Feminist literature existed long before feminist movements gave us the words to describe it. Even when writing literature was considered a man's occupation, some women authors, such as the Brontë sisters, were anonymously publishing works of feminist literature under the guises of pen names.
Feminist literature continues to grow and develop alongside the feminist movement, and it presents a fascinating lens through which we can explore the historical evolution of attitudes around women's equality. This article will introduce you to the key characteristics of feminist literature and intersectional feminist literature. Then, we will dive into some examples of feminist literature, including books and poems.
Feminist literature: characteristics
So, what exactly is feminist literature?
Feminist literature: any written text that supports feminist beliefs, or the belief in the political, social, economic, and cultural equality of women.
The word 'feminist' is deeply connected to the feminist movement. However, feminist literature existed long before the political movement gave us the vocabulary to describe it. As a result, no matter when a piece of literature was written, it can be described as feminist literature if it supports the idea that women experience oppression in society and that this is wrong.
The feminist movement: the collective political, social, and cultural efforts to achieve equality for women.
Feminist literature is a significant channel through which authors can express their frustrations with established ideas about women, womanhood, and femininity in patriarchal societies (where men are the key holders of power). Furthermore, since the feminist movement was established, many women have also used feminist literature to express their thoughts about the movement itself.
In Western society, the feminist movement is often divided into four distinct 'waves', each characterised by varying goals:
- First-wave feminism (19th and early 20th centuries) focused on attaining women's right to vote and own property.
- Second-wave feminism (mid to late 20th century) focused on attaining reproductive rights and the sexual liberation of women. It also challenged traditional gender roles that kept women from thriving in the workplace. The rise of LGBTQ+ and Black Civil Rights movements began to increase the influence of minority voices within the feminist movement.
- Third-wave feminism (the late 1980s to early 2000s) focused on critiquing broader political and economic systems and cultural beliefs that oppressed women and other minority groups through the lens of intersectionality, which is discussed later.
- Fourth-wave feminism (the 2010s onwards) focuses on tackling harassment and violence against women and promoting women's sexual, reproductive, and bodily autonomy.
Intersectional feminist literature
During each wave, there were women who felt like they weren't represented by the goals of Western feminism, which some people argued was dominated by the concerns of middle- and upper-class white women. It was out of these frustrations that American civil rights scholar and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw (1959–present) coined the term 'intersectionality' in a groundbreaking essay published in 1989.1
Intersectionality: a theoretical framework that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination can 'intersect' or overlap, heightening the experience of oppression in society.
A Black woman in the UK may be discriminated against due to both her race and gender, increasing the severity and complexity of the oppression she faces.
Intersectional feminist literature, then, acknowledges and explores the experiences of women who face oppression on multiple levels.
Fig. 1 - An intersectional perspective acknowledges that someone can experience multiple overlapping layers of oppression.
Most important feminist literature
Novels written in the feminist tradition continue to grow in popularity. This popularity was confirmed in 2019, when two works of feminist literary fiction, Bernadine Evaristo's (1959–present) Girl, Woman, Other (2019) and Margaret Atwood's (1939–present) The Testaments (2019), were announced as joint winners of the prestigious literary award the Booker Prize.
Did you know? In 2019, Bernadine Evaristo became the first Black woman to win the Booker prize since its establishment in 1969.
It is difficult to compile a list of the most important feminist literature; there are so many literary works out there that challenged the treatment and expectations of women in society, and there are many more that never had the chance to become widely read.
The collection of feminist literature books and other examples from poetry and drama in this article is just a starting point to begin a deeper exploration of feminist literature.
Feminist literature: books
Here are some well-known works of feminist literary fiction from before the first wave of the feminist movement began to the modern day.
Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë
Although Charlotte Brontë's (1816–55) Jane Eyre doesn't hold up against modern feminist standards, its strong female protagonist served as a radical role model for women in Victorian society (1837–1901). To avoid a negative social backlash due to the novel's themes and being a female author, Charlotte Brontë published the book under the pen name 'Currer Bell'.
In the 19th century, middle- and upper-class women were expected to carry out domestic duties dutifully and live in submission to their husbands and male family members.2 In the novel, Jane Eyre refuses to be an unequal partner to her love interest and future husband, Mr Rochester, emphasised in this famous quote from the novel's climax:
I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. (Chapter 23)
Did you know? Charlotte Brontë originally published Jane Eyre as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography under the pen name 'Currer Bell' to hide the fact that she was a female author.
Fig. 2 - Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre uses bird imagery to explore the protagonist's dedication to choosing her own path despite the constraints of a patriarchal society.
Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) by Jean Rhys
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre has been criticised for the racist language used to describe the novel's antagonist, Mr Rochester's secret wife, Bertha Mason. Author Jean Rhys (1890–1979) wrote Wide Sargasso Sea to address Betha Mason's backstory as a Creole woman from Jamaica, originally called Antoinette Cosway.
Creole: in this context, someone born in the West Indies with African and European heritage.
Wide Sargasso Sea is a piece of feminist literature and postcolonial literature. In addition to revealing Antoinette's true name, the novel also explores how she became the 'madwoman' (Jane Eyre, Chapter 26) trapped in Mr Rochester's attic through patriarchy, colonialism, and racism.
Postcolonial literature: literature written by authors from previously colonised countries or literature that explores the experience and legacy of colonialism.
Like in Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea uses bird imagery to explore themes of oppression. However, Wide Sargasso Sea makes it clear that Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason faced very different obstacles:
I opened my eyes, everybody was looking up and pointing at Coco on the glacis railings with his feathers alight. He made an effort to fly down but his clipped wings failed him and he fell screeching. He was all on fire. (Part 1)
The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood
Atwood's novel The Testaments won the Booker Prize, as mentioned above. However, it was a sequel to the seminal piece of dystopian fiction, The Handmaid's Tale (1985).
Dystopian: an adjective describing a frightening portrayal of the future of human civilisation, usually characterised by suffering and injustice on a wide scale.
In The Handmaid's Tale, the USA is now the Republic of Gilead, led by a patriarchal and totalitarian (forcefully exerting complete control) government. Women are split into groups: the wives and daughters of the ruling classes on one side, and the handmaids on the other. A handmaid's sole purpose is to act as a surrogate child bearer. The novel explores themes of power, gender roles, and reproduction through its handmaid protagonist, Offred:
We are two-legged wombs, that's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices. (Chapter 23)
Food for thought: although The Handmaid's Tale has been widely described as a work of feminist literature, Margaret Atwood avoids this label because of her reluctance to identify her work with feminism as a political movement.3 Why do you think this could be? And do you think a book can still be labelled feminist literature if its author avoids this label?
Girl, Woman, Other (2019) by Bernadine Evaristo
Bernadine Evaristo's Booker Prize-winning novel consists of the narratives of twelve characters, all Black British women or non-binary people with diverse backgrounds. The book portrays how the characters' lives and opinions intersect, whether they are relatives, friends, or acquaintances. Through this lens, the novel explores topics including Blackness, Britishness, womanhood, gender identity, sexuality, and generational differences.
Many characters disagree or don't understand each other's views on feminism. However, the novel ends on a positive note celebrating how the feminist movement has become a mainstream topic:
We should celebrate that many more women are reconfiguring feminism and that grassroots activism is spreading like wildfire and millions of women are waking up to the possibility of taking ownership of our world as fully-entitled human beings. (Chapter 5)
Feminist literature: examples
Other examples of feminist literature include:
| Author | Title and publication date | Type of text |
| Anne Bradstreet (1612–72) | 'The Author to Her Book' (1678) | Poem |
| Christina Rosetti (1830–94) | 'From the Antique' (1896) | Poem |
| Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) | 'The Yellow Wallpaper' (1892) | Short story |
| Kate Chopin (1851–1904) | The Awakening (1899) | Novel |
| Maya Angelou (1928–2014) | 'Still I Rise' (1978) | Poem |
| Caryl Churchill (1938–present) | Top Girls (1982) | Play |
| Alice Walker (1944–present) | The Colour Purple (1982) | Novel |
Feminist Literature - Key takeaways
- Feminist literature is any written text that supports feminist beliefs or the belief in the political, social, economic, and cultural equality of women.
- Feminist literature is a significant channel through which authors express their frustrations with established ideas about women in patriarchal societies and their thoughts about the feminist movement itself.
- Intersectional feminist literature acknowledges and explores the experiences of women who face oppression on multiple levels.
- Key works of feminist literary fiction include Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë (1816–55), Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) by Jean Rhys (1890–1979), and The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood (1939–present).
- Feminist literature continues to grow and develop alongside the feminist movement, and it presents a fascinating lens through which we can explore the historical evolution of attitudes around women's equality.
1 Kimberlé Crenshaw. 'Demarginalising the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics'. University of Chicago Legal Forum. 1989.
2 Kathryn Hughes. 'Gender roles in the 19th century'. British Library. 2014.
3 Margaret Atwood in an interview by Mary McNamara, 'Q&A: Margaret Atwood answers the question: Is 'The Handmaid's Tale' a feminist book?' Los Angeles Times. 24. April 2017.
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