Josiah Allen on the Woman Question by Marietta Holley
"Josiah Allen on the Woman Question" by Marietta Holley is a satirical work written in the early 20th century. This humorous book presents the perspectives of Josiah Allen, a male character who staunchly defends traditional gender roles and argues against women’s suffrage. The narrative captures his comical toils to prove the superiority of men, especially through humorous dialogues with his wife, Samantha. At the start of the book, we are introduced to
Josiah Allen, who intends to write a book countering the arguments made by his wife, Samantha, and other suffragists about women's rights and equality. He reflects on the societal changes around him, filled with exasperation and humor as he wrestles with his own thoughts about women's roles. The opening establishes his belief in male superiority and his purpose for writing—aiming to protect what he sees as traditional values against the rising tide of feminist sentiment. His humorous observations on his own life, combined with his interactions with Samantha and Uncle Sime, set the tone for an entertaining critique of gender dynamics and societal norms of the time. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 68.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Contents
In which I resolve to write a book -- In which Betsy Bobbett butts in -- I talk on wimmen's duty to marry -- I talk on man's protectin' love for wimmen -- Wherein I prove man's courtesy towards wimmen -- I talk on females infringin' -- About wimmen's foolish love for petickulars -- I talk on wimmen's extravagance -- The danger from wimmen's exaggeration -- The modern wimmen condemned.
Credits
hekula03, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
