The passing of a feminist pioneer

I am terribly poorly read when it comes to feminism, something I keep meaning to fix (as though my To Do list were under 10 pages already). But I certainly recognize the name Andrea Dworkin as one who challenged many to re-examine their fundamental beliefs about the relations between the sexes.

With her first book, "Woman Hating" (Dutton, 1974), Ms. Dworkin drew the lines in what she saw as a pitched battle against men's historical domination of women. She opposed all forms of pornography, which she believed incited violence against women. She was also critical of consensual sex between women and men, which she saw as an act of everyday subjugation in which women were accomplices.

Many disagreed with her positions, but everybody's arguments were honed by the furnace of her thoughts. She died somewhat unexpectedly this past weekend, at the age of 58. The NYTimes has an obituary, or I recommend the shorter summary here.