The Disdain of Women in the Personal Essay

This 1979 collection of essays attempts to reveal the 1960s and California as stories without narratives. We discuss how Didion's work was branded because of her gender, class, and lack of politics, despite her insistence that writing was only an attempt to make sense out of chaos.

Interested in the media we discussed this episode? Please support the show by purchasing it through our affiliate store:

• The White Album

Additional Resources:

• The Top 10 Essays Since 1950
• Joan Didion’s Style
• Joan Didion: Staking Out California
• There's a reason Joan Didion's work endures: she changed the way we wrote
• We Tell Ourselves Stories: Didion’s “White Album” Takes to the Stage
• From literary heavyweight to lifestyle brand: exploring the cult of Joan Didion
• The White Album, by Joan Didion