This thematic Collection highlights Books that Feature the Theme of Femininity. Through novels, plays, and works of nonfiction, the selections in this Collection explore the feminine experience in a variety of historical settings and cultures as they examine topics such as gender roles, feminism, and what it means to be feminine.
Publication year 1800
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Flora/plants, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Lyric Poem, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Grief / Death, British Literature
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Indigenous, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1849
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community
Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gender / Feminism, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period
Shirley is a historical novel by Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855). Written in 1849, it is Brontë’s second novel and followed the overwhelming success of Jane Eyre (1847). It was also very popular when it was published. Set in Yorkshire in 1812-1813, a time of financial depression, its setting engages directly with the Luddite uprisings in the North of England, when textile workers protested the unemployment caused by new mechanical equipment in mills and factories. Shirley follows... Read Shirley Summary
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Shout: The True Story of A Survivor Who Refused to be Silenced by Laurie Halse Anderson is a memoir written in verse published in 2019. Anderson wrote it as both a personal narrative and a call to action in the wake of the 2017 #MeToo movement, which supported survivors of sexual assault who came forward to share their stories publicly. Shout received widespread critical acclaim and was named Time’s Best Book of the Year 2019.Laurie... Read Shout Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Immigration
Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature
In the novel Sister of My Heart, the Indian-born American author and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explores issues of family, womanhood, and diasporic experience, constantly affirming and exploring the redemptive power of storytelling. Divakaruni’s first collection of stories, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Award, and a Bay Area Book Reviewers Award. Her novel The Mistress of Spices was released as a film of the same name in 2005. Sister of My Heart was made into a television series... Read Sister of My Heart Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Disability, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Disability, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, Biography
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Realistic Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Race / Racism, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 2020
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, LGBTQ, Children's Literature
Publication year 1937
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Natural World: Environment
Tags Classic Fiction, Japanese Literature, Romance, Asian Literature, History: World
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata was originally published episodically in Japanese literary journals between 1935 and 1937. It was finally published as a complete version in 1948. The novel takes place on the snowy northwestern coast of Japan and tells the story of the ill-fated romance between a geisha named Komako and her wealthy client, Shimamura. In the intimate setting of the onsen, Kawabata explores the Commodification of Female Talent and Affection, Landscapes as Metaphors... Read Snow Country Summary
Publication year 1981
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Beauty
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Gender / Feminism, Mythology
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family
Tags Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1990
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Identity: Gender, Society: Education, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Historical, Play: Comedy / Satire, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, American Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Drama / Tragedy, Education, Education
Theresa Rebeck’s provocative feminist two-act drama Spike Heels, first produced in 1990, is a problem play, that is a drama that looks at cultural, social, and economic issues. Problem plays intended to participate in the cultural conversation have a long and significant history in the theater. Playwrights like the Ancient Greek Euripides, 19th century Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw (whose presence looms large in Spike Heels), and a wide number of contemporary playwrights have... Read Spike Heels Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Disability, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family
Tags Disability, Gender / Feminism, Humor
Publication year 1905
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Society: Education, Natural World: Environment
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Indian Literature, Asian Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
The author of “Sultana’s Dream” is Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya (“Begum” is the Urdu equivalent of Mrs.). The story is a science fiction social satire that features a feminist utopia called Ladyland. As the title suggests, the narrative takes the form of a dream that the narrator experiences. The narrator is a woman called Sultana (the Arabic title for an empress or the wife of a sultan). The story was originally... Read Sultana's Dream Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Music, Realistic Fiction, British Literature, Arts / Culture, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Gender / Feminism, History: African , History: European, Love / Sexuality, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
Swing Time (2016) is renowned author Zadie Smith’s fifth novel. Inspired by classic movie musicals and Smith’s childhood passion for musical theater, Swing Time is a story about women, how forms of privilege warp our worldviews, and the ways in which history informs our present. The novel is divided into seven parts, each narrated by the same unnamed protagonist sometimes as a child and sometimes as an adult.One of the most respected literary voices of... Read Swing Time Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Femininity, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2007
Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism
Tags Race / Racism, Education, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Leadership/Organization/Management, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice
Publication year 1887
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: World, Psychology, Historical Nonfiction, Journalism, Social Criticism, Health / Medicine, Mental Illness