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 1996
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Society: Class
Tags Gender / Feminism, History: World, LGBTQ, Politics / Government
Publication year 1921
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Objects, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Lyric Poem, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Teams, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Travel Team is a young adult novel by Mike Lupica published in 2004. Lupica is a former newspaper columnist with experience writing sports commentary for the New York Daily News. In addition to his young adult novels, Lupica has written several books for adults, including autobiographies co-written with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells. Lupica has also appeared on ESPN and on several sports-oriented radio shows. This guide refers to the 2006 edition published by Puffin... Read Travel Team Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Identity: Femininity, Natural World: Appearance & Reality
Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government
Publication year 1995
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Biography
Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary
Publication year 1957
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Mythology
Publication year 2004
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality
Tags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2020
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Self Help, Biography
Published in 2020, Glennon Doyle’s Untamed is her third memoir. An accomplished writer, philanthropist, and activist, Doyle documents her lifelong journey of self-discovery and uses personal experiences to encourage women on their own respective journeys towards freedom. Through the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and race, Doyle unpacks the social conditioning that affects the lives of all humans, particularly women. Ultimately, Doyle offers a reflective guide to navigating life by looking internally and honoring one’s... Read Untamed Summary
Publication year 1966
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Femininity
Tags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Drama / Tragedy, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction
The novel Valley of the Dolls, originally published in 1966, is a fictional exposé of the lives of three young career women who meet in New York City in 1945, just after the end of World War II. Anne, a recent Radcliffe College graduate, works for a law firm that represents well-known entertainers. Jennifer is an astonishingly beautiful showgirl who marries a famous singer. Neely, only 17, is a budding singer and dancer who eventually... Read Valley of the Dolls Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1996
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Colonialism
Tags Play: Drama, Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy
Venus is a play by Suzan-Lori Parks, published in 1996 and first performed the same year. Suzan-Lori Parks is a notable American playwright, known for works such as Topdog/Underdog, as well as screenplays, such as Girl 6 and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Venus reimagines the life of Saartjie Baartman, also known as Sarah Baartman, who was shown in exhibits across Europe as the Hottentot Venus in the early 19th century. The play addresses themes... Read Venus Summary
Publication year 1870
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Love / Sexuality, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Classic Fiction
Venus in Furs (1870) is a novella by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, first published as part of his proposed collection of short stories, The Legacy of Cain. Sacher-Masoch planned for the collection to detail his worldview, but he only completed the first two sections. The novella follows Severin von Kusiemski’s time with Wanda von Dunajew, a widow he meets at a health resort, and explores The Exploration of Sexual Power Dynamics, The Psychological Negotiation... Read Venus in Furs Summary
Publication year 1975
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Femininity
Tags Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2018
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Society: War, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government, Relationships: Family, Society: Education, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Gender / Feminism, Education, Biography
Publication year 1968
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Satire, Love / Sexuality, Post Modernism
“Welcome to the Monkey House” is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut that was originally published in Playboy Magazine in 1968. It was republished in a short story collection entitled Welcome to the Monkey House that same year. Set in a not-too-distant dystopian future, Vonnegut uses science fiction to darkly satirize the moral restrictions on birth control in 1968. The characters of Nancy McLuhan, a suicide hostess responsible for administering lethal injections, and Billy... Read Welcome to the Monkey House Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Community
Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Politics / Government
“We Should All Be Feminists” is an essay by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is also the author of the novels Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, and Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. “We Should All Be Feminists” is based on Adichie’s December 2012 TED talk. In the essay’s introduction, Adichie states that her aim in delivering the speech was to challenge stereotypical notions of feminism.Adichie... Read We Should All Be Feminists Summary
Publication year 1942
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Action / Adventure, Travel Literature, History: World, Technology, Technology, Biography
West With the Night (1942) is a memoir by Beryl Markham. Markham writes about her childhood among indigenous Kenyans, who accepted and included the English girl in their traditional customs. The author grew up hunting with a spear and speaking Swahili while also learning about raising and training racehorses from her father, Charles Clutterbuck. The danger and adventure she experienced as a child became the hallmarks of her living experiences as an adult. A chance... Read West with the Night Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Equality, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2017
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction
Lesley Nneka Arimah is a Nigerian writer who has lived in the United Kingdom and the United States. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky is her debut collection of short stories, many of which have received literary awards, such as the O. Henry Prize and two awards for African writers: the Caine Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. At the heart of her stories, both realistic and speculative, are relationships... Read What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction