Gentlemen and Amazons: The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory, 1861-1900
"Eller convincingly demonstrates that matriarchal history enabled Victorian gentlemen to express deep-seated anxieties about the future of gender relations and, as an added benefit, discuss otherwise taboo topics such as sexual promiscuity, wife capture, and female sexual desire. When seen in this larger historical framework, what is most significant about matriarchal history is not 'its recent feminist message,' but rather its 'flexibility' as a justification for everything from patriarchy to feminism, and capitalism to communism. As Eller shows, 'matriarchal history is, at heart, an enormous thought experiment, a play with reversals' that can serve wildly divergent ends."--Women's Review of Books
“Eller eloquently outlines what she believes is the myth of matriarchal prehistory. . . . Highly recommended.”--Choice
"[This work manages] to encompass vast swaths of Western history, reading it through the lens of how the myth of a matriarchal prehistory both served and challenged how the people it touched view themselves and their world, ultimately 'provid[ing] a new forum for thinking through more complex visions of sexual difference and social power' (35)."--Women's Studies
"Gentlemen and Amazons is a compelling, complex . . . and formidably researched historical study.”--Feminist Collections
“Eller is an excellent historian. She expertly lays out the development of the little known myth of matriarchal prehistory in a way that is both highly knowledgeable and readable. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of feminist thought and anthropology.” —Rosemary Radford Ruether, author of Goddesses and the Divine Feminine
“Without a doubt, this is the best introduction into the mythological jungle of modern scholarship on matriarchy. Cynthia Eller’s book is not only perfectly researched, it is also intelligent and pleasantly written.” —Philippe Borgeaud, author of Mother of the Gods: From Cybele to the Virgin Mary
“Eller eloquently outlines what she believes is the myth of matriarchal prehistory. . . . Highly recommended.”--Choice
"[This work manages] to encompass vast swaths of Western history, reading it through the lens of how the myth of a matriarchal prehistory both served and challenged how the people it touched view themselves and their world, ultimately 'provid[ing] a new forum for thinking through more complex visions of sexual difference and social power' (35)."--Women's Studies
"Gentlemen and Amazons is a compelling, complex . . . and formidably researched historical study.”--Feminist Collections
“Eller is an excellent historian. She expertly lays out the development of the little known myth of matriarchal prehistory in a way that is both highly knowledgeable and readable. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of feminist thought and anthropology.” —Rosemary Radford Ruether, author of Goddesses and the Divine Feminine
“Without a doubt, this is the best introduction into the mythological jungle of modern scholarship on matriarchy. Cynthia Eller’s book is not only perfectly researched, it is also intelligent and pleasantly written.” —Philippe Borgeaud, author of Mother of the Gods: From Cybele to the Virgin Mary
