Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Masculinity, Femininity, Loneliness, Midlife
Tags Japanese Literature, Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature
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.
Convenience Store Woman
Conversations with Friends
Court of the Vampire Queen
Cymbeline
Daisy Miller
Dangerous Liaisons
Daughter Of Fortune
Daughter of the Pirate King
Daughters of Shandong
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove
Daughters of the Sun and Moon
Dealing with Dragons
Dear Debbie
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
Delight in Disorder
Den of Vipers
Desert Flower
Detransition, Baby
Diavola
Dictee
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Masculinity, Femininity, Loneliness, Midlife
Tags Japanese Literature, Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Politics & Government, Friendship
Tags Romance, LGBTQ+, Irish Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Conversations with Friends is Irish writer Sally Rooney’s debut novel, published in 2017. Rooney wrote the novel when she was 25 and followed it up quickly with Normal People in 2018 and Beautiful World, Where Are You in 2021. All three works have garnered award nominations, and the first two have been adapted into television series. Conversations with Friends tells the story of Frances and Bobbi— college students, best friends, and former girlfriends—and Nick and... Read Conversations with Friends Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Fear, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Romance
Publication year 1623
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Love, Regret, Femininity, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Nation, War, Trust & Doubt
Tags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Comedy & Satire, Romance
Cymbeline is a play by William Shakespeare. Its first recorded performance was in 1611, and it was published in the First Folio in 1623. Some scholars have posited that sections may have been written collaboratively. The play is loosely inspired by accounts of the historical British king Cunobeline, but also draws on other sources. It has never been considered a history play, reflecting the looseness of this connection.Cymbeline is king of ancient Britain. His sons... Read Cymbeline Summary
Publication year 1878
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Social Class, Conflict, Community
Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Victorian Period, Education, Education, American Literature, World History
Daisy Miller is a novella by Henry James, first published in Cornhill Magazine in 1878 and in book form a year later. This short piece of fiction explores the differences in class and social expectations in America and Europe, especially for young women just before the turn of the 20th century. James was a member of a prominent and wealthy American family; his education and travels to England and continental Europe allowed him to gain... Read Daisy Miller Summary
Publication year 1782
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Femininity, Love, Revenge, Sexual Identity
Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality
Dangerous Liaisons is an epistolary novel (i.e., a story told through a series of letters) first published in 1782, seven years before the start of the French Revolution, by Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos. The story revolves around the scheming and manipulative activities of two aristocrats, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. They take pleasure in seducing and ruining the reputations of others, using their wit and charm to manipulate those around them... Read Dangerous Liaisons Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fate, Femininity
Tags Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Love & Sexuality, World History, Magical Realism, Romance
Daughter of Fortune, first published in Spanish in 1998 (Hija de la fortuna), is the fifth novel by celebrated Latin American writer Isabel Allende. The winner of multiple awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Chile’s National Literature Prize, Allende created this work of historical fiction, in part, to explore the impact of feminism on her own life. Daughter of Fortune tells the story of a young woman, Eliza Sommers, and her odyssey of... Read Daughter Of Fortune Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fathers, Family, Femininity, Loyalty & Betrayal, Self Discovery
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Nation, War, Safety & Danger
Tags World History
Publication year 2025
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Memory, Femininity, Language, Race, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Siblings, Community, Economics, Globalization, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed
Tags Biography, US History, Asian History, Immigration & Refugeeism
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove (2025) is a work of narrative nonfiction by journalist Barbara Demick. The book chronicles the true story of identical twin sisters separated in infancy as the result of China’s one-child policy. After family-planning officials confiscated one of the twins, she was adopted by a family in Texas, while her sister remained with their birth family in rural Hunan Province. The narrative follows Demick’s investigation into their case and her role... Read Daughters of the Bamboo Grove Summary
Publication year 2026
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Immigration, Equality
Tags Historical Fiction, Chinese Literature, Asian Literature
Daughters of the Sun and Moon (2026) is a historical novel by Lisa See, an author known for her best-selling fiction exploring the lives of Chinese and Chinese American women. The novel is set in the violent, dusty pueblo of 1870s Los Angeles, a city rife with racial hostility and lawlessness. The story follows three young Chinese women whose lives intersect on the city’s Calle de los Negros: Dove, a beautiful scholar’s daughter sold into... Read Daughters of the Sun and Moon Summary
Publication year 1990
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Gender Identity, Social Class, Politics & Government, Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Humor, Fairy Tale & Folklore
Publication year 2026
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Truth & Lies
Tags Horror & Suspense
Publication year 2017
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Mothers, Femininity, Equality, Gender Identity
Tags Gender & Feminism, Parenting, Social Justice, Women`s Studies
Publication year 2007
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Order & Chaos, Femininity, Sexual Identity
Tags Lyric Poem
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 1998
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Community, Perseverance
Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Inspirational, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad is a memoir published in 1998 by the Somali model, author, and activist Waris Dirie and author Cathleen Miller. The book recounts Dirie’s harrowing life story, from her roots as a member of a nomadic family and the abuses she suffered as a child to her rise to international fame as a fashion model, an ambassador and advocate for women's rights, and an author. The novel... Read Desert Flower Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Family, Gender Identity
Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Social Class, Truth & Lies
Tags Horror & Suspense
Publication year 1982
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Art, Community, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Religion & Spirituality, Mothers
Tags Prose, Asian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee (1982) is a hybrid form of prose poetry, autobiography, ethnography, criticism, and fictional experiments. Cha was a Korean American visual artist, poet, and filmmaker. She was tragically murdered only a week after the book was published. The book went out of print for several years before interest in Cha’s work was revived in the 1990s by feminist authors, such as Norma Alarcón. Cha’s work was honored with an exhibition including... Read Dictee Summary