Whereas Nin was a predator, like a tiger-cum-tasmanian devil rampaging through the jungle (well, France) like a trucker at an all-you-can-eat buffet, Jong’s protagonist Isadora is more of a furry little woodland animal that, knowing where her burrow is, and how cozy it might be, is driven to search out new climes. In contrast to Nin, this is not a journal, but a fictional memoir, a vehicle for Jong to explore her own passage into fully-realized adulthood.

Lawrence is a major figure in both works as well, oddly enough.Ĭompared to Anais Nin, I found Jong an easier read. Coming after Nin, Jong was in many ways a continuum: very psychological, presents a character who is steeped in psychoanalysis and surrounded by psychoanalysts, facing an essential duality, and who is preoccupied with sexual fulfillment. Also, I’d picked up this book years back when I was working and, reading part of it, found it accessible and fun. She’d be helpful to me in depicting realistic female characters - especially ones who are in conflict with their society. One, I knew she wrote about the human condition from a woman’s point of view. I continue my reading of women writers with Erica Jong. If you think you might be offended by this, please visit the bunnies sub-Reddit. Note to the reader: this is a review of an adult book, and there are rude words and adult topics.

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong