Literature tells stories and influences life beyond the pages of a book. For women, literature is a means of empowerment. For a very long time, women have not been given the opportunity to raise their voices and lead their own narratives. In the literary world, in particular, very few women had their works published. Those who were successful in getting their books out have changed history for women forever.
This National Women’s Month, we’re rounding up the must-read feminist literature classics to help you celebrate and participate in the movement for equality.
1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Written originally for young audiences, Little Women continues to resonate with women of all ages. Louisa May Alcott tells the story of the four March sisters and their beloved Marmee, chronicling their home life during a war. It touches on the pains of growing up and coming to terms with society’s expectations of young women. Although from a different period and country altogether, today’s women relate to how the Marches had to pave their way in the world.
The four March sisters are so diverse and unique from each other, yet all of them support each other’s dreams– whether that be a simple, quiet marriage, a successful career, or a more luxurious life.
The book’s message is simple: women can draw strength and support from each other. This comes as no surprise since Alcottt herself was an advocate for women’s rights and suffrage, an exceptionally challenging role in her lifetime.
2. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room of One’s Own is based on Woolf’s two lectures at Newnham College and Girton College, Cambridge’s first two colleges that opened its doors to women. The text is an extended essay of Woolf’s thoughts on women’s status in society.
Woolf highlights how women are at a financial and educational disadvantage because of how they’re treated. In a Room of One’s Own, she asserts that a woman must have money and a room of one’s own if she’s expected to write, create, and work. She illustrated her point by talking about William Shakespeare’s sister who was relegated solely to household work and eventually committed suicide. She explores how she could’ve achieved more had she been given the education and support that William Shakespeare received.
The most revolutionary idea in the entire piece is in the last section, where she suggests that great minds are androgynous. She states that a mind, whether it belonged to a man or a woman, would benefit from equal space and opportunity to learn and grow.
3. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a groundbreaking thinker in a progressive France. In 1949, when her book was published, women enjoyed the right to vote for three years already. Despite being given that privilege, de Beauvoir talked about how women are still treated as “other” and inferior.
France was just recovering from the second world war when society relied heavily on men’s muscle dominance and ability to fight. Coming out from the hardships of war, de Beauvoir discussed how in the new order of society, women were not inferior, but different. She describes how while men excel in some areas of life, so do women in their own way.
The Second Sex is one of the best pieces of literature describing what feminism is; it’s not putting women above men, but rather it’s recognizing the strengths of either gender.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice may be well-known as a romance novel between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, but it also has a strong feminist undertone. The Bennets are not the wealthiest of families, and they’re treated as such by many of the other characters.
The book showcases how especially hard it was for women to live up to impossible expectations, no matter their station in life. Pride and Prejudice focuses on the pressure on women to get married. The Bennets, being in society’s lower strata had lesser prospects than their wealthier peers. However, Elizabeth Bennet is headstrong and defiant, refusing to conform to societal expectations and pressures. of her because it doesn’t make her happy.
In the book, Elizabeth is determined to preserve her dignity and integrity, even if the society she moves in may judge her for it. It’s a virtue that women continue to admire, even to this day.
5. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
In traditional fairy tales, women are passive characters waiting to be saved, just damsels in distress. The Bloody Chamber puts an interesting feminist spin onto these stories. Carter retold old European fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood in which little Red is just as much a hunter as she is hunted by the wolf and Beauty and the Beast where instead of the Beast turning into a beauty, the beauty transforms into an awe-inspiring beast.
The 1979 book is a compendium of classic tales retold to put the female characters in positions of power. It pushes the boundaries of how women are traditionally portrayed in fairy tales and fantasy worlds. While fiction contains make-believe worlds, their message transcends into the one we live in– this is why the Bloody Chamber is so impactful.
Carter displays how women are not merely decorative characters waiting for their prince charming or a gallant knight to rescue them, but that they can become the heroines of their own stories.
Make a cozy space for reading
This women’s month, expand your horizons by making time to read. And where best to do it but in the comfort of your own home? Furnish your home with a small nook where you can enjoy the best feminist classics uninterrupted. All you need is a comfy chair, good lighting, and some peace and quiet.
Camella designs homes that are functional and stylish and provides you with unparalleled privacy. This National Women’s Month, remember to take time to read, learn, and appreciate these classics so you can think bigger.
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