Serenissima (1987) explores sexual passion from the perspective of a liberated, self-possessed heroine, Jessica Pruitt. Jong's fiction is noteworthy because her Fear of Flying (1973) was an early woman's novel that dealt explicitly with woman's sexuality. All of her fiction, and much of her poetry, continues to address this theme. Jong's thematic concerns reflect the contemporary interest in the psychology of the sexuality of women, but, it should be noted that her treatment of this issue is a popularization — even an exaggeration of these concerns. Her stories reflect women of unbridled passions and appetites; often these women seem more like stereotypical men's libidos dressed in women's clothing. And Jong's fiction has been criticized for being too bawdy, too interested in carnality at the expense of other aspects of the female psyche. Perhaps Jong's reason for focusing so much attention on women with such hearty sexual appetites is...