Erica Jong’s “Fear of Flying,” published by Vintage, is one of the defining novels of second-wave feminism. When it first hit the shelves in 1973, it was a daring and outrageous book. It shocked readers with its explicit sexual content and frankly erotic language and themes. But beyond its bold depiction of sexuality, Fear of Flying by Erica Jong carries a strong feminist theme. It captured a pivotal moment when women were beginning to define themselves independently of men.
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong: The plot overview
“Fear of Flying” is the story of 29-year-old poet Isadora Wing’s self-discovery. She seeks new freedom and a new way of being in the age of women’s liberation. The story opens with Isadora on a flight to Vienna, accompanying her psychoanalyst husband, Bennett Wing, to a congress of psychoanalysts. Literally afraid of flying, Isadora believes her concentration keeps the plane aloft. Her fear of flying also has important symbolic significance. It indicates her fear of independence and her reluctance to follow her adventurous spirit.
During the flight, Isadora is surrounded by psychoanalysts, some of whom have incompetently treated her, often telling her to accept traditional gender roles. The novel alternates between Isadora’s adventures in Europe and flashbacks of her early life in New York City. In Vienna, she meets Adrian Goodlove and is immediately attracted to him. Adrian encourages her to leave Bennett and join him on a spontaneous trip across Europe. Torn between the safety and predictability of life with Bennett and the excitement and spontaneity Adrian offers, Isadora agonises over her decision.
Adrian promises to help Isadora overcome her fears and embrace her inner self. They embark on a journey filled with existential moments. But it soon becomes a disappointing odyssey from one grubby campsite to another. Adrian lectures Isadora on self-discovery but struggles with impotence, failing to fulfil the adventurous promise.
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong: Flashbacks and self-discovery
Through a series of flashbacks, Isadora recounts her experiences growing up as a female in the United States. Raised in a secular Jewish family, the most potent influence in her life is her mother, Jude, a talented but frustrated artist who values uniqueness. Isadora became a feminist at 13 when a boy asked if she planned to be a secretary. In college, she married her first husband, Brian Stollerman, who later had a mental breakdown and was institutionalised. Seeking safety, Isadora then married Bennett and moved to Heidelberg, Germany, with him during the Vietnam War.
As Isadora and Adrian reach France, he reveals he will leave her in Paris to meet his wife and children. Furious and disillusioned, Isadora finds herself alone in a Paris hotel. There, she reflects on her life through her notebooks and diary, concluding that she must be the source of meaning in her life.
Summing up
“Fear of Flying” ends with Isadora in a London hotel bathtub, waiting for Bennett but determined to be her person and not to “grovel.” This pivotal moment symbolises her overcoming her “fear of flying”—her fear of independence—and signifies her journey towards self-discovery and autonomy.
Witty, bold, and liberating, “Fear of Flying” resonated with readers worldwide, making it a pivotal piece in the feminist literary canon. Jong’s semi-autobiographical work captures the evolving feminist landscape, chronicling women’s journey of self-discovery and making the political personal. This novel, alongside Jong’s later works, reflects the changing times and the enduring struggle for female autonomy and self-realisation.
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