"The Female of the Species" is a poem by
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
originally published in 1911. Its title and refrain ("The female of the species is more deadly than the male.") have inspired the titles of numerous subsequent works (see
The Female of the Species (disambiguation)).
Summary
Kipling begins the poem by illustrating the greater deadliness of female bears and cobras compared to their male counterparts, and by stating that early
Jesuit
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, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
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, nickname = Jesuits
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, founders ...
missionaries to North America were more frightened of
Native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
women than male warriors. He continues by giving his thoughts on how male and female humans differ and why the female "must be deadlier than the male," saying that females can be single-minded - often to the point of being dangerous - because they were solely made for child-rearing. An example is contained in these lines: "She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast may not deal in doubt or pity, must not swerve for fact or jest. These be purely male diversions, not in these her honour dwells."
Kipling's description of the stubborn nature of women that makes them good mothers and wives implies that they are unsuitable to hold leadership positions in the broader community. Kipling writes that "man, the coward" has a "timid heart," and so may choose to exclude women from leadership positions out of foolishness ("fear, or foolishness, impels him").
References in other media
"The Female of the Species" and its refrain have been referenced in numerous other works:
* In 1928, the
Bulldog Drummond
Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...
story "The Female of the Species" may have lifted the title. This story was adapted as the 1967 European spy movie ''
Deadlier Than the Male
''Deadlier Than the Male'' is a 1967 British adventure crime mystery film. It is one of the many take-offs of James Bond produced during the 1960s, but is based on an already established detective fiction hero, Bulldog Drummond.
Richard Johnso ...
''.
Scott Walker of
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an United States, American pop music, pop musical ensemble, group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker), John Walker (musician), Jo ...
wrote and performed the accompanying
musical theme
In music, a subject is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based. In forms other than the fugue, this may be known as the theme.
Characteristics
A subject may be perceivable as a complete mus ...
and scored a minor hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1966.
* A 1946 novel by
James Hadley Chase
James Hadley Chase (24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985) was an English writer. While his birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, he was well known by his various pseudonyms, including James Hadley Chase, James L. Docherty, Raymond ...
was titled ''More Deadly Than The Male''. Another novel, written by Mindy McGinnis, is titled “The Female of the Species.”
* In 1984,
Off Centaur Publications released an audio tape cassette album titled ''The Horse-Tamer's Daughter'', which featured a song based on the poem set to music by
Leslie Fish
Leslie Fish is a folk musician, author, and anarchist political activist.
Music
Along with The DeHorn Crew, in 1976 she created the first commercial filk recording, ''Folk Songs for Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet''. Her second recording, ''Solar S ...
and performed by
Julia Ecklar
Julia Ecklar (born 1964) is a John W. Campbell Award–winning science fiction author and a singer and writer of filk music who recorded numerous albums in the Off Centaur label in the early 1980s, including '' Minus Ten and Counting'', '' Horse ...
. In 1998, the song was nominated for a
Pegasus Award
The Pegasus Award is the premier award for filk music
and is annually hosted at the Ohio Valley Filk Fest (OVFF).
Awards
The Pegasus Awards were founded to recognize and honor excellence in filking. As science fiction (sci-fi) became better kn ...
for "Best Adaptation" by a ballot of science fiction and fantasy fans, conducted by the committee of the annual
Ohio Valley Filk Fest (OVFF), a
filk music
Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s.
Etymology and defin ...
convention.
* It is referenced by the character of Col. Mustard, played by
Martin Mull
Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on ''Mary Hartman, ...
, in the 1985 film ''
Clue
Clue may refer to:
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* DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ
* Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer
* Ivan Clues
* Tim Cluess
Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise
* ''Cluedo'' ...
''.
* It seems to be referred to by the abbreviated form "The F of the S is much more D than the M" in episode 3 of series 1 of the TV series "Jeeves and Wooster".
* In 1996, the English pop group
Space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
released "
Female of the Species
"Female of the Species" is a song by English rock band Space, released as their fourth single and second single proper from their debut album, ''Spiders'' (1996), on 27 May 1996. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a si ...
".
* The title was lifted in 2006 for
Joanna Murray-Smith
Joanna Murray-Smith (born 17 April 1962) is a Melbourne-based Australian playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist.
Life and career
Murray-Smith was born in Mount Eliza, Victoria; her father was the literary editor ...
's satirical play ''
The Female of the Species''.
* The title of the poem is also used as the name of a character in
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dari ...
' 2006 comic book
The Boys
Boys are young male humans.
Boys or The Boys may also refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''The Boys'' (1962 British film), a courtroom drama by Sidney J. Furie
* ''The Boys'' (1962 Finnish film), a war drama by Mikko Niskanen
* ''Boys'' ( ...
. As a possible other reference to Kipling's work, the character is depicted as a
feral child
A feral child (also called wild child) is a young individual who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, social behavior, or language. The term is used to refer to children who h ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Female of the Species, The
Poetry by Rudyard Kipling