Isadora divorced her first husband after he attacked her during a psychotic break. Funny Schizophrenia: A strong aversion.Double Standard: Isadora is having an affair with Adrian, yet she gets jealous when Bennett puts the moves on another woman.It's described as 'zipless' because nothing gets in the way, not even their clothing ('Underwear blows apart like dandelion fluff.'). Catchphrase: Along with a Precision F-Strike in the term 'zipless fuck.' Isadora relates a fantasy of two beautiful strangers meeting on a train, having a perfect sexual encounter with no emotional or personal entanglements, and then never seeing each other again.Big Applesauce: While much of the 'front story' in the novel takes place in Europe (particularly Vienna), Isadora is from the 'Upper West Side.' Her family are Polish Jews and well-to-do from their business selling 'tchotchkes.' Her husband, Bennett, is from a less posh area and seems to resent her background.Betty and Veronica: Bennett and Adrian.This, of course, is the heart of the Madonna-Whore Complex, and it complicates her sex life, both inside her marriage and out. She gets away from him, then realizes the setup is her very own fantasy of the 'zipless fuck,' and it terrified her. Attempted Rape: At one point, Isadora is on a train with a man who grabs her and pushes her down.Without artistic expression as a release, that creative urge builds up into a 'great black fart of rage.' Isadora theorizes it comes from being the artistic daughter of a successful artist (who at one point paints over her canvases!). Abusive Parents: Isadora's mother is nuts.Some tropes associated with Fear of Flying include: Has no relation to the Simpsons episode of the same name. It was both criticised and lauded for its frank portrayal of women's sexuality and, rather than stereotypical romance, the breakdown of the protagonist's several marriages (for various reasons including her extramarital affair).

Fear of Flying was a 1973 best-selling novel by Erica Jong.

Fear of flying novel