Women in Classic Literature
March is finally here! Spring is on its way and I am once again so inspired by the world around me. March is Women’s History Month, with International Women’s Day taking place on March 8th. In celebration, here are 5 brilliant classic books by women, all available within BCCLS.
The Awakening - Kate Chopin
Originally published in 1899, The Awakening was shocking for many readers due to its depiction of a woman engaging in marital infidelity, and while that may not be as taboo of a subject as it used to be, it is still an incredibly important piece of literature that depicts a woman pursuing full agency and freedom within her life, even if it is only for a moment. Edna ultimately rejects what this world has to offer in the end – the pursuit of her own happiness ultimately highlighting that a patriarchal society could never offer her the true freedom she needed.
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
I first read Their Eyes Were Watching God going into my junior year of high school, recently revisited it, and found that it brought me to tears. Hurston’s prose is poetic and lyrical but still frequently references southern Black slang, which illustrates Hurston’s mastery of her craft. The characterization is brilliant, with each feeling like they could walk right off the page and into our lives seamlessly. It is a beautiful portrait of a woman’s life and her quest for independence.
The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gillman
Ah, women deemed to be hysteric, how I love you. The Yellow Wallpaper centers around a woman suffering from postpartum depression. Her physician forbids her from doing any sort of work and sends her to an old colonial mansion to recover. She spends her days in a room with decaying, ugly yellow wallpaper. She becomes obsessed with uncovering the “truth” behind this wallpaper after she sees a human figure in its design. She begins to go mad, with her husband’s constant infantilization and manipulation often making matters worse. The Yellow Wallpaper is an overt critique of the patriarchy and a story that has rightfully haunted me for years.
A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf
Let’s get metatextual! My favorite thing to do! A Room of One’s Own is an extended essay wherein Woolf examines the role of women as writers and in fiction through a fictional character who is supposed to be Shakespeare’s sister. She illustrates the hardships and blocks she would endure as a writer on account of simply being a woman. It is a harsh story, but it perfectly illustrates the difference in opportunity between men and women, especially those in pursuit of creativity. Woolf continuously asks why men historically produced more art than women, and suggests that it is because societal expectations rob women of their quiet spaces and alone time – both of which are necessary to find one’s creative voice and overall identity.
What really sets this book apart for me is that Woolf does not insist that women and men are exactly equal–after all, Shakespeare’s sister could never be Shakespeare–but instead suggests that women should be afforded the same opportunities to develop their own skills and their own strengths, independent of their male counterparts. This is a seminal feminist piece and I especially recommend it to women who work in the arts and humanities.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Evocative. Thrilling. Rich. Nuanced. Deeply, darkly funny. We Have Always Lived in the Castle is Shirley Jackson at her best. This novel is truly a masterpiece. It follows a quirky, isolated family whose buried secrets incite chaos and ultimately murder. Merricat, the narrator, is my favorite unreliable narrator of all time. She is somehow naive and childish while also being shrewd and perceptive. Jackson really knows how to leave her readers feeling strange and uneasy. It is a gift to be able to haunt people like that.
I Never Had a Unique Experience & That’s a Good Thing!
When I started working at the library, one of my co-workers asked me why I like classics as much as I do, and outside of my preference for a certain style of writing, the answer really is that the classics show me that every hardship I’ve ever experienced is a part of the human condition.
James Baldwin once said, “You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to Dostoevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. That is why art is important.”
As much as I love Dickens and Dostoevsky, Baldwin’s sentiment is what always drew me to writers like Woolf and Chopin. The literary canon would be nothing without these women. Each book on this list perfectly encapsulates what it is like to live as a woman who is tasked to find her own identity in a world that repeatedly tries to thwart it, and I believe they are must-reads for anyone who needs the reminder that many of our experiences are connected, no matter the century. Happy Women’s History Month!
