I’m spending much of July in an almost-empty, semi-freezing college library in my town and loving every minute of it. Summer just isn’t my jam, so I’m happy to have reason to be here, surrounded by books. I’m at the official start of a new book project dealing with the cultural forces that have long pushed back on women’s voices. More about this at some point – it won’t be out for a couple of years yet!
With all that’s going on in the world, it seems like a good time to give a nod to feminist and proto-feminist fiction.
Some of the earlier works of classic feminist fiction presented here were considered shocking, and those that came later, quite daring. From Jane Eyre (1847), Charlotte Brontë's gothic romance, through Octavia Butler's Afro-futurist Parable duo of the 1990s, the following books feature heroines who continue to inspire and surprise.
Are there others to add to this list? Please let me know in the comments.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)
Jane Eyre (1847), Charlotte Brontë’s best-known novel, is the story of a young woman of humble means and lonely upbringing who searches for love and a sense of belonging while preserving her independence.
The book sparked some controversy when first published, fueled by critics suspecting that “Currer Bell” (the author’s ambiguous pseudonym) was a woman.
Jane Eyre also fits into the genre of gothic novel due to that pesky little detail of Mr. Rochester’s mad wife locked away in an attic. Jane's strength, integrity, and determination to make her own way in the world has spoken to generations of readers.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë (1848)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published under Anne Brontë’s pseudonym, Acton Bell. Like her older sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre, it's now considered among the earliest of feminist novels.
The novel's heroine, Helen Graham, fled her abusive husband, lived on her own with her young son, and made a living as an artist. Taken together, these circumstances were considered shocking at the time.
Yet The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, more so than Anne’s quieter first novel, Agnes Grey (1847), was an immediate success despite its unflinching look at the harms of alcoholism and the domestic violence that resulted from it.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)
Louisa May Alcott expert Susan Bailey writes in How Louisa May Alcott's Feminism Explains Her Timelessness, "It’s the simple and subtle messages inherent in her writing to children that continue to stand the test of time. Just about every woman pioneer since Louisa’s era remembers reading Little Women and they point to Jo March as a pivotal inspiration.”
In addition to her literary pursuits, Louisa was also known for promoting women’s rights and campaigning for women’s suffrage. She allowed her feminist views to come through in the dialog between her characters, which is one of the great pleasures of reading Little Women and her other works.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an 1899 novella telling the story of a young mother who undergoes a dramatic period of change as she “awakens” to her own desires and casts off the restrictions of her restrictive societal roles as wife and mother.
Consequently, this novella came under immediate attack when published. Though it's often cited as a book that was banned, that's not accurate. The relentlessly harsh reviews were a form of silencing, and the book went out of print just a few years later, not to re-emerge for decades. The Awakening now holds a prominent place as a classic of American literature and a staple of feminist studies.
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin (1901)
My Brilliant Career (1901) was Australian author Miles Franklin‘s first novel, written while still in her teens and published in her twenty-first year.
Sybilla Melvyn is a high-strung, imaginative girl from the Australian countryside. Convinced that she’s ugly and useless, Sybilla is surprised when a wealthy young man proposes marriage. What ensues is a slow-moving yet thoroughly satisfying coming-of-age story.
While this book rarely appears on lists of top classic feminist novels, it should — and its staunchly feminist author deserves to be better known outside her native land. There’s a scene in which Sybilla bloodies a harasser that speaks to today’s #MeToo movement, with a satisfying vengeance!
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (1913)
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather is one of this esteemed American author’s most iconic novels. One of her earliest full-length works, it was published in 1913. Written in the kind of spare, lyric prose, the book explores ideas of community, family ties, destiny, and chance, this is a prime example of overlooked classic feminist fiction.
When Alexandra Bergson’s father is near death, he puts her in charge of the prairie farmland he loved deeply. The father trusted his daughter, not his sons, to carry out his life's work in taming an unforgiving land. Even as a fictional device, this was a radical notion in 1913.
Alexandra proves more than equal to the task, infusing the narrative with values of compassion and dignity.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
Their Eyes Were Watching God is Zora Neale Hurston's best-known work, and one that has become an acknowledged feminist classic.
Janie, the story’s heroine, searches for a sense of identity, independence, love, and happiness over the course of twenty-five years and several relationships. Janie's story has a few echoes of Zora’s own, especially the early portion, though it could be argued that the author never found true happiness when it came to love.
Critic Mary Helen Washington wrote of Zora’s masterpiece: “In 1937 came the novel in which Hurston triumphed in the art of taking the imagery, imagination, and experiences of Black folk and making literature.”
Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck (1946)
Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck tells the story of the spiritual and intellectual awakening of Madame Wu, a pampered wife of the wealthy House of Wu. On her fortieth birthday, she announces to her husband that she wishes to withdraw from their physical life as a couple.
Madame Wu urges her husband to take a second wife to serve him as a concubine, and over his objections, carries out the arrangement herself. With another woman in the household, complications ensue, of course.
Pavilion of Women, an exquisitely told story of a woman coming into her own in a patriarchal society, is a gem to savor. Pearl S. Buck isn’t often listed in compilations of feminist authors and their works, which is curious, as she was a staunch promoter of equality for women. This is my favorite Pearl S. Buck novel.
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962)
Doris Lessing, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007, is considered one of the premier authors of fiction and nonfiction of the second wave feminist era.
The Golden Notebook might just be her most iconic book, one of introspective feminism that challenged the prevailing notion of women's roles midcentury society. A 1962 review stated:
“The Golden Notebook is far and away her most ambitious work to date — a long and complex novel which draws on all the talents and insights of this gifted woman …The publisher compares its heroine, Anna, with the 'new woman' of Ibsen and Shaw ... unquestionably The Golden Notebook is going to be debated and analyzed by students of the novel for a long time to come."
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993)
When Octavia E. Butler's Parable of Sower (1993) begins, Lauren Olamina is a young Black woman just emerging from her teens, navigating the apocalyptic world of Los Angeles in the 2020s. A fight — and flight — for survival leads to her create a new faith called Earthseed, in hopes of repairing a broken world.
Lauren is once again at the center of Parable of the Talents, still fighting to salvage humanity. Now, she’s battling violent bigots and religious fanatics.
As richly imagined amalgams of dystopian literature and science fiction, the Parable novels feature the social commentary and prescience that Butler was known for. And Lauren emerges as a feminist symbol of courage and leadership that the real world could use now.
Honorable Mentions
Herland is a 1915 utopian novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The middle, and best-known installment of a trilogy. Three American men come upon a land where only women, female children, and babies live. It’s rumored to be a place where men dare to enter, but never come out. Gilman, also of The Yellow Wallpaper fame, is a mixed bag. She was a brilliant feminist theorist, but also a eugenicist. So even though her works are feminist standards, I’m reluctant to give her too many props here.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow was Enuf has touched many hearts since it premiered in 1976. It was Ntozake Shange’s first work and remains her most acclaimed theatre piece, consisting of twenty captivating poetic monologues representing black sisterhood in a racist and sexist society.
In 1977, Marilyn French published her first and best-known novel, The Women’s Room, which reflected on her own life. It follows a group of female friends living in 1960s America with a militant radical feminist named Val.
Other books that occasionally pop up in the realm of feminist fiction by more recently deceased authors include The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, and Dancing at the Edge by Ursula K. Le Guin.
What else might we add to this list?
This cartoon is courtesy of Bob Eckstein. Bob and I are creating a book together (I’m the writer, he’s the illustrator) on the bond between well-known writers past and present and their cats. It will be published in September, 2025, and of course I’ll be saying more about it as the time draws near. Meanwhile, please join Bob’s Substack for humor, insights about the writing life, and more.
Thank you for this, Sue. Much as I adore Charlotte, her attempts to censor her sisters' works is puzzling. I'd love to cover your book about Anne Brontë on the main Literary Ladies Guide site. I can't tell from what you've written whether your book is out already, or if you just finished it. Either way, please keep me posted by contacting me via the site's contact form: https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/contact/
Love everything you listed, especially feminist gothic lit (though I'm embarrassed to say I haven't yet read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall or Parable of the Sower). One of these, next in my queu! There is something about reading gothic stories in high summer...can't quite put my finger on it.