The neurotic gaze: Jules Feiffer seen through a feminist lens

Abstract

In this paper we will juxtapose the works of Feiffer during these years with the writings and ideas of the second wave of feminism. We will trace this relationship in three moments: first we will analyze a set of "Bernard and Huey" strips, in which two characters (Bernard Mergentheiler, an alter ego of sorts of Feiffer, and Huey, a simpleminded and machist muscle bound giant) discuss and explore their relationships with women and the difficulties they both find in them. The majority of these strips were published between 1957 and 1964, before the intense social growth and awareness of second wave feminism. Secondly, we will analyze some strips that were published from 1967 to 1972, the moment of intense growth and popularization of the movement, which deal with it and its contradictions (at least in the eyes of Feiffer). Finally, we will discuss Carnal Knowledge, the film directed by Mike Nichols over a screenplay by Feiffer, which premiered in 1971 and is, in some aspects, Feiffer's definitive statement over the "war of the sexes" and the male position in it.