The Trust Betrayed by Karen Horne

The Trust Betrayed by Karen HorneFrom our daughter's point of view, The Trust Betrayed is a riveting and thought-provoking collection of essays and short stories which explore how women are often treated differently from men in some of today's most famous novels and plays. For example, The Trust Betrayed by Karen Horne is set in the nineteenth century and looks at the relationships between women and their husbands and what it means to them. As I read it, I was struck by the idea that Horne has managed to set a new benchmark for how women should be viewed in a different culture.At first, I was a little puzzled as to why this book was called The Trust Betrayed. I thought that perhaps there was something about the Royal Family or something that I didn't know about. The description did seem very expensive for something that would have nothing to do with the Court. But then I remembered something I read in an article a while ago.This excerpt I had read was from an article entitled 'Women And Erotica' by Ann Savage:The phrase 'prehistoric matriarchal culture' comes from the 'Passion', in which Jane Austen describes the class division between the Gardeners - those who love marriage and sex - and the Sunnyside - who find these pursuits distasteful and morally reprehensible. The Parkers are the people she calls 'prehistoric matriarchal' because they're at least partially sexual, while the Sunnyside is more concerned with practicality and cleanliness. Austen chose the name to sound more neutral and 'closet,' but its true origins are lost in the mists of history.In the introduction, Karen Horne begins her collection of essays and short stories with this quote:When we find ourselves in the midst of complex ways of being, of abstract entities, it can feel like we're closing ourselves in, as if our every impulse and all our thoughts and emotions are somehow glued together in a big, impenetrable mound. We are taught that love, life, death, life and death - all our desires and needs and fears - are under the thumb of this threatening, all-encompassing 'love.'She goes on to say that The Trust Betrayed 'is about a woman, a grown woman, grappling with all the elements of her adult self.' This leads her to an exploration of what it means to have a father and to have a mother. It makes a perfect summary of what the whole book is about.I'm glad that Karen Horney chose this title for this collection of essays and short stories. It captures so many aspects of today's culture and their impact on our lives and the way we view others.