Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

Reading a book with such a widely known reputation made it difficult to not have expectations, however, what surprised me most was what a brilliant writer Ms. Jong is. While I expected wild sex laden tales, instead I got flawless prose.

Published in 1973, Fear of Flying is truly a reflection of the emergence of feminism in American society. The Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision of the same year was a major turning point and I was shocked beyond belief to learn that it wasn’t until 1974 that women were (finally) allowed to have credit cards in their own name without a male cosigner. Yikes!

Travelling to Vienna with a plane full psychoanalysts, including her husband, Isadora Zelda White Wing is subconsciously beginning a journey of introspection and self examination.

Bennett Wing, Isadora’s husband is aloof and detached to his wife even in the face of her blatant sexcapades. The kind of man you’d like to slap to see if he’d react.

Adrian Goodlove, an analyst at the conference attracts Isadora’s attention and they begin a flagrant affair with only their interests of any concern. Watch out for these carefree types as they usually have a family waiting for them somewhere.

Isadora’s mother Judith Stoloff White was not a doting or warm woman. Her mantra (truly her regret) for herself and her family was to never be ordinary.

Quotes:

Bennett shot me a look which said: calm down. He hates it when I get angry at people in public. But his trying to hold me back only made me more furious.

It was clear to me that thinking yourself superior was a sure sign of being inferior and that thinking yourself extraordinary was a sure sign of being ordinary.

Silence is the bluntest of blunt instruments. It seems to hammer you into the ground. It drives you deeper and deeper into your own guilt. It makes the voices inside your head accuse you more viciously than any outside voices ever could.

Great big salty drops were running down my face and into the corners of my mouth. They tasted good. Tears have such a comforting taste. As is you could weep a whole new womb and crawl into it.

There are no atheists on turbulent airplanes.

Meeting Ms. Jong would be both remarkable and intimidating. I’d feel underdressed, underprepared, underequipped. Hell, I’d bring a bottle of something luxurious and let the conversation flow as seamlessly as her sentences in her infamous novel.

My rating for Fear of Flying is an 8 out of 10.

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Next up…Philip K. Dick’s Do Androiss Dream of Electric Sheep…

Source: https://vsudia.wordpress.com/2026/01/09/fear-of-flying-by-erica-jong/