It's been at least fifteen years since I read one of Camille Paglia's books, although I've kept up with her articles on Salon and wherever else they appear in print media. Certain chapters of "Free Men, Free Women: Sex, Gender, Feminism" I readily identified with; some I felt too ill-informed about to know where I stood regarding the subject; others I just couldn't relate to. The chapter titles alone are provocative: "Are Men Obsolete?" (Chapter 26); "Rape and Modern Sex War" (Chapter 5); "The Modern Campus Cannot Comprehend Evil (Chapter 31). She plausibly identifies homosexuality, as well as transgender identification, as tending to occur in "late-phase civilization". For Camille, everything comes back to biology, which supports her argument that actual, physically-manifested sex change is medically impossible ..... On the one hand, I admire the way Paglia keeps the presentation of the various topics down to earth and accessible. On the other hand, when she discusses her loathing of French post-structuralism (a key talking point throughout her career) I'm intrigued by her ongoing commitment to this theme, but I have virtually no comprehension of the subject, since I still haven't read Michel Foucault and as far as I can recall, I've only read one "post-structuralist" book, by Jacques Derrida, of which I remember nothing ..... Looking back on the chapters of FMFW, the first one that comes to mind is "Southern Women: Old Myths and New Frontiers" (Chapter 30); an absorbing analysis not only of women / stereotypes of the South, but also of the way in which Southern themes are explored via Hollywood films and actresses i.e. native Southerners such Ava Gardener and Tallulah Bankhead. Camille professes to a love of camp as well, as expressed in her ebullient praise of Andy Cohen and "The Real Housewives" (Chapter 32). Paglia seems to be naturally bipartisan (although I'll never forgive her for voting for Jill Stein in the 2016 U.S. presidential election) and never shies away from recognizing the relevance of all things "lowbrow", since in her universe, highbrow / lowbrow is equivalent to yin yang. I loved re-reading the first 3 chapters of "Sexual Personae" (reprinted in FMFW) again, especially Chapter 1 of SP, which I'll always find fascinating; SP remains my favorite book of hers. In the way that Paglia defines sexuality, in which, as she puts it "aggression and eroticism are deeply intertwined" -- Certain sections of FMFW remind me of "Death, Erotism and Sensuality" (1957) by George Bataille.
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Refreshing antidote to the deluge of feminist books that tediously repeat variations on the tired argument that all men are bad. ( )

Free Women, Free Men is a collection of Camille Paglia's articles, lectures and interviews on feminism and gender from 1990 through 2016. A significant portion of the content consists of criticisms of modern feminism, for its pervasive misandry, its collective victimhood complex, its denial of biology, and its historical revisionism. She particularly focuses on campus feminism, with its policing of speech and dependence on institutional authorities to monitor private interactions between young men and women, and laments the rise of "gender studies" (or "women's studies") courses, which merely function as echo chambers that reinforce an ideological and delusional world-view, lacking any awareness of history.

I've been dimly aware of Paglia, if only by name, since her first book was published in 1990, but have only begun listening to her recently, via online videos, and now this book. What a tremendous oversight! I think I had disregarded her from the start because of the dreaded f-word, but Paglia is a feminist of her own stripe. She describes herself as an equity feminist, and believes that women should have the same opportunities as men, but no special considerations or protections. And she has a deep appreciation for men and all they've done and accomplished throughout history, which is very heartening in these days of socially-acceptable male-bashing. I can't think of anyone else like her, except perhaps Christina Hoff Sommers, whom I have also seen speak but want to read as well.

My only problem with the book is that there is a lot of repetition. With the essays, speeches given, etc. on related topics for diverse sources over the course of 25 years (and not much has changed about feminism over that time, except perhaps for the internet making it even more virulent) she is bound to use the same references, but collected all together and read in one go, it does seem like she harps on the same points over and over. It might be better to dip into it now and again, but Paglia is such a lively and fun speaker/writer that I couldn't put it down. I'd love to read an entirely new, unified work from her. Oh, how I wish she'd been one of my college professors! She teaches in Philadelphia, so perhaps I may yet have a chance to see her. Thank you, Dr. Paglia. ( )