Summary of Gloria Steinem's Marilyn

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Marilyn Monroe has been a part of our lives and imaginations for nearly four decades. She has been a sign of longevity in a throwaway culture. In the 1930s, English critic Cyril Connolly proposed a definition of posterity to measure whether a writer’s work had stood the test of time: it should be limited to ten years. #2 The past lives of celebrities are often the subject of conspiracy theories, because their fates were not allowed to play out to their logical ends. The past dies when there is mourning, but the future dies when our imaginations are compelled to carry it on. #3 Marilyn Monroe embodied many of the secret hopes and fears of men. She was the child-woman who offered pleasure without adult challenge, and she was admired for it. She was also the dumb blonde who was depersonalized, sexual, and even a joke. #4 After her death, the rescue fantasy became even more prevalent. Men and women fantasized about being the saviors who could have saved Marilyn, and many women were uncomfortable with this.