Content area
Full Text
DENCH, Geoff, THE FROG, THE PRINCE, AND THE PROBLEM OF MEN, London: Neanderthal Books, 1994, 251 pp., $12.95 softcover.
Reviewed by: N. JANE McCANDLESS *
Using the story of the Frog Prince as a point of reference, Dench argues that patriarchy should not be viewed as a system of male domination, but rather as a system of incentive of ensure that men will rise above their natural state of beastness. Dench begins his argument positing that if we are to become caring and productive members of society, we need to acquire the dependence of others. In fact, the dependence of others is the stimulus to socially responsible behaviors. Women obtain this dependence through children. Men, on the other hand, obtain this dependence through women. Thus, if women let go of the male provider role, and all else which is associated with patriarchy, they may succeed only in giving men back their freedom to remain selfish and stay in the forest. Feminism may then be stealing the kiss which turns the frog into a prince.
And so the stage is set, with a palace and a forest; the former a representation of society, the latter representative of the untamed world of nature. The palace is comfortable and protective, a place where one can develop and maintain commitment to others. The Princess lives in the palace with the King. She is of course beautiful, assured of comfort...