The Two of Them
Encyclopedia
The Two of Them is a feminist science fiction
novel
by Joanna Russ
. It was first published in 1978 in the United States
by Berkley Books
and in Great Britain
by The Women's Press in 1986. It was last reissued in 2005 by the Wesleyan University Press
with a foreword by Sarah LeFanu.
of a colonized planet, Ala-ed-deen, where women are kept in purdah
.
Feminist science fiction
Feminist science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction which tends to deal with women's roles in society. Feminist science fiction poses questions about social issues such as how society constructs gender roles, the role reproduction plays in defining gender and the unequal political and...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Joanna Russ
Joanna Russ
Joanna Russ was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as How to Suppress Women's Writing, as well as a contemporary novel, On Strike Against God, and one children's book, Kittatinny...
. It was first published in 1978 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Berkley Books
Berkley Books
Berkley Books is an imprint of Penguin Group that began as an independent company in 1955. It was established by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein, who were working for Avon and formed "Chic News Company". They renamed it Berkley Publishing Co. in 1955. They soon found a niche in science fiction...
and in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
by The Women's Press in 1986. It was last reissued in 2005 by the Wesleyan University Press
Wesleyan University Press
Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The Press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist...
with a foreword by Sarah LeFanu.
Plot
Irene, a female galactic agent, rescues a young woman, Zubeydeh, from a male-dominant culturePatriarchy
Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and entails female subordination...
of a colonized planet, Ala-ed-deen, where women are kept in purdah
Purdah
Purdah or pardeh is the practice of concealing women from men. According to one definition:This takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes, and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form....
.