In Defense of Women (Paperback)

by H. L. Mencken (Author) "A man's women folk, whatever their outward show of respect for his merit and authority, always regard him secretly as an ass, and with something..." (more)
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Originally published in 1922, this book considers topics that remain of vital interest to today's readers, including monogamy and polygamy, prostitution, the double standard, sexual harassment, and declining birth and marriage rates. Written in Mencken's characteristic no-nonsense manner, In Defense of Women crackles with controversy and caustic wit.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details Paperback: 124 pages Publisher: IndyPublish.com (June 2002) Language: English ISBN-10: 1404310711 ISBN-13: 978-1404310711 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,754,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #39 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Mencken, H.L.

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First Sentence:
A man's women folk, whatever their outward show of respect for his merit and authority, always regard him secretly as an ass, and with something akin to pity. Read the first page

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 4 books:

• Elements of Political Economy by James Mill on page 101
• Cena Trimalchionis by Petronius on page 149
• Principles of Political Economy (Great Mind) by John Stuart Mill on page 101
• The Unexpurgated Case Against Woman Suffrage by Almroth E. Wright on page 210

 

36 books cite this book:

• In Defense of Marion: The Love of Marion Bloom & H.L. Mencken by H. L. Mencken on 33 pages
• The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken by Terry Teachout on 13 pages
• The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken by Terry Teachout on 11 pages
• The Presidency and the Rhetoric of Foreign Crisis (Studies in Rhetoric/Communication) by Denise M. Bostdorff in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government by Garry Wills on page 274, and Back Matter

See all 36 books citing this book

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	55% buy the item featured on this page: In Defense of Women 5.0 out of 5 stars (6) $18.99
	17% buy A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing 4.5 out of 5 stars (22) $14.93
	11% buy H.L. Mencken on Religion 4.5 out of 5 stars (8) $24.08
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 24 of 24 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Mencken sets us straight about the sexes, April 24, 2002 By  David C. Moses (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: In Defense of Women (Hardcover) Mencken's "In Defense of Women" has such a bad reputation in some circles that I'm almost afraid to review it for fear of virtual grenades. But surely the bad reputation is unjustified, for whether one approves of Mencken's conclusions or not, it would seem hard to deny the nobility of the his intentions in publishing them. He simply wished to help us rid ourselves of some harmful and incorrect stereotypes. To wit: men think they are intelligent and clear-headed while women are emotional and sentimental. But in reality, Mencken explains, it is men who are prone to sentiment and women who are intelligent and clear-headed. Of course many things follow from both the misconception and the "truth." Although it may be useful to some people to know Mencken's ideas about the sexes (I find this knowledge useful), perhaps the best reason to read "In Defense of Women" is that it is incredibly entertaining. If you are not amused by Mencken's style, or if you are afraid that you might encounter an uncomfortable truth or two, then by all means keep safely away. 30 of 32 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, November 21, 2000 By  Greg Nyquist (Eureka, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       This review is from: In Defense of Women: Library Edition (Audio Cassette) This is not a book for faint of heart. No one was better at invective than Mencken, and his defense of women is far more of an attack on men than a defense of the "unfair" sex, as Ambrose Bierce signified our better half. Mencken's basic argument goes something like this: women are pretty bad; men are worse; therefore, women are better than men. This is, to be sure, a gross over-simplification. Mencken's argument is really much more sophisticated and ingenious. He picked it up, he tells us elsewhere, from a madame of a bordello. It contains a great deal more truth than most people would be willing to admit. Mencken's hillarious presentation is recommended only to hardened cynics (which is to say, hardened realists). Sensitive people with "beautiful" souls are well advised to avoid this brilliant book. 23 of 24 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Could almost have been written yesterday..., May 15, 2001 By  Martian Bachelor (Feminacentric America) - See all my reviews This review is from: In Defense of Women (Hardcover) Reading this book made me wonder "where are the men of today who are writing like this on these topics?" -- things like soul mates, monogamy/polygamy, affairs, prostitution, romance novels, Darwin's theory of sexual selection, the double standard, the "Madonna/whore complex" (not called that then), sexual harassment, employment discrimination, abolishing marriage, and declining marriage and birth rates all make an appearance in the book. And much of it retains its essential truth. The more things change... It's especially interesting to see where HLM was right and where he turned out to be wrong. For instance: the book was written just before men gave women the vote (i.e., during World War I, when Mencken was in his mid-to-upper thirties and still a bachelor); Mencken thought women voting would cure politics of rampant corruption -- because women wouldn't allow such shenanigans. This is not to say that he had any kind things to say about the suffragettes. He didn't, and some of what he wrote was outrageously funny. One can extrapolate in a straight line to some of today's feminists. His basic thesis -- which may or may not have been meant to be taken seriously -- is that women are more intelligent than men, the proof being the ease with which they typically defeat men in the war between the sexes: "I am convinced that the average woman, whatever her deficiencies, is greatly superior to the average man. The very ease with which she defies and swindles him in several capital situations of life is the clearest of proofs of her general superiority. She did not obtain her present high immunities as a gift from the gods, but only after a long and often bitter fight, and in that fight she exhibited forensic and tactical talents of a truly admirable order. There was no weakness of man that she did not penetrate and take advantage of. There was no trick that she did not put to effective use. There was no device so bold and inordinate that it daunted her." It would be fifty years before Esther Vilar's "The Manipulated Man" continued with many of the same themes. But Mencken was quite prescient in the section on women's martyrdom, which today we'd call their claim to victimhood or being "oppressed". I could go on at some length about how close his description of marriage is to what prevails today (based on reports which come to my attention), but I'll spare you. I'm sorry I waited so long to get around to this book, as it's truly a classic written by a great mind -- a highly recommended trip above the stratosphere for all men and, especially, bachelors.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars And He Meant Every Word I have read numerous accounts (most notably in the journal of the Mencken Society) that assume that Mencken was being ironic in the pages of this book, but I am gladdened and... Read more Published 11 months ago by Keith Otis Edwards 5.0 out of 5 stars amazing predictions for a book written in 1922 Mencken wrote that "Nothing could be plainer than the effect that the increasing economic security of women is having upon their whole havit of life ... Read more Published on November 1, 2004 by Michael Lewyn 5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book by the greatest American of the 20th cent. Undoubtedly, HL Mencken was the greatest American mind of the 20th century. It is my opinion that he was possibly the greatest man of letters in the world during the 20th century... Read more Published on May 30, 2000 by James Versluys Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish.com (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1404310711
• ISBN-13: 978-1404310711
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,754,816 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #39 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( M ) > Mencken, H.L.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mencken sets us straight about the sexes, April 24, 2002

By	David C. Moses (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: In Defense of Women (Hardcover)

Mencken's "In Defense of Women" has such a bad reputation in some circles that I'm almost afraid to review it for fear of virtual grenades. But surely the bad reputation is unjustified, for whether one approves of Mencken's conclusions or not, it would seem hard to deny the nobility of the his intentions in publishing them. He simply wished to help us rid ourselves of some harmful and incorrect stereotypes. To wit: men think they are intelligent and clear-headed while women are emotional and sentimental. But in reality, Mencken explains, it is men who are prone to sentiment and women who are intelligent and clear-headed. Of course many things follow from both the misconception and the "truth." Although it may be useful to some people to know Mencken's ideas about the sexes (I find this knowledge useful), perhaps the best reason to read "In Defense of Women" is that it is incredibly entertaining. If you are not amused by Mencken's style, or if you are afraid that you might encounter an uncomfortable truth or two, then by all means keep safely away.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, November 21, 2000

By	Greg Nyquist (Eureka, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: In Defense of Women: Library Edition (Audio Cassette)

This is not a book for faint of heart. No one was better at invective than Mencken, and his defense of women is far more of an attack on men than a defense of the "unfair" sex, as Ambrose Bierce signified our better half. Mencken's basic argument goes something like this: women are pretty bad; men are worse; therefore, women are better than men. This is, to be sure, a gross over-simplification. Mencken's argument is really much more sophisticated and ingenious. He picked it up, he tells us elsewhere, from a madame of a bordello. It contains a great deal more truth than most people would be willing to admit. Mencken's hillarious presentation is recommended only to hardened cynics (which is to say, hardened realists). Sensitive people with "beautiful" souls are well advised to avoid this brilliant book.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could almost have been written yesterday..., May 15, 2001

By	Martian Bachelor (Feminacentric America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Defense of Women (Hardcover)

Reading this book made me wonder "where are the men of today who are writing like this on these topics?" -- things like soul mates, monogamy/polygamy, affairs, prostitution, romance novels, Darwin's theory of sexual selection, the double standard, the "Madonna/whore complex" (not called that then), sexual harassment, employment discrimination, abolishing marriage, and declining marriage and birth rates all make an appearance in the book. And much of it retains its essential truth. The more things change...

It's especially interesting to see where HLM was right and where he turned out to be wrong. For instance: the book was written just before men gave women the vote (i.e., during World War I, when Mencken was in his mid-to-upper thirties and still a bachelor); Mencken thought women voting would cure politics of rampant corruption -- because women wouldn't allow such shenanigans. This is not to say that he had any kind things to say about the suffragettes. He didn't, and some of what he wrote was outrageously funny. One can extrapolate in a straight line to some of today's feminists.

His basic thesis -- which may or may not have been meant to be taken seriously -- is that women are more intelligent than men, the proof being the ease with which they typically defeat men in the war between the sexes:

"I am convinced that the average woman, whatever her deficiencies, is greatly superior to the average man. The very ease with which she defies and swindles him in several capital situations of life is the clearest of proofs of her general superiority. She did not obtain her present high immunities as a gift from the gods, but only after a long and often bitter fight, and in that fight she exhibited forensic and tactical talents of a truly admirable order. There was no weakness of man that she did not penetrate and take advantage of. There was no trick that she did not put to effective use. There was no device so bold and inordinate that it daunted her."

It would be fifty years before Esther Vilar's "The Manipulated Man" continued with many of the same themes. But Mencken was quite prescient in the section on women's martyrdom, which today we'd call their claim to victimhood or being "oppressed". I could go on at some length about how close his description of marriage is to what prevails today (based on reports which come to my attention), but I'll spare you.

I'm sorry I waited so long to get around to this book, as it's truly a classic written by a great mind -- a highly recommended trip above the stratosphere for all men and, especially, bachelors.