8/6/2019 Dont Never Forget Review

1/1

COLD AIRBrigid Brophy : 2 Never forge 319pp Cape 38s

Brigid Brophys collection of " views

and reviews " makes plain that she is

a talented journalist Her firstsentences

tences buttonhoJe " Traditionally

marriage has been regarded as

the price men had to pay for

sexual intercourse and sexualintercourse

course as ihe price women had

to pay for marriage isperhaps

even more challenging today than it

would have been sevenly years agowhen it might first have been written

To find a woman to refight the battles

of feminism in Miss Brophys view

apparently won but actually lost is

refreshing to readers of 77ic SM

77me colour supplement 77 Qwmi

h / E P

Modern society like the modern zoo has

contrived to get rid of the bars without

altering the fact of imprisonment AU

the zoo architect nseds to do is run a

zone of hot or cold air whichever the

animal concerned cannot tolerate round

the cage where the bars used to be

Human animals are not less sensitive to

social climate

The ingenious point about the new

model-zoo is that it deceives both sides

of the iavisiWc barrier Not only can

the animal not see how it is imprisoned ;?

the visitors conscience is relieved of

the unfcindness of keeping animals shut

up He can say " Look no bars round

" Look no laws restricting women

even while it keeps women rigidly in

place by zones of fierce social pressure

There is however one greatdifference

ence A woman being a thinkinganimal

mal may actually be more distressed

because the bars of her cage cannot be

seen What relieves societys conscience

ence may afflict hers

As a journalist Mis Brophy

ignores the fact that in mostm-iddleclass

class households husbands do their

share of cooking washing-upshop-

ping bottle-feeding andnappyohanging

ohanging What they cannot do is

bear children ; however equal-sharing

ing a marriage may be physiologically

ally some functions are separate

(even thoujgh primitive tribes try to

equal up with fOMvaAr A serious

writer as compared with a clever

journalist would discuss the problems

set by the career-lovingchild-bearing

ing wife married to a goodmale

cook-housekeeper able only to beget

her babies Equally the