The Madwoman is a powerful psychological and emotional energy that lies at the core of feminine existence. She lives in us all - both men and women - and speaks to us all, inhabiting our dreams, our lives, our collective cultural memory. Ignored or suppressed, she becomes a force of self-destruction; acknowledged and understood, she becomes a source of creativity and power. Now, in this remarkable and revolutionary book, Linda Leonard explores how we can overcome the inner turmoil of contemporary life - unexpressed rage, the buildup of guilt and anxiety - by harnessing this primal expression of our natural instincts.Look around you and you will see the Madwoman at work, rattling her cage: The angry housewife trapped in a loveless marriage ... The rejected lover who retreats into loneliness and self-loathing ... The unhappy bride who has chosen a husband to dominate rather than share her life ... The junior executive who sacrifices her own abilities to further those of her boss ... The abused woman, the abusive mother, the First Lady who remains society's second-class citizen. From Medea to Ophelia to Thelma and Louise, the paradox and patterns of "madness" are as old as time. But Linda Leonard argues that the chain can he broken, that the Madwoman within each of us not only can but must be freed and openly expressed and transformed into a source of constructive, creative energy.The author draws on an extraordinary range of sources - ancient myths and fairy tales, contemporary films and literature, stories of historical and contemporary women, dreams, personal experiences, and psychological portraits - to design a model of empowerment for women today. Just as the goddesses of old had to be appeased for the good of all, so the Madwoman in ourselves must now be nurtured in order to ensure the health and well-being of the individual, society, and the environment. By befriending the inner Madwoman, both women and men will discover the feminine spirit within themselves, a discovery that can lead to a deeper sense of being and human community. Women will also discover the courage and the strength to confront injustice and effect positive change in the home, the workplace, and the ballot box; and men will learn how to relate to the women in their lives in more mature and fulfilling ways.Meeting the Madwoman brings a fresh and startling perspective to those relationships that hold the potential for the greatest joy and the greatest misery: the relationship between a man and a woman, between a mother and a daughter, between love and sex, power and fear, self-destruction and self-realization. It is a provacative work of immense psychological insight and cultural significance, one whose ideas are sure to resonate for years to come. Read Less