'Feminist' literature written by men?

[kelby_lake]

Are there any? Can there be?

[Drkshadow03]

"Stories for Men" by John Kessel appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, October/November 2002. Also reprinted in "The Year's Best Science Fiction 20th Annual Collection. Ed. Gardner Dozois." Great freaking story!

You should also check out the winners and Honor Lists of the James Tiptree Award. Some male authors have won it and been nominated for it. (link (http://www.tiptree.org/index.php?see=front_page)).

Likewise, certainly Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter (http://beyondassumptions.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/booklist-2008-25-the-scarlet-letter-by-nathaniel-hawthorne-re-read/) and James' Portrait of a Lady have feminist undertones.

[meh!]

I'd say so. I liked Alasdair Gray's Poor Things

[Paulclem]

Voltaire's Candide. A proto-feminist?

[bluosean]

George Meredith was a feminist. A feminist is anyone who wants there to be equality between men and women. Anyone can be a feminist.

[JBI]

Are there any? Can there be?

Tons - starting I think with Euripedes, or perhaps Aristophanes, though Aeschylus' The Suppliants could be taken as feminist.

In terms of political movement though, that is, part of a force describable as feminist, I would think John Stuart Mill fits in, as does Thomas Hardy, and others. William Blake Certainly was a "feminist", in the equality sense, though I don't think he saw himself as part of a movement in that regard.

[meh!]

Of course political theorists and activists/MPs like Mill will count, presumably we're talking about fiction though.

[JBI]

Of course political theorists and activists/MPs like Mill will count, presumably we're talking about fiction though.

Says who? Mill is taught in English programs as literature everywhere, and not just in Political Science classes. He's a literary figure, or at least has been appropriated as one. To limit one's scope to fiction is quite grievous, considering novels in English were generally regarded as being mediocre and "women's fiction" and not really taken seriously by the academic sort of crowds.

[jinjang]

The Bostonians by Henry James

[kelby_lake]

Yep, I mean fiction- and no sci-fi or fantasy.

[Drkshadow03]

Why? Just don't like the skiffy? Sci-fi and fantasy is probably one of the most fertile fields for Feminist fiction.

[JBI]

Why? Just don't like the skiffy? Sci-fi and fantasy is probably one of the most fertile fields for Feminist fiction.

Yeah, but they usually associate themselves with "new" genres, like dystopian, Apocalyptic, or whatever. Anything to get away from the spaceships and men in army suits fighting aliens stereotype.

[Drkshadow03]

Yeah, but they usually associate themselves with "new" genres, like dystopian, Apocalyptic, or whatever. Anything to get away from the spaceships and men in army suits fighting aliens stereotype.

Only Maragaret Atwood. Most of the other Feminist authors writing in speculative mode accept the Sci-fi moniker as far as I can tell. Dystopia, apocalyptic, etc. are really just sub-species of Sci-fi or fantasy.

[kelby_lake]

Just not my thing, sci-fi and fantasy. Too niche.

[meh!]

Says who? Mill is taught in English programs as literature everywhere, and not just in Political Science classes. He's a literary figure, or at least has been appropriated as one. To limit one's scope to fiction is quite grievous, considering novels in English were generally regarded as being mediocre and "women's fiction" and not really taken seriously by the academic sort of crowds.


It seems to avoid the heart of the question to invoke people like Mill who wrote clear political tracts in favour of womens' sufferage and personally campaigned on their behalf.

It's not a big issue!, just seems quite self-evident.

[Saladin]

Are there any? Can there be?

Nuruddin Farah, a somali-american contemporary writer. You can check out his novel "From a Crooked Rib". You can also check out some of Ibsen's plays - for example Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House.

[kelby_lake]

Will get around to reading Ibsen but am looking for something not too 'ra ra women!' (not that Ibsen is by any means)- just a good book about women :)

[Manchegan]

I'd go with Hardy, if you haven't already. Both Jude and Tess speak to the unefairl plight of strong women. Lawrence tackles a bit of the sexual freedom issue, thought usually from a male perspective. And definitely Hedda Gabler. It's not too ra ra for women. She's actually kind of a cold-hearted, manipulative *****, But intelligent and proud nonetheless.

[kelby_lake]

I might try it. We have to choose books to compare with The Handmaid's Tale and I'm looking for something to shock my teachers :0

[Babak Movahed]

I was kind of surprised it took a few posts for someone to finally say Ibsen. hahaha

Ya Ibsen for sure though, I would either say A Doll's House or Ghosts

[kelby_lake]

I do like Ghosts :)

[janesmith]

Hardy attempted it with Sue Bridehead in "Jude" but it caused him too much confusion. His portrayal of the New Woman was brave but unconvincing.

[Sebas. Melmoth]

D. H. Lawrence seems to have had an empathy for women (cf. The Rainbow, Sons and Lovers, etc.).

Also Theodore Dreiser (cf. Jennie Gerhardt, Sister Carrie, etc.).

[Jozanny]

The Bostonians by Henry James

There is an ongoing debate among scholars about James's contributions to the portrayal of the heroine in his fiction, one that I am not going to take sides on in this forum, but The Bostonians is actually anti-feminist.

Henry James did not like advocacy, and the novel is an indictment of the 19th century model for *the New Woman*.

This is not to say he did not create strong female protagonists; he did, but he was not an emancipator. The novel is meant as an ironic mockery of the type, and also one of his few failures.

[OrphanPip]

Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession, it is more socialist than feminist but it is concentrating on women.

Edit: Similar to Hardy, de Maupassant often wrote about women. His first novel Une Vie (A Woman's Life) is essentially about a woman who is ill-prepared for the real world because of the traditional education she receives, that and bashing the Catholic church. I think there are a few of his short stories that could be described as feminist too.

[byquist]

Chekhov certainly wrote most often favorably about women; he certainly loved his Three Sisters.

Ibsen gets a plus for "The Doll House," although he can portray women in a ferocious light as well, as in "Hedda Gabler." His "Lady from the Sea" is a sweet analysis of the main character, Elida.

[kelby_lake]

What about Shakespeare? Anything in there?