Men, naturally, write women the way they would like them to be- in fiction, law and history- as sex mad temptresses- who need to be restrained, contained, regulated. So all the works written by men (that is to say, most of the works written- before modern era) show women this way. It's basically male porn- in literature, legal or historical format- women as seen through the male lens- and of course women often see themselves through that lens as well, since we are almost all captives of our cultures.
When women write about women, you don't generally get that to the same extent. It's the difference between the writing of Austin, and a man writing at the same time period. Austin understands the circumscribed nature of woman's lot. She realizes the limitations. Austin's women aren't supersexed, but they are desperate to marry, so they don't become a burden on parents and brothers. They are resource (not sex) driven to an extreme.
Women want supplies for their children. They have a very limited ability to procreate- compared to a man. They are vulnerable when pregnant. They need protection and support- a provider. Women's strategies are all about bringing societies about that support male protection and support- so, I think, historically it helped women to support the myth of the temptress- because 1. it's alluring and 2. it makes men responsible for women- they HAVE to support them, and keep them "safe"- it's their duty to society. That's a win for females of the past. Unfortunately, our society hasn't really kept up with our social evolution, and neither have our religions. Ancient religions are fine for people living ancient lives- but they do not adapt well to the modern era. |
