Marilyn Monroe

Library Journal

Arguing that ``to comprehend the complexity of Monroe . . . entails comprehending the complexity of ourselves ,'' McCann surveys and criticizes what has been written about her from a self-professed feminist perspective. Though well intentioned, his attempt compassionately to reconstruct her image``to cancel out the other male texts, to consciously counteract the distortions fostered by men's uncritical styles''frequently founders in unnecessarily vague and often jargon-ridden prose that will try the patience of most readers. Those who stick it through will discover that a briefer essay could have done the job more concisely. Marshall Deutelbaum, Purdue Univ., W . Lafayette, Ind.