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.

Bonk

by Mary Roach

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor

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Boy Parts

by Eliza Clark

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Art, Beauty, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

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Brain Damage

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s

by Truman Capote

Publication year 1958

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Femininity, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, World History, Romance

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1958 novella by Truman Capote. In the story, an unnamed narrator is introduced to a young woman named Holly Golightly and the unique New York world she inhabits. The novella is one of Capote’s most popular works and has been adapted as a musical, a play, and most famously as an Academy Award–winning film in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn. This guide refers to the eBook version of the 2000 Penguin... Read Breakfast at Tiffany’s Summary

Bridget Jones's Diary

by Helen Fielding

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Humor, British Literature

Written by Helen Fielding in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romance novel with a comedic twist. In 1998, it was named the British Book of the Year, and in 2003, it placed at number 75 on a BBC survey of favorite novels. A film adaptation was released in 2001. Renee Zellweger played the titular character and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.This guide refers to the 1996 MacMillan Publishers print edition. Content... Read Bridget Jones's Diary Summary

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

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Bringing Up Bébé

by Pamela Druckerman

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Language, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Social Class, Immigration, Nation

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Parenting

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Career of Evil

by Robert Galbraith

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Career of Evil (2015) is the third novel in the Cormoran Strike detective series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling’s pseudonym). The story begins when Strike’s assistant, Robin Ellacott, receives a package containing a woman’s severed leg. The gruesome delivery sparks the investigative duo’s pursuit of a sadistic killer of women. As Strike and Robin investigate suspects from Strike’s troubled past, the story delves into themes of trauma, misogyny, and the lasting effects of violence. A... Read Career of Evil Summary

Catherine, Called Birdy

by Karen Cushman

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, European History, British Literature, Medieval, Children`s Literature, World History, Humor

American author Karen Cushman’s middle grade novel, Catherine, Called Birdy, explores the life of a young woman in 13th-century England. Published in 1994, the book won the Newbery Honor the following year. It is currently being adapted for the screen by actor, writer, and director Lena Dunham. This detailed work of historical fiction immerses the reader in the very different world of medieval England, with its emphasis on religion as the organizing force behind daily... Read Catherine, Called Birdy Summary

Cat in the Rain

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1925

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Femininity, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, African American Literature, Animals

“Cat in the Rain,” a short story by American author Ernest Hemingway, was first published in the 1925 collection In Our Time. Hemingway’s story, like much of his work, is semi-autobiographical and based on his experience as an expatriate in Europe after World War I. Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, shared a love of cats, and it’s thought he wrote this story for her while they lived in Italy and France. The short story... Read Cat in the Rain Summary

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

by Tennessee Williams

Publication year 1955

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Sexual Identity, Loneliness, Truth & Lies, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Southern Gothic, Drama, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, Southern Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature

First performed in 1955, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of American playwright Tennessee Williams’s best-known works. This classic play won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best American Play, and was adapted into a 1958 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Adapted from Williams’s short story “Three Players of a Summer Game,” the three-act Cat on a Hot Tin Roof occurs in real-time as the Pollitt family gathers... Read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary

Cat Person

by Kristen Roupenian

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Femininity, Gender Identity

Tags Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

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