Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Today's topic is books that would be on my syllabus if I taught Feminist Literature 101:
1. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
This one is a bit of a cheat, because it is actually what I studied in English, but Carter is as feminist as it gets.
2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
A bit too dark for me, but The Bell Jar shows that women have far more complex thoughts than history gives us credit for.
3. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
We also looked at this short story in class. Like The Bell Jar, it deals with mental illness in women and how it was treated in the past.
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
If you're looking for a modern fantasy series with a strong female protagonist, look no further. Often the heroines of YA books are relatively two dimentional, as they are written in order for the reader to see the world through their eyes rather than become attatched to them. Celaena Sardothien is one of the most complex YA heroine to date, and shows that women can have many sides to them without needing to fit into a singular trope.
I struggled to come up with a lot of books, which made me realise I haven't read and enjoyed too many books with feminist themes despite being one myself. If you have any reccomendations, I'd be happy to hear them.
- Helia
Love the Throne of Glass series!
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/top-ten-tuesday-19/
Me too! I finished Crown of Midnight recently and I cannot wait to read the rest.
DeleteCeleana is the strongest female character I've encountered in both YA and fantasy fiction - and not just 'strong' in the sense that she can fight, but also because she is complexly written.