Feminist books

[Matilda]

Hi!
I'm doing a project, and I'm looking for novels (fiction) about feminist/women's liberation themes. I'm thinking along the lines of Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier or The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. (Quite a wide range, that is.) Any suggestions?

[chaplin]

One story came to mind, although was not produced for any sort of "women's liberation" movement, but still is a good, multi-leveled portrayal of a woman trying to move ahead and beyond of her contemporary social confines. It is by Anton Chekhov, it's called "The Fiancee", aka "The Wife" (she never gets married so I don't know why someone translated it as that).

Here is a link to it: online-literature.com/anton_chekhov/the_wife/ (http://www.online-literature.com/anton_chekhov/the_wife/)

It probably isn't exactly what you're looking for, but perhaps it can be of some use.

[Mortis Anarchy]

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Frieden...uhm...To Be Real by Rebecca Walker...Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg...Oranges are not the Only Fruit...We Got to get out of this Place and The Vagina Monologes by Eve Ensler.:D


The Feminine Mystique by Betty Frieden...uhm...To Be Real by Rebecca Walker...Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg...Oranges are not the Only Fruit...We Got to get out of this Place and The Vagina Monologes by Eve Ensler.:D

These are just some that I have read or have heard of...I don't know if they will help you or not. The Feminine Mystique should though.

Remembered some more(I haven't read these, but my Teacher told me to read them, she is a hardcore feminist!)

-The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
-I heard that John Stoltenberg is an excellent writer
-The Awakening by Kate Chopin(its on my to read list)

okay, I think I'm done:D

[Bii]

The Yellow Wallpaper, as noted by Mortis above, is a brilliant story which I would strongly recommend. Other than that I'd suggest you try The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter; or The Bloody Chamber also by Angela Carter which is a collection of short stories. Both have strong feminist influences. The Passion of New Eve is the story of a man who is kidnapped by a feminist cult and transformed into a woman. He tells his story of a life as a woman, but through the eyes of a man, which makes for an interesting twist. The Bloody Chamber is a re-telling of fables/fairy tales but with a feminist twist, Dracula is a woman, you've probably heard of The Company of Wolves which is a twist on the red riding hood story. All very well written, can't recommend Angela Carter enough.

Other than that Jeanette Winterson has already been recommended - you should try "Oranges are not the only fruit"; or anything by Sarah Waters, such as "Tipping the Velvet" but both of these are leaning more into lesbianism as opposed to strict feminism. Very good though!

[kratsayra]

Are you specifically looking for white feminists? There is also, for example, Audre Lorde - her Zami: A New Spelling of my Name is pretty cool. She is especially interesting because she was very intent on white and black feminists cooperating (in the US), in an era when they very often did not. And of course there is also bell hooks, although I haven't actually read her.

I have lots to say about African feminist authors, but that is probably going too far afield.

I also thought of Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle but that is probably more marked as being lesbian than it is marked as being feminist, not sure though.

[PeterL]

The Yellow Wallpaper, as noted by Mortis above, is a brilliant story which I would strongly recommend. Other than that I'd suggest you try The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter; or The Bloody Chamber also by Angela Carter which is a collection of short stories. Both have strong feminist influences. The Passion of New Eve is the story of a man who is kidnapped by a feminist cult and transformed into a woman. He tells his story of a life as a woman, but through the eyes of a man, which makes for an interesting twist. The Bloody Chamber is a re-telling of fables/fairy tales but with a feminist twist, Dracula is a woman, you've probably heard of The Company of Wolves which is a twist on the red riding hood story. All very well written, can't recommend Angela Carter enough.
\

That's almost funny. I wrote a story like that a few yeaars ago, but it was too unbelievable. I guess there is a market for such things.

[Mortis Anarchy]

Are you specifically looking for white feminists? There is also, for example, Audre Lorde - her Zami: A New Spelling of my Name is pretty cool. She is especially interesting because she was very intent on white and black feminists cooperating (in the US), in an era when they very often did not. And of course there is also bell hooks, although I haven't actually read her.

I have lots to say about African feminist authors, but that is probably going too far afield.

I also thought of Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle but that is probably more marked as being lesbian than it is marked as being feminist, not sure though.

I think Toni Morrison and Alice Walker would be good as well, if you are going for other African Feminists.

[Matilda]

Thanks for the replies. Kratsayra, it doesn't matter much where the authors are from so feel free to suggest some african writers as well :)

[JBI]

The 2004 Nobel Prize winner from Austria Elfriede Jelinik is regarded as being very feminist, and very controversial. She recently released a new novel which is accessible in the English world. As well authors like Virgina Woolf have feminist themes (for her time).

[Logos]

I know you asked for novels, but I can't help mentioning Edna St. Vincent Millay, feminist, playwright, and and first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry :)

http://www.online-literature.com/millay/

Indeed Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" is an excellent suggestion; she also wrote the novel Herland, with feminist/utopian theme :)

http://www.online-literature.com/charlotte-perkins-gilman/

[Turk]

feminist/utopian theme :)

Or feminist/dystopian theme! :lol:

[Il Penseroso]

Aristophanes' Lysistrata?

[Scharphedin2]

Millay is a wonderful poet, and a great suggestion in this context.

I recently read two excellent books by American women authors of the late 19th/early 20th century that also happened to be about strong independent women -- Willa Cather's O' Pioneers and Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of Ponted Firs.

And, how about your Swedish country(wo)man -- Selma Lagerlöf? ;) ... and, of course, mine -- Isaak Dinesen/Karen Blixen.

[Logos]

Or feminist/dystopian theme! :lol:

I guess, if you have your testosterone goggles on :lol:

[NickAdams]

Simone de Beauvoir.

[JBI]

Aristophanes' Lysistrata?
God that is funny :p

[Bii]

That's almost funny. I wrote a story like that a few yeaars ago, but it was too unbelievable. I guess there is a market for such things.

Which are you referring to Peter? Angela Carter has now expired (regrettably). "The Passion of New Eve" was written in 1982 and The Bloody Chamber was written in 1979. I guess she beat you to it!

I'm astonished, actually, that few people have read anything by Angela Carter considering she was a literary giant of her time. That being said, I've noticed a general leaning towards the classics in general on this site, to the exclusion of more modern literature. Perhaps that's because mainly it supports a student network?

[Turk]

I guess, if you have your testosterone goggles on :lol:

They call me Mr. Testosteron!:thumbs_up

[katie9trent]

Maybe look for women that lived in the 19th century who helped try to free the slaves during the civil war. Or Florence Nightingale who helped to save the dieing solders in the civil war. Her long long dress that she wore was soaked with the blood of the dieing men. She must of been a wonderful person to give of her self like that.

[Mortis Anarchy]

There is also this one lady I read about...ummm, I think she wrote essays or something, but she was a woman suffrage activist and also very involved with helping the poor...I think she opened a soup kitchen type thing for poor people...I can't remember her name...I'll get back to you on that.

[Mortis Anarchy]

There is also this one lady I read about...ummm, I think she wrote essays or something, but she was a woman suffrage activist and also very involved with helping the poor...I think she opened a soup kitchen type thing for poor people...I can't remember her name...I'll get back to you on that.

Dorothy Day, thats her name. I don't know if it will be much help but thats all I got now. My favorite one is The Yellow Wallpaper=Amazing!:D

[kratsayra]

Thanks for the replies. Kratsayra, it doesn't matter much where the authors are from so feel free to suggest some african writers as well :)

:D . . .

A short and very rich novel is So Long a Letter (translated from the French Une si longue lettre) by Mariama Ba, from Senegal. I think that is one of the easiest African feminist-themed novels to work with because it has a lot going on in it despite being short, and it shouldn't be that hard to find.