Point of View

Rainer Maria Rilke is one of the most prominent poets of the 20th century. This comes from a European bias. The good news is that this limitation of perspective is now recognized for what it is. The author was born prior to the invention of the airplane but had probably heard of aircraft such as the hot air balloon and possibly even the zeppelin. He had also heard of gliders through his education if only through the story of Icarus, who died while using a flying machine built by his father - the device was mainly but not exclusively a glider.

It is explained during the introduction that the author was exceptionally close to the feminine and to the female mind and way of life. This occurred intentionally through his mother, who treated him very much "like a girl." Rather than there having been some "stigma...