Woman Hating

Book excerpt: Reissued with a bold, modern package, Andrea Dworkin’s debut book Woman Hating argues that a deep-rooted hatred of women in history, art, politics, and beyond has reigned—and influenced and formed culture—for centuries. A classic work in the canon of radical feminist thinking, Andrea Dworkin’s 1974 debut Woman Hating is a stunning exploration of how women, and the idea of women, have been treated through the centuries. From fairy tales to erotic novels to medieval witch burnings, Dworkin uncovers the ways in which a rhetoric of hate and violence against women has been historically normalized, leading to a history of degradation, mutilation, and even killing.