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.

Eldritch

by Keri Lake

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Place, Community, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense

... Read Eldritch Summary

Eva Luna

by Isabel Allende, Transl. Margaret Sayers Peden

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Femininity, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality, Community, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Romance, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction

First published in Spanish in 1987, Eva Luna is a novel written by celebrated Chilean writer Isabel Allende and later translated into English by Margaret Sayers Peden the following year. The story is set in an unnamed South American country believed to be an amalgamation of Chile and Venezuela. The eponymous Eva Luna narrates the epic story of her life against a backdrop inspired by the sociopolitical changes in South America from the mid-1940s to... Read Eva Luna Summary

Eve

by Cat Bohannon

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Family

Tags Science & Nature, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Health, Anthropology, Anthropology, World History

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Everything I Never Told You

by Celeste Ng

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Race, Shame & Pride, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Celeste Ng is an American writer whose parents emigrated to the United States from Hong Kong in the late 1960s. She was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. Her debut novel Everything I Never Told You achieved both commercial and critical success, becoming a New York Times best-seller as well as Amazon’s Best Book of the Year in 2014 and a New York Times Notable Book of 2014.In his New York Times review... Read Everything I Never Told You Summary

Family Lore

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Femininity, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Marriage, Mothers

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Family Lore Summary

Fear of Flying

by Erica Jong

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Guilt, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Love & Sexuality, Gender & Feminism

Fear of Flying (1973) is author Erica Jong’s first novel, considered by many to be semiautobiographical. Like her protagonist, Isadora Wing, Jong was married multiple times, published a book of poetry, and earned degrees from Barnard College and Columbia University. She also underwent psychoanalysis, a process in which Isadora has been engaged for many years. Isadora is married to an analyst, and the novel follows her as she attempts to reconcile her desire for sexual... Read Fear of Flying Summary

Fefu and Her Friends

by María Irene Fornés

Publication year 1990

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Friendship, Gender Identity

Tags Drama, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Disability, LGBTQ+, Modernism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Fefu and her Friends is a play by Cuban American playwright Maria Irene Fornés. It premiered in 1977 at the Relativity Media Lab, a small venue on New York’s Lower East Side. Set in 1935 New England, the play concerns a group of women who knew one another in college and gather for a reunion as adults. Within six months, Fefu was produced off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre, earning Fornés her second Obie Award... Read Fefu and Her Friends Summary

Finally

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Joy, Regret, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Self Discovery, Fate

Tags Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Humor, Contemporary Literature

... Read Finally Summary

Finding Margaret Fuller

by Allison Pataki

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Midlife, Future, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Equality, Fate, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, US History, Gender & Feminism, World History

... Read Finding Margaret Fuller Summary

Flesh and Blood So Cheap

by Albert Marrin

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Language, Race, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Place

Tags US History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Social Justice

Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy (2011) is a historical nonfiction book intended for an audience of young readers. It was written by Albert Marrin, a former history professor and author of dozens of historical nonfiction books.Marrin, whose academic focus was on liberty under the law, wrote often about times of suffering and movements for liberation, including The War for Independence: The Story of the American Revolution (1988), Years of... Read Flesh and Blood So Cheap Summary

Flowering Judas

by Katherine Anne Porter

Publication year 1930

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Femininity, Apathy

Tags American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

“Flowering Judas” by Katherine Anne Porter was first published in 1930 in her debut collection of stories titled Flowering Judas and Other Stories. The anthology was later expanded in 1935 to include 10 works of short fiction. “Flowering Judas” is set in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City in 1920, just after the Mexican Revolution, and follows Laura, a young American schoolteacher who travels to Mexico and joins the cause of the Socialists in the... Read Flowering Judas Summary

Foe

by J. M. Coetzee

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Literature, Truth & Lies, Femininity

Tags Gender & Feminism, Historical Fiction, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Foe is a 1986 novel by J. M. Coetzee. Foe is a parallel novel, reimagining the story of Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe from the perspective of a shipwrecked woman named Susan Barton, who then tries to convince a fictionalized version of Defoe to write her story.This guide refers to the 2015 Penguin edition.Content Warning: The source material uses outdated, offensive terms for Black people throughout, which is replicated in this guide only in... Read Foe Summary

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf

by Ntozake Shange

Publication year 1975

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Race, Femininity, Coming of Age

Tags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Drama, Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Women`s Studies, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

A choreopoem is a work of art that combines dance, music, and poetry. Because the medium focuses as much on nonverbal communication as the written word, choreopoems are performance pieces. Ntozake Shange originated this format in 1974, when for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf debuted in San Francisco, California. Later, the choreopoem made its Broadway debut in December 1976, a move that Shange describes as “either too big for... Read For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf Summary

Frankissstein

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, The Past, Marriage, Social Class, Economics, Art, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

Frankissstein is a novel by Jeanette Winterson that combines speculative and historical fiction in revisiting Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein. Winterson is a prolific author, known for her explorations of physical reality, gender, sexuality, and identity. Her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for First Novel, and Frankissstein was longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. Winterson is a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, and... Read Frankissstein Summary