Feminist Fiction: A Tribute
Kate Chopin (1850-1904)—I first read The Awakening my freshman year. It was one of my first interactions with feminist fiction. In fact, it was one of the first novels to focus on women’s issues
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)—I read The Yellow Wallpaper my sophomore year. It made a powerful critique on a woman’s agency. Helped me think critically and historically about feminism in terms of bodily agency and mental illness.
Zora Hurston (1891-1960)—I recently read Their Eyes Were Watching God a few months ago. This was an important modern text about relationships, class, race and femininity.
Toni Morrison (1931-present)—I read Beloved for my summer research. It was important in highlighting racial discrimination after slavery was abolished. Showing that something of that nature can’t just shut off—it has lasting affects (even today).
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)—I read The Bell Jar for my American Women Writers. This was important for bodily agency, but not just physically, mentally too. Mental illness is an issue for the feminist movement too.
Joyce Carol Oats (1938-present)—Them is an important novel that highlights the realistic cultural life of some Americans. It poses important questions surrounding urban life and the working class.
Margaret Atwood (1939-present)—Margaret Atwood, my favorite author, was first introduced to me in my Women Writers class. I have since read three of her novels and I have two more on my list to read next. My favorite, The Handmaid’s Tale, has recently made come-back since an adaptation was made on Hulu. Atwood makes me think critically in provocative ways surrounding bodily agency.
Alice Walker (1944- present)—The Color Purple is perhaps one of the most important texts of the literary world. It has been years since I read it, but I would like to re-visit it in a critical, intersectional feminist lens.
Roxane Gay (1974-present)—My favorite bad feminist! Roxane Gay first came into my life when a friend sent me her TED talk. Not only did I watch it twice in one sitting, but I also watching about three hours worth of other videos, including a reading of her collection of short stories Difficult Women, which I now own. She has taught me perhaps the most important lesson of all: feminism isn’t flawed, people are. We will make mistakes and won’t have all the answers, but we have to keep trying.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977-present)—Many consider Adichie “the feminist” and I will say she was one of my earliest and strongest influences. When I learned that she also wrote fiction, I immediately had to read it. In Americanah She writes about culture, and encourages people to look past our learned stereotypes, which is easier said than done.