The Male Machine

Last updated
The Male Machine
The Male Machine.jpg
1st edition cover of The Male Machine (1974)
Author Marc Fasteau
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Social science
Publisher McGraw-Hill
Publication date
September 1, 1974
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages225
ISBN 978-0070199859

The Male Machine is a book by Marc Fasteau written during the second-wave of feminism in the United States. It was published on September 1, 1974, by McGraw-Hill.

Contents

The book examined the damaging gender expectations faced by men. [1] [2] Drawing upon personal insights and experiences, the author explores myths about masculinity and their destructive impact on society. [3] [4] [5]

Release

The book was published on September 1, 1974, and had its third printing by December 1974. The book received both a hardcover and paperback release. [6] The book is currently out of print.

Reception

The book was heavily applauded upon release by feminist publications such as Ms. magazine, whose co-founder Gloria Steinem hailed Fasteau as "spy in the ranks of the white male elite" and declared him and the men's liberation movement "the revolution’s other half". [6] But the book received less favorable criticism outside of the feminist circle. Larry McMurtry of The New York Times said, "The analysis [in the book] is sometimes keen and always heartfelt, but a certain fevered urgency blurs the tone." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Farrell</span> American author, spokesperson, and political candidate

Warren Thomas Farrell is an American political scientist, activist, and author of seven books on men's and women's issues. He is a leading figure of the Men's Rights Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual revolution</span> 20th-century American social movement

The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the developed Western world from the 1960s to the 1970s. Sexual liberation included increased acceptance of sex outside of traditional heterosexual, monogamous relationships. The normalization of contraception and the pill, public nudity, pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation, alternative forms of sexuality, and the legalization of abortion all followed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry McMurtry</span> American novelist (1936–2021)

Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, prominent book collector, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations.

Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian feminism</span> Feminist movement

Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective that encourages women to focus their efforts, attentions, relationships, and activities towards their fellow women rather than men, and often advocates lesbianism as the logical result of feminism. Lesbian feminism was most influential in the 1970s and early 1980s, primarily in North America and Western Europe, but began in the late 1960s and arose out of dissatisfaction with the New Left, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality, sexism within the gay liberation movement, and homophobia within popular women's movements at the time. Many of the supporters of Lesbianism were actually women involved in gay liberation who were tired of the sexism and centering of gay men within the community and lesbian women in the mainstream women's movement who were tired of the homophobia involved in it.

The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism that emerged in the late 1960s and continued into the 1980s primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which effected great change throughout the world. The WLM branch of radical feminism, based in contemporary philosophy, comprised women of racially and culturally diverse backgrounds who proposed that economic, psychological, and social freedom were necessary for women to progress from being second-class citizens in their societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell McCafferty</span>

Nell McCafferty is an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. She has written for The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press and The Village Voice.

The men's liberation movement is a social movement critical of the restraints which society imposes on men. Men's liberation activists are generally sympathetic to feminist standpoints.

Redstockings, also known as Redstockings of the Women's Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist nonprofit that was founded in January 1969 in New York City, whose goal is "To Defend and Advance the Women's Liberation Agenda". The group's name is derived from bluestocking, a term used to disparage feminist intellectuals of earlier centuries, and red, for its association with the revolutionary left.

Frances M. Beal, also known as Fran Beal, is a Black feminist and a peace and justice political activist. Her focus has predominantly been regarding women's rights, racial justice, anti-war and peace work, as well as international solidarity. Beal was a founding member of the SNCC Black Women's Liberation Committee, which later evolved into the Third World Women's Alliance. She is most widely known for her publication, “Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female", which theorizes the intersection of oppression between race, class, and gender. Beal currently lives in Oakland, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Organization for Women</span> American feminist organization

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system. NOW campaigns for constitutional equality, economic justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and racial justice, and against violence against women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Dworkin</span> American feminist writer and activist (1946–2005)

Andrea Rita Dworkin was an American radical feminist writer and activist best known for her analysis of pornography. Her feminist writings, beginning in 1974, span 30 years. They are found in a dozen solo works: nine books of non-fiction, two novels, and a collection of short stories. Another three volumes were co-written or co-edited with US Constitutional law professor and feminist activist, Catharine A. MacKinnon.

Barbara Joan Love was an American feminist writer and the editor of Feminists who Changed America, 1963–1975. With the National Organization for Women, Love organized and participated in demonstrations, and she also worked within the organization to improve its acceptance of lesbian feminists. She helped to found consciousness-raising groups for lesbian feminists and was active in the gay liberation movement.

Brenda Feigen is an American feminist activist, film producer, and attorney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's liberation movement in North America</span>

The Women's liberation movement in North America was part of the feminist movement in the late 1960s and through the 1980s. Derived from the civil rights movement, student movement and anti-war movements, the Women's Liberation Movement took rhetoric from the civil rights idea of liberating victims of discrimination from oppression. They were not interested in reforming existing social structures, but instead were focused on changing the perceptions of women's place in society and the family and women's autonomy. Rejecting hierarchical structure, most groups which formed operated as collectives where all women could participate equally. Typically, groups associated with the Women's Liberation Movement held consciousness-raising meetings where women could voice their concerns and experiences, learning to politicize their issues. To members of the WLM rejecting sexism was the most important objective in eliminating women's status as second-class citizens.

New Portuguese Letters is a literary work composed of letters, essays, poems, fragments, puzzles and excerpts from legal documents, published jointly by the Portuguese writers Maria Isabel Barreno, Maria Teresa Horta and Maria Velho da Costa in 1972. The authors became known internationally as "The Three Marias", which became the title of the book in its first translation to English.

Marc Fasteau is an American businessman, attorney, author, and political advocate.

References

  1. BLAKE, MEREDITH (April 29, 2020). "'Mrs. America': The truth about Brenda and Marc Feigen Fasteau". LA Times . Los Angeles. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  2. "The Male Machine - Review". Kirkus Reviews . October 1, 1974. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  3. McMurtry, Larry (February 9, 1975). "MARC FEIGEN FASTEAU - Letters To the Editor". NY Times . New York. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  4. Willis Aronowitz, Nona (March 18, 2019). "The 'Men's Liberation' Movement Time Forgot". Vice Media . Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  5. "'Male Machine' describes changing male roles" (PDF). February 20, 1975. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Vespa, Mary (December 9, 1974). "Woman's Lib Marries Man's Lib a Real-life 'Adam's Rib'". People . Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  7. McMurtry, Larry (January 5, 1975). "Why can't a man be more like a woman?". NY Times . New York. Retrieved July 26, 2021.

Further reading