. I found her emphasis on the sacred, the invisible, and the hidden personally invigorating. The ground for most of her metaphysical work is the catholic church's dogma of the immaculate conception, so though her ideas hold together in a tight unit, that is sometimes the only way they can hang together since their premise is not theological. I think she does bring concepts together that belong together, but I will need to to turn elsewhere to find their grounding in theology. A lovely read, I wish to do deep myself with my meaning being grounded in my eternal image instead of anything self-made or self-determined.
September 11, 2025
Very interesting and quite philosophical. While the book flirts with romanticism from time-to-time I have to say von le Fort always kept it on the road.
August 13, 2013
This is a beautifully and insightful meditation on woman and women in the Church. I struggled with parts of it, feeling like they were out of date or (with all due respect) just wrong and I'm sure the fact that it was written in the 1930s is most of the problem. Despite the fact that I wasn't sold on everything von le Fort wrote, I thought it was beautiful. This book is giving me a lot to chew on.
April 10, 2011
This is definitely one of the more challenging books on Catholic feminism - but when read slowly and attentively, it is amazing! Von Le Fort truly laid the ground-work for so many other Catholic women writers.
March 27, 2020
🎧
So interesting!
Definitely feel that I need to buy the physical copy and use highlighters and margin notes liberally... Very heafty ideas and symbolism which I feel I need to study, not just listen to.
So interesting!
Definitely feel that I need to buy the physical copy and use highlighters and margin notes liberally... Very heafty ideas and symbolism which I feel I need to study, not just listen to.
April 9, 2012
She was all over the plaace, and her stream of thought was not coherent. She did however make some good points, spread randomly throughout the book.
July 16, 2024
few interesting takes in the first part, then it turns into annoying tradwife propaganda, so if you’re a feminist and get irritated easily, don’t read it, it’s kinda sad
Read
May 2, 2025Eis alguns trechos: “... É absolutamente falso dizer que Eva sucumbiu por ser mais fraca. A história da tentação da Gênese mostra de modo claro que ela foi mais forte do que o homem, foi superior a ele. Considerado sob o ângulo exterior do mundo, o homem detém sem dúvida o aparelho exterior da fora; a mulher, porém, lhe manobra as molas mais profundas... Se já no começo da historia encontramos a pecadora, ela surgirá ainda no fim dos tempos. Não é o homem que é a figura apocalíptica da humanidade; os ‘últimos dias’ têm precisamente isto de essencial: que a figura do homem aí desaparecerá, pois já não será possível opor uma autoridade viril às forças nuas da destruição. O Apocalipse de São João não nos descreve o Anticristo sob os traços dum ser humano, e sim como a ‘Besta saída do abismo’. A única figura humana identificada no texto apocalíptico é a mulher; só a mulher infiel à sua missão é capaz de encarnar a esterilidade absoluta que arrastará inexoravelmente o mundo à morte e à desaparição... O homem representa um momento da história; a mulher representa a sucessão de gerações; o homem encarna o valor eterno do instante; a mulher, o infinito da raça. O homem é o rochedo sobre o qual se firma o tempo; a mulher é o rio que o faz fluir. A rocha tem uma forma parada, o rio é fluido. A personalidade é inerente ao homem; a universalidade pertence à mulher... Virgem, a mulher se mantém isolada em face do tempo; esposa, divide o tempo com o homem que se mantém no tempo; mãe, ela transpassa o tempo. A mãe é a imagem do infinito terrestre. Os milênios passam por sobre suas alegrias e suas dores sem deixar traços: a mãe é sempre a mesma. A mãe é a plenitude imensa, o silêncio, a imutabilidade da vida na concepção, na gestação e no parto... A bíblia não louva a mulher fraca, mas sim a mulher forte, quando diz no livro dos Provérbios: ‘Na tua língua se acha a lei da doçura’. Pois a doçura é o ponto mais alto da sua força. A mulher maternal conta com o privilégio dessa função discreta e capital: saber esperar, saber calar, ser capaz, diante duma injustiça, ou duma fraqueza, de fechar os olhos, de desculpar, de encobrir... A fronteira do humano é sempre a porta de entrada de Deus. Os pequenos, os fracos, os inadaptados deste mundo estão aí para lembrar ao homem a misericórdia eterna, representam a insuficiência do homem terrestre sob a forma mais doce e mais tocante, já a mais dura e a mais cruel, sendo a falta e o pecado. Os fracos e os pequenos deste mundo não possuem apenas, segundo a frase evangélica, o reino dos céus; são seus anunciadores, abrem o caminho para lá...”
October 30, 2018
Like Edith Stein, Gertrude von le Fort was living a time where womanhood was being put in question and shaken by an incorrectly understood notion of the rights of women, and where Nazis basically reduced them to chances to multiply the Aryan race. If any of this sounds familiar, then nothing much has changed.
Unlike Edith Stein, her reflections feel less concrete. She's valuing women beyond physical fertility, but does not go far enough. When she claims that femininity is self-givenness, I ask myself, if this is not a definition of personhood, since Christ, as a full man, gave Himself too.
Similarly, her thesis that virginity was honored cross culturally has some weight, but Romans were decidedly more ambivalent about it since they beleived that not having sex since age 12-13 was unhealthy and possibly causing "humors". The monastic development of the Church protected women and girls from such abuses, in a time where teenage years weren't even thought of. In addition, her outlook towards feminism seems much more less nuanced, which is strange coming from a society where protestantism hindered the educational possibilities of women so much.
Unlike Edith Stein, her reflections feel less concrete. She's valuing women beyond physical fertility, but does not go far enough. When she claims that femininity is self-givenness, I ask myself, if this is not a definition of personhood, since Christ, as a full man, gave Himself too.
Similarly, her thesis that virginity was honored cross culturally has some weight, but Romans were decidedly more ambivalent about it since they beleived that not having sex since age 12-13 was unhealthy and possibly causing "humors". The monastic development of the Church protected women and girls from such abuses, in a time where teenage years weren't even thought of. In addition, her outlook towards feminism seems much more less nuanced, which is strange coming from a society where protestantism hindered the educational possibilities of women so much.
October 23, 2023
This book was deep and difficult to read for me, at least in the beginning. Also, being a man, I wonder if it was more difficult for me to understand. Ultimately this book is about the vocation of all women to imitate Mary in her submission to God's will and humility. This is of course not unique to women, but the uniqueness lies in the way that spiritual motherhood of all women is necessary to their vocation. This mystery is one which our modern world would like to forget and reject, which only works its own ruin.
August 15, 2020
This book is a classic that I first read in the early 1960s. But so much has evolved in women's spirituality since that her stunning insights and rather radical ideas of the time -- and planted then as seeds -- have either blossomed or died. If I taught a college course I'd probably assign this book as part of historical development of an ideology, but after the first chapter of this re-read with some nostalgia, I closed it and replaced it on the shelf.
December 9, 2024
So grateful for this articulation of something I’ve felt deep in my soul since becoming a mother. Le Fort turns the definition of heroism and purpose on its head and I hope her definition (and that of Mother Church, I believe) defines my life.
April 7, 2020
Un texte très profond, dense, avec une réflexion à la fois philosophique et théologique.
November 4, 2020
There are things which I don't agree with, but what an insightful read!
September 2, 2021
Good. Dont agree with all.
August 8, 2025
A dense read, and not one that I walked away fully agreeing with, but certainly a worthwhile exploration of a very Catholic understanding of the significance of woman.
February 10, 2016
Excellent. This should be required reading for every woman at the onset of menarche. This old gem says nothing that wasn't already felt by the people and later explained by St. Paul, St. Augustine, Duns Scotus and others, but it economically summarized things in an age when that understanding of woman's place in the economy of salvation was beginning to come under attack. Taking apart different images of woman in the bible and tradition, in particular Mary, le Fort explains the role of woman in the Church in salvation and in society, articulating the power of the 'hidden feminine' and receptivity (principally of woman) as the highest human power. A philosopher and historian, (and Nobel prize winner) von le Fort was part of that Hochland group of modern Catholic philosophers that sought to explain the Christian tradition from human experience without changing the theology, which infuriated other feminists. The reader is warned that if he nods to every truthful point this woman makes in this book, he or she will get whiplash as you might do that three times in each sentence. The importance of the veil as a symbol, the nullification of humanity in contraception, the antichrist as a beast (as opposed to a man), Mary as the most important weapon of conversion to whom evangelizers must entrust their efforts: it is all here, the meaning of woman. Don't get whiplash.
January 10, 2016
2 stars for personal benefit, but 3 for quality of writing and clarity of thought.
I disagreed strongly with some of the conclusions drawn. Ruth Schaumann quotes "True women are quiet and desire quiet .... show me the woman who writes about that which concerns her intimately .... If it did concern her she would be silent."
Seriously? There are several passages like this throughout the book. Woman is meant to be a helper, never the primary doer. A muse and inspiration, never the creator or maker. The silent support. Never ever the one to make things happen, but a passive observer. And while I understand that this is primarily a discussion of the feminine rather than every woman, the way that the authoress describes these things reads as all women. All women must be this way, do things in this manner or they are not truly feminine.
...so woman as here considered demonstrates the final value of her every gift, her every achievement, entirely independent of success or recognition. She expresses the most complete reality also of the unknown, the seemingly ineffectual, the hidden, as it is in God. Therewith she secures, as do the lone graves of a lost war, the final import of all history. Above and beyond the visible world, she answers for the invisible.
I disagreed strongly with some of the conclusions drawn. Ruth Schaumann quotes "True women are quiet and desire quiet .... show me the woman who writes about that which concerns her intimately .... If it did concern her she would be silent."
Seriously? There are several passages like this throughout the book. Woman is meant to be a helper, never the primary doer. A muse and inspiration, never the creator or maker. The silent support. Never ever the one to make things happen, but a passive observer. And while I understand that this is primarily a discussion of the feminine rather than every woman, the way that the authoress describes these things reads as all women. All women must be this way, do things in this manner or they are not truly feminine.
July 1, 2016
This book was fascinating and thought provoking.
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