Erica Jong on Fear of Flying

[close] "At the time I wrote Fear of Flying," recalls Erica Jong, "there was not a book that said women are romantic, women are intellectual, women are sexual—and brought all those things together." Needless to say, Fear of Flying became that book. Its publication in 1973 represents a watershed moment not just for women's fiction, but for the entire women's liberation movement. Jong's classic novel about the coming-of-age of Isadora Wing, a heroine for the 20th century and beyond, had an enormous impact on the national conversation about female independence and sexuality.

Watch Jong discuss the origins of her groundbreaking novel in this powerful new video from Open Road Media.