I read this book my last semester in college, after Penn State’s famous CuntFest. I found it to be an especially good book with frank discussion on women’s issues. Anyone else read it?
By far my favorite book with a feminist flavor. It felt so good to put down the picket signs and the anger and delve into what being a woman is really about. The good, the bad, the gross, the beautiful. My copy of this book is currently in circulation among my female friends, all of which I’ve been pushing to read it.
So yeah. hip, hip!
I’m trying to get my mom to read it… I think it should be required reading for all women today.
Forgive the naivete - but from the posts, it sounds like a book is being discussed. (I had assumed the post had to do with the word, and perhaps why it was considered one of the more egregiously bad things someone could call a woman, but I digress).
Could someone please summarize the intent/subject matter of the book, let alone “Penn State’s famous Cunt Fest”? It may be famous, but I am unfamiliar with it…
CuntFest was an event put on by various organizations at Penn State last year. The author of Cunt was invited to speak about women’s concerns. A state congressman, John Lawless, tried to restrict state funding of Penn State due to the university putting on such “lowbrow” events. It was a big deal, it was on the Fox News channel every damn day for a week. CuntFest, despite the seeminlgy offensive name, was quite harmless and it just made the people who objected to it look like idiots.
The book itself is a sort of in your face look at a woman’s life. The author gives frank talk on things like gettting your period or having an abortion. It is really worth a read.
Naw, this thread won’t get an extravagant view to reply ratio. 
Oh, great, I can just see me asking our female librarian (they are all females) do you have ‘Cunt?’…frankly I don’t think its necessary to use an offensive word to get people to read a book.
I might look at it though;but I really wouldn’t want to be caught with a book with a word like ‘cunt’ on it sitting at the park or the beach.
How about reading Andrea Dworkin’s book, ‘Women Hating’ for another perspective?
Well, if you read the book, you would learn that the origin of the word “cunt” is one of respect for women and should not be offensive. Also, the book talks about reclaiming the word “cunt” so that it no longer has an offensive meaning in today’s society.
She had some interesting ideas, but mostly I found the book really annoying and I rolled my eyes a lot. I ended up giving it to a “hipper” friend as a gift.
Scene: Why A Duck flat out on the ground, holding an ice-pack to his massive black eye while looking around on the ground for his teeth.
Why A Duck: “But Ms. Winfrey, it’s a term of respect!”
“Cunt” comes from the Germanic “kunte,” which simply means “a woman’s pudenda.” It wasn’t a term of respect.
Look, just because the word “cunt” may have some origin in the names of Eastern goddesses, doesn’t mean our society should instantly adopt it and completely reverse the current meaning of the word.
Look, I didn’t want to argue about whether it is ok to call your mom/sister/girlfriend/talk show host a cunt, I was just wondering what people thought about the book.
I thought that it came from the old English “quoint,” which means IIRC the furrow behind a plow. Not much more respectful, but at least you could throw some fertility imagery in with that one.
ok to quote from Cunt-
“'Cunt” is related to words from India, China, Ireland, Rome and Egypt. Such words were either titles of respect for women, priestesses and witched, or derivatives of the names of various goddesses"
ok… so now… has anyone read the book and want to comment on it?
Well . . . 1 out of 2, at least.
The author has a poor grasp of etymology or linguistic history.
Well, I’m no expert on feminist literature and I’ve never read the book. But since this thread seems to be a forum for comment, I will:
a) The name could not possibly be more offensive, and as such was designed solely to shock. In general, books or people or ideas that present themselves as such generally have minimal content.
b) I’ve never heard of the idea that the word in question was respectful, and frankly I sincerely doubt that it ever was. Making point #a even moreso.
c) Even if said word had another meaning at one point, it does not now. It’s supposed previous meaning is only an interesting comment. The notion of changing the worlds interpretation of a word solely to amuse the author is so silly and vain as to further amplify point #a.
d) I’ve never heard of the book or the fest, and though I’m no expert on much, I suspect that this claim to fame is just another yelling without anything anything to yell about.
To sum, all I see here is evidence that this book and it’s surrounding activity is shock and no substance. Similar to putting a steaming turd in a museum and calling it art.
Hey, what a great idea! I’ll write a book called “Shit” and see if I can con the elite into using the word at dinner parties.
Not really trying to start a Great Debate here, but…
What would be the reaction if Whatsamatta U held a CockFest and invited the author of “Cock” to discuss mens issues?
A lot of small-minded martinets would inevitably be offended. More Americans get offended at naughty words than naughty realities. The possibility of asking a librarian for a book with “cunt” or “cock” in the title will always disturb more people than, say, the fact that more than a billion fucking people have to subsist on less than $1.00 per day. It is so exasperating when the ignorant dismiss unexamined ideas out of hand simply because their bullshit middle-class minds have to strain for more than a second to grasp them once their milquetoast sensibilities are offended. For Bill H. to comment on the nature of the book without having read it tells you all you need to know about his viewpoint. “Yelling without anything anything (sic) to yell about,” indeed. Why don’t you call your autobiography “Moron” so I wouldn’t have to read that, either?
Bill H. darling, my mother always told me not to open my mouth unless I knew what I was talking about. I am passing this advice along to you. Perhaps you could expand your mind by reading the book and then coming back here and discussing the issues it presents. You may actually learn something from such a dirty book.
And I’d have no problem with Cockfest. If my boyfriend and his friends wanted to get together and celebrate their penises, I’d be more than thrilled.