Books that Feature the Theme of Femininity

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.

Lieutenant Nun

by Catalina de Erauso

Publication year 1997

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Masculinity, Religion & Spirituality, Femininity, The Past, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Immigration

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Historical Nonfiction, History, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, World History, LGBTQ+, Classic Fiction, Biography

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Like Water for Chocolate

by Laura Esquivel

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Food, Family, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Marriage, Self Discovery, War

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Like Water for Chocolate is the debut novel of Laura Esquivel, published in Mexico in 1989 and then translated into English by Carol and Thomas Christensen. Esquivel has sold over four million copies of the novel worldwide. She is a novelist and active politician serving in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. She collaborated with her husband at the time to adapt the novel into a film in 1992, which was then nominated for a Golden... Read Like Water for Chocolate Summary

Little Men

by Louisa May Alcott

Publication year 1871

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Friendship, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Joy, Love, Femininity, Masculinity, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Environment, Place, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Lives of Girls and Women

by Alice Munro

Publication year 1971

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Family, Mothers, Social Class

Tags Gender & Feminism, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro was published in 1971 and is composed of eight interlinked short stories. Munro examines the everyday life of a young girl, Del Jordan, as she comes of age in a small, Canadian town during the 1940s, against the backdrop of World War II. Inspired by Munro’s childhood, the narrator explores the setting, including local wildlife and the town’s inhabitants, and focuses on themes surrounding coming of age... Read Lives of Girls and Women Summary

Lives of the Saints

by Nino Ricci

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Immigration, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Community, War, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Education, Education, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

Lives of the Saints (1990) by Nino Ricci is the first in a trilogy of novels about an Italian immigrant to Canada, Vittorio Innocente, and his family. The author, Nino Ricci, is the son of Italian immigrants who grew up in Leamington, Ontario, home to a large community of Italian immigrants. The novel is a coming-of-age story told in first-person narration that details Vittorio’s life growing up in an impoverished small town in Italy, and... Read Lives of the Saints Summary

Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

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Lone Women

by Victor Lavalle

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Femininity, Gender Identity, Race, Environment, Family, Community

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Western, Fantasy

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Longbourn

by Jo Baker

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Equality, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History, Regency Era

Longbourn (2013) is a work of fiction by British author Jo Baker, who is the author of several other novels of historical fiction and literary suspense. Longbourn depicts what life is like for the servants of the Bennet family of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. While events in Austen’s book frame this novel, Longbourn follows the inner lives of housemaid Sarah, housekeeper Mrs. Hill, and James Smith, the mysterious footman who shows up... Read Longbourn Summary

Love in Excess

by Eliza Haywood

Publication year 1719

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

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Love, Theoretically

by Ali Hazelwood

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Love, Regret, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Justice, Appearance & Reality, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Mothers, Education, Equality

Tags Romance, Education, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

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Loving Frank

by Nancy Horan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fame, Beauty, Art, Self Discovery, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Femininity, Love, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture

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Lysistrata

by Aristophanes

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, War, Femininity

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Comedy & Satire, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Military & War, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Humor

Lysistrata (411 BCE) was written by the best-known Greek comic poet, the Athenian playwright Aristophanes. We know little of Aristophanes’ life outside of his work. His birth and death cannot be firmly dated, but he was believed to have been born around 460 BCE and died sometime in the mid-380s BCE. His active period, though, is more certain— around 425 to 388 BCE—making him a contemporary of other fifth-century Athenian luminaries like Socrates, Euripides, and... Read Lysistrata Summary

Magic Lessons

by Alice Hoffman

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Animals, Plants, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Education, Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Alice Hoffman's novel is set in 17th-century England and colonial America, tracing the origins of the Owens family of witches across decades of love, betrayal, and persecution.In 1664, in Essex County, England, an old woman named Hannah Owens discovers an abandoned baby girl in a snowy field, wrapped in a blue blanket stitched with the name Maria. A crow settles on the basket and never leaves, becoming the child's familiar, a creature bonded to a... Read Magic Lessons Summary

Maid

by Stephanie Land

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Social Class, Femininity, Mental Health, Mothers

Tags Sociology, Poverty, Biography, Social Justice

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive is Stephanie Land’s first book. Land is a former professional house cleaner whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Her writing explores issues related to systemic poverty, the hardships and stigmas associated with social services, surviving in the gig economy, and the challenges of motherhood. Maid was originally inspired by a Vox article she wrote about... Read Maid Summary

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality

Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary

Mansfield Park

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1814

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Love, Conflict

Tags Classic Fiction, World History, Regency Era, Romance, Historical Fiction, British Literature

Mansfield Park (1814) is the third novel by English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817). Set in Regency-era England, Mansfield Park is a bildungsroman, charting the life of Fanny Price from childhood to adulthood. At the age of 10, Fanny is sent from her poverty-stricken home to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. The narrative follows the protagonist’s struggles adjusting to life at Mansfield Park, her moral challenges, and her secret... Read Mansfield Park Summary