Men Explain Things to Me
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''Men Explain Things to Me'' is a 2014 essay collection by the American writer
Rebecca Solnit Rebecca Solnit (born 1961) is an American writer. She has written on a variety of subjects, including feminism, the environment, politics, place, and art. Early life and education Solnit was born in 1961 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to a Jewish fa ...
, published by
Haymarket Books Haymarket Books is a left-wing non-profit, independent book publisher based in Chicago. History Haymarket Books was founded in 2001 by Anthony Arnove, Ahmed Shawki and Julie Fain, all of whom had previously worked at the '' International Sociali ...
. The book originally contained seven essays, the main essay of which was cited in ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
'' as the piece that "launched the term
mansplaining ''Mansplaining'' (a blend word of ''man'' and the informal form ''splaining'' of the gerund ''explaining'') is a pejorative term meaning (of a man) "to comment on or explain something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often in ...
", though Solnit herself did not use the word in the original essay and has since rejected the term. The September 2015 expanded edition of the book included two new essays: "Cassandra Among the Creeps" and "#YesAllWomen: Feminists Rewrite the Story."


Summary

Each chapter is a separate essay, from various years, that sums up one key aspect of the world of women under patriarchy.


''Men Explain Things to Me (2008)''

The eponymous essay focuses on the silencing of women, with specific attention to the idea that men seemingly believe that no matter what a woman says, a man always knows better. This phenomenon would later be labelled
mansplaining ''Mansplaining'' (a blend word of ''man'' and the informal form ''splaining'' of the gerund ''explaining'') is a pejorative term meaning (of a man) "to comment on or explain something to a woman in a condescending, overconfident, and often in ...
. In this essay, Solnit describes how the silencing of female voices is an infringement on female liberty and is in fact an abuse of power. With an absence of credibility to female voices in the male mind issues like violent death, abuse, harassment, and rape are often discounted. In this way, Solnit argues, female silencing is a dangerous phenomenon.


''The Longest War (2013)''

This essay focuses on violence against women, specifically how women are more likely to be murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, abused, raped, and assaulted/injured by men. Solnit describes how the online community also facilitates and enables this violent environment. To exemplify her argument Solnit focuses on the rape and death of Jyoti Singh in New Delhi as a very public example of the types of violence that women experience in their lives.


''Worlds Collide in a Luxury Suite: Some Thoughts on the IMF, Global Injustice, and a Stranger on a Train (2011)''

This essay is about
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
, the former managing director of the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
(IMF) in response to the rape of Nafissatou Diallo. In this essay, Solnit reflects on how the IMF takes advantage of formerly colonized nations much in the same way that the world rapes and takes advantage of women in less fortunate positions, equating the world with women and the IMF with men in high-up positions of power.


''In Praise of the Threat: What Marriage Equality Really Means (2013)''

In this essay, Solnit poses the idea that the backlash to
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
by proponents of traditional marriage comes from a place of ideological
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...
. Solnit theorizes that since same-sex marriages no longer operates in the confines of traditional
gender roles A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...
, they represent a threat to the traditional marriage structure, as they are unions between equal partners. In that frame of thought, it is so ingrained in patriarchal societies that women must be subservient to men that same-sex marriage would allow for the ideological emancipation of women in marriages if they were forced to be considered equals. As such, Solnit praises the perceived threat to traditional marriages that same-sex marriages pose because they demand equality in partnership, something women haven’t visibly had.


''Grandmother Spider (2014)''

This essay examines the symbolic annihilation of women over the course of history and under the law. Solnit describes how the disappearance of women is akin to helping to create the web of the world, but never to be caught in it. Specific examples include English marriage laws in which women were their husbands' property under the law, family trees that contain only men, and how the confinement of women to households (in the homemaker role) adds to the erasure of women in texts and in history.


''Woolf’s Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable (2009)''

This essay focuses on
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
’s influence, through her quote, “The future is dark, which is the best thing the future can be, I think.” Solnit provides a meditation on the idea of an uncertain future, which reflects how future prospects can be murky, but within those murky prospects lie untold limitless and fluid possibilities that should be embraced rather than feared.


''Cassandra Among the Creeps'' (2014)

Using the story of
Cassandra Cassandra or Kassandra (; Ancient Greek: Κασσάνδρα, , also , and sometimes referred to as Alexandra) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believe ...
as a focal point, Solnit addresses the question of credibility—who gets to be believed and why—and how women are questioned especially when they speak out about abuse, harassment, sexual assault, and rape. This essay was previously published in ''
Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...
''.


''#YesAllWomen: Feminists Rewrite the Story'' (2014)

In this essay, written in response to the
2014 Isla Vista killings The 2014 Isla Vista killings were a series of misogynistic terror attacks in Isla Vista, California. On the evening of May 23, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others—by gunshot, stabbing and vehicle ramm ...
and the #
YesAllWomen #YesAllWomen is a Twitter hashtag and social media campaign in which users share examples or stories of misogyny and violence against women. First used in online conversations about misogyny following the 2014 Isla Vista killings, the hashtag wa ...
social media movement, Solnit meditates on the power of naming and language throughout feminist history. Solnit touches on the coinage of now commonplace phrases such as "sexual harassment", "domestic violence", and "rape culture". This essay was first published as "Our Words Are Our Weapons" on TomDispatch.


''Pandora’s Box and the Volunteer Police Force (2014)''

Solnit's final essay is a combination of a warning and a call to action. Solnit writes that the fight for
women’s rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
is not yet over and points to the ‘volunteer police force’ of people who employ rape culture, especially online, to keep women in their place for fear of retribution. In this essay, Pandora’s box is a metaphor for the ideas of equality; for just as the spirits (i.e. women) were let out of their original box, which looked like a coffin, ideas cannot be killed.


Reception

Helen Lewis of the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
'' wrote, "I finished this book and immediately wanted to buy all the author's other works. In future, I would like Rebecca Solnit to Explain Things to Me." Kate Tuttle of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' wrote that the book "hums with power and wit." Haley Mlotek of the ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' called it "a tool that we all need in order to find something that was almost lost." Christine Sismondo of ''
The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'' called mansplaining a civil rights issue and wrote that " olnit isthe perfect person to explain it to you." Soraya Chemaly of ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
'' wrote, "It is feminist, frequently funny, unflinchingly honest and often scathing in its conclusions." Katie Moore of the ''
Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
'' wrote, "At 124 pages, this collection is both an easy read and a difficult one. Easy because Solnit's writing is so eloquently full of both grace and fury—not something many writers can pull off; difficult because of the storm of appalling facts." ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' described the book as "slim in scope, but yet another good book by Solnit." The book also found a wide international audience. ''Men Explain Things to Me'' has been translated into many languages, including Spanish, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Finnish, Swedish, Italian, Slovak, Dutch, and Turkish.Selected Foreign Editions of ''Men Explain Things to Me''
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References


External links


Publisher's official book description
{{Rebecca Solnit 2014 non-fiction books American essay collections Feminist books Fourth-wave feminism Books by Rebecca Solnit Haymarket Books books