Jill Lepore's The Secret History Of Wonder Woman
The Secret History of Wonder Woman
This book had me on the edge of my seat as pieces were dropping together to form a puzzle that I never knew was there in the first place. There is so much history to be found in everything about Wonder Woman, all tying to the events that her creator, William Marston, has been through and seen. There is history from her lasso to her very first villain. Every bit of Wonder Woman has a story, stories which make one want to root for Wonder Woman even more so.
Jill Lepore has done a fantastic job uncovering the secret history of Wonder Woman, as well as the history behind Marston, Wonder Woman’s creator. She has won the Bancroft Prize and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Lepore teaches American …show more content…
history at Harvard University and is also the staff writer at The New Yorker.
The purpose of this book is to reveal the true nature behind Wonder Woman and her secret history. Lepore gained access to the notes that Marston had written regarding the making and inspiration behind Wonder Woman, and what she truly represents- not to just fans, but to women across the world fighting for their rights.
This work ties Wonder Woman to women’s suffrage. Wonder Woman represents the force that females portrayed as they fought for their rights and thrived to achieve it despite the discrimination that they faced. Wonder Woman is the reflection of the women that her creator, Marston, so admires and supports.
Who is Wonder Woman?
Wonder Woman is an Amazonian princess from Greek mythology who resides in the Isle of Paradise. Her secret identity is Diana Prince, which she adopted from an army surgeon she had met. By escorting Steve Trevor (whose plane crashes on the shores of the Isle of paradise) back to America, she is able to introduce her kind to the world. Coming from an island of purely women, she is deeply rooted in the belief for women’s rights when she comes across the male-dominated world.
Feminism in Her Education
When Wonder Woman is out of costume, she is Diana Prince.
One of her jobs was working as a detective. Utilizing the lie detector that Steve Trevor, her love interest, introduces her to, Wonder Woman captures liars and makes them pay justly. As Wonder Woman, she embodies this same principle in her Lasso of Truth. As the name suggests, when entrapped by her lasso, one is forced to reveal the truth. Marston invested a lot of time and care into Wonder Woman, and wanted her to be a part of his work. The lie detector was one of said works. “Marston also used Wonder Woman to feature his long-standing work, dating to his junior year of college, on the detection of deception, the subject of his 1921 doctoral dissertation in Harvard’s Psychology Department… Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso to compel a villain to tell the truth.” I appreciate the Marston wanted Wonder Woman to have a job that involved action and a higher education. So many women during this time period had received education, but had been denied a degree stating that they were qualified for what they spent years studying. He purposely put Wonder Woman in a position of power and advanced education to show that women were capable of doing jobs usually deemed for
men.
Feminism in Her Physique
Seeing as Wonder Woman comes from the inspiration of the many women Marston encountered that supported women’s suffrage and equality, it’s no surprise that Wonder Woman appears to be not only equal, but perhaps superior to men when it comes to physical traits. As an Amazon, Wonder Woman has immense power (perks of being a superhero, really) and displays her strength against many of her villains. Marston was influenced by Holloway, his wife, and Olive Byrne, the original inker for Wonder Woman. Both of them were very involved with sports during their college years. Marston wanted to showcase that strength through Wonderwoman. “Marston exhibited Wonder Woman’s athleticism on every possible occasion...she plays ice hockey and tennis; she swims and dives. She even founds a chain of fitness clubs.” From the action scenes I’ve seen of Wonder Woman in Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice, it’s obvious that Marston’s idea of her strength is still carried on till today. Marston proves that Wonder Woman is just as strong as men, even stronger than most. By doing so, he is also making a claim that women are just as capable as men.
Feminism in the Character Herself
Wonder Woman is known to get herself in very compromising positions; usually involving chains. There are several instances in which she is chained- be it to chair, in a dungeon, or even suspended from the ceiling. When Marston created Wonder Woman, he did this on purpose. Having Wonder Woman break out of the chains was a clear representation of women breaking from the chains of men. The chains represented the control that men had over women; it represented the oppression that women faced. “Wonder Woman is bound in almost every one of her adventures, usually in chains. The bondage in Wonder Woman comics raised hackles with Gaines’s editorial advisory board, but Marston insisted that Wonder Woman had to be chained or tied so that she could free herself- and, symbolically, emancipate herself.” In addition to the Lasso of Truth, which often restrains the villainous men she faces, the bondage proves to be a great way to show how women were treated. Her Lasso of Truth is somewhat ironic because she is using the same methods that the men used on women; figuratively restraining them from doing what they want. I enjoy that Marston purposely puts her in those positions just so that she can break free and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Feminism in the History of Women’s Rights
Wonder Woman symbolizes women’s rights. The journey for rights is shown in her comics, as she battles opponents who seem to be constantly trying to put down women. Her greatest villain, who was also Marston’s real life antagonist, is opposed to suffrage for women. Dr.Psycho symbolizes the oppression of women’s rights (this creepy villain even goes as far as acting as the ghost of George Washington to convince people that women’s suffrage had to be reversed). “Wonder Woman #5 (June-July 1943), Wonder Woman faces her arch-nemesis Dr. Psycho, who was both a fascist ([in this issue], a three-headed monster of Mussolini, Hitler, and Hirohito) and, notably, an opponent of women’s rights. Dr.Psycho was inspired by Marston’s Harvard mentor, the psychologist Hugo Munsterberg, with whom Marston studied from 1912 to 1916. Munsterberg...opposed women’s suffrage, believing that decent, moral women had too much to do at home to vote, and that any woman who would show up at the polls would be easily corrupted... Wonder Woman’s [issue of] “Battle for Womanhood”, against Dr. Psycho, is Marston’s battle against Munsterberg.” Technically speaking, one could say that Wonder Woman was made to represent women’s rights. There’s no other comic book character like her during her time. Wonder Woman grew in popularity, the only woman featured as one of the big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman herself). With her growth in popularity, the growth for the need of women’s suffrage skyrocketed. It’s amazing to see how much of the history of women’s rights is entangled with Wonder Woman’s history.
Wonder Woman has blown my mind, and so has the author. Lepore has done a splendid job unraveling the secrets of Wonder Woman’s history, as well as William Marston’s influence in the creation of Wonder Woman. It was interesting to see how everything tied in with Wonder Woman’s character; her job being part of Marston’s work, her Lasso of truth- a symbol reverse oppression, her strength meant to rival that of men’s. It was all so intricately connected and delivered well. Hooked until the very last page, I was very intrigued with Wonder Woman’s secret history. I was more than happy to discover the riches of Wonder Woman’s past, as well as Marston’s past. I’d recommend this book to demographics beyond just comic book lovers. Reading about Wonder Woman has definitely made me understand her character on a deeper level. I’ve always had respect for Wonder Woman, but now it’s a whole knew level of reverence.
This book had me on the edge of my seat as pieces were dropping together to form a puzzle that I never knew was there in the first place. There is so much history to be found in everything about Wonder Woman, all tying to the events that her creator, William Marston, has been through and seen. There is history from her lasso to her very first villain. Every bit of Wonder Woman has a story, stories which make one want to root for Wonder Woman even more so.
Jill Lepore has done a fantastic job uncovering the secret history of Wonder Woman, as well as the history behind Marston, Wonder Woman’s creator. She has won the Bancroft Prize and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for History. Lepore teaches American …show more content…
history at Harvard University and is also the staff writer at The New Yorker.
The purpose of this book is to reveal the true nature behind Wonder Woman and her secret history. Lepore gained access to the notes that Marston had written regarding the making and inspiration behind Wonder Woman, and what she truly represents- not to just fans, but to women across the world fighting for their rights.
This work ties Wonder Woman to women’s suffrage. Wonder Woman represents the force that females portrayed as they fought for their rights and thrived to achieve it despite the discrimination that they faced. Wonder Woman is the reflection of the women that her creator, Marston, so admires and supports.
Who is Wonder Woman?
Wonder Woman is an Amazonian princess from Greek mythology who resides in the Isle of Paradise. Her secret identity is Diana Prince, which she adopted from an army surgeon she had met. By escorting Steve Trevor (whose plane crashes on the shores of the Isle of paradise) back to America, she is able to introduce her kind to the world. Coming from an island of purely women, she is deeply rooted in the belief for women’s rights when she comes across the male-dominated world.
Feminism in Her Education
When Wonder Woman is out of costume, she is Diana Prince.
One of her jobs was working as a detective. Utilizing the lie detector that Steve Trevor, her love interest, introduces her to, Wonder Woman captures liars and makes them pay justly. As Wonder Woman, she embodies this same principle in her Lasso of Truth. As the name suggests, when entrapped by her lasso, one is forced to reveal the truth. Marston invested a lot of time and care into Wonder Woman, and wanted her to be a part of his work. The lie detector was one of said works. “Marston also used Wonder Woman to feature his long-standing work, dating to his junior year of college, on the detection of deception, the subject of his 1921 doctoral dissertation in Harvard’s Psychology Department… Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso to compel a villain to tell the truth.” I appreciate the Marston wanted Wonder Woman to have a job that involved action and a higher education. So many women during this time period had received education, but had been denied a degree stating that they were qualified for what they spent years studying. He purposely put Wonder Woman in a position of power and advanced education to show that women were capable of doing jobs usually deemed for
men.
Feminism in Her Physique
Seeing as Wonder Woman comes from the inspiration of the many women Marston encountered that supported women’s suffrage and equality, it’s no surprise that Wonder Woman appears to be not only equal, but perhaps superior to men when it comes to physical traits. As an Amazon, Wonder Woman has immense power (perks of being a superhero, really) and displays her strength against many of her villains. Marston was influenced by Holloway, his wife, and Olive Byrne, the original inker for Wonder Woman. Both of them were very involved with sports during their college years. Marston wanted to showcase that strength through Wonderwoman. “Marston exhibited Wonder Woman’s athleticism on every possible occasion...she plays ice hockey and tennis; she swims and dives. She even founds a chain of fitness clubs.” From the action scenes I’ve seen of Wonder Woman in Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice, it’s obvious that Marston’s idea of her strength is still carried on till today. Marston proves that Wonder Woman is just as strong as men, even stronger than most. By doing so, he is also making a claim that women are just as capable as men.
Feminism in the Character Herself
Wonder Woman is known to get herself in very compromising positions; usually involving chains. There are several instances in which she is chained- be it to chair, in a dungeon, or even suspended from the ceiling. When Marston created Wonder Woman, he did this on purpose. Having Wonder Woman break out of the chains was a clear representation of women breaking from the chains of men. The chains represented the control that men had over women; it represented the oppression that women faced. “Wonder Woman is bound in almost every one of her adventures, usually in chains. The bondage in Wonder Woman comics raised hackles with Gaines’s editorial advisory board, but Marston insisted that Wonder Woman had to be chained or tied so that she could free herself- and, symbolically, emancipate herself.” In addition to the Lasso of Truth, which often restrains the villainous men she faces, the bondage proves to be a great way to show how women were treated. Her Lasso of Truth is somewhat ironic because she is using the same methods that the men used on women; figuratively restraining them from doing what they want. I enjoy that Marston purposely puts her in those positions just so that she can break free and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Feminism in the History of Women’s Rights
Wonder Woman symbolizes women’s rights. The journey for rights is shown in her comics, as she battles opponents who seem to be constantly trying to put down women. Her greatest villain, who was also Marston’s real life antagonist, is opposed to suffrage for women. Dr.Psycho symbolizes the oppression of women’s rights (this creepy villain even goes as far as acting as the ghost of George Washington to convince people that women’s suffrage had to be reversed). “Wonder Woman #5 (June-July 1943), Wonder Woman faces her arch-nemesis Dr. Psycho, who was both a fascist ([in this issue], a three-headed monster of Mussolini, Hitler, and Hirohito) and, notably, an opponent of women’s rights. Dr.Psycho was inspired by Marston’s Harvard mentor, the psychologist Hugo Munsterberg, with whom Marston studied from 1912 to 1916. Munsterberg...opposed women’s suffrage, believing that decent, moral women had too much to do at home to vote, and that any woman who would show up at the polls would be easily corrupted... Wonder Woman’s [issue of] “Battle for Womanhood”, against Dr. Psycho, is Marston’s battle against Munsterberg.” Technically speaking, one could say that Wonder Woman was made to represent women’s rights. There’s no other comic book character like her during her time. Wonder Woman grew in popularity, the only woman featured as one of the big three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman herself). With her growth in popularity, the growth for the need of women’s suffrage skyrocketed. It’s amazing to see how much of the history of women’s rights is entangled with Wonder Woman’s history.
Wonder Woman has blown my mind, and so has the author. Lepore has done a splendid job unraveling the secrets of Wonder Woman’s history, as well as William Marston’s influence in the creation of Wonder Woman. It was interesting to see how everything tied in with Wonder Woman’s character; her job being part of Marston’s work, her Lasso of truth- a symbol reverse oppression, her strength meant to rival that of men’s. It was all so intricately connected and delivered well. Hooked until the very last page, I was very intrigued with Wonder Woman’s secret history. I was more than happy to discover the riches of Wonder Woman’s past, as well as Marston’s past. I’d recommend this book to demographics beyond just comic book lovers. Reading about Wonder Woman has definitely made me understand her character on a deeper level. I’ve always had respect for Wonder Woman, but now it’s a whole knew level of reverence.