But it's worth remembering that these novels – at least the ones I'm considering – were written in the early- to mid-1950s, when chauvinism wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. Now, I don't want to be too much of an apologist here Bond's attitude towards women is frequently chauvinistic. At this juncture Bond is also seething over the fact that his cover's been blown and the Russians are on to him, and so his anger also gets directed at Vesper, who he thinks he'll have to protect. Yes, at this point in the very first novel, Bond has little regard for women, considering them essentially as little more than recreation. But the key phrase here is, 'before he's met her'. Much earlier, before he's even met her, he broods on how, having been told by Mathis he'll have a female number two on the mission to bankrupt Le Chiffre, he thinks she'll get in the way, closing out chapter four with a couple of hearty exclamations of 'bitch' to the four walls of his hotel room. What's worse is that this isn't the first time Bond refers to Vesper as a bitch in the book.
