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.

Furia

by Yamile Saied Méndez

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, Femininity

Tags Romance, Sports, Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, Social Class, Latin American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Ghosts

by Henrik Ibsen

Publication year 1881

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Regret, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Femininity

Tags Drama, Psychological Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Realism, Victorian Period, Dramatic Literature, Health, Religion & Spirituality, Finance, Love & Sexuality, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

The play Ghosts (1881) by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen chronicles the complicated relationship between Helen Alving and her son, Oswald. Ghosts documents a day in the life at the Alving estate as Helen prepares to open an orphanage in honor of her late husband. A three-act play, Ghosts explores the complex social issues of sexually transmitted infections, incest, and euthanasia—topics that made the play highly controversial when it was first produced.Ghosts followed the success of... Read Ghosts Summary

Ghost Story

by Peter Straub

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Art, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Order & Chaos, Justice, Equality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

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Gift From The Sea

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Publication year 1955

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Midlife, Femininity

Tags Inspirational, Philosophy, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Biography, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Gift from the Sea is a 1955 work of inspirational nonfiction literature by American author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. While vacationing on Captiva Island, Florida, Lindbergh explores the questions of how to find a new, more natural rhythm of life and how to gain a deeper relationship with herself and others. To gain inspiration for this, she discusses various shells that she finds on the beach. The first two shells she finds symbolize the importance of... Read Gift From The Sea Summary

Girl

by Jamaica Kincaid

Publication year 1978

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Colonialism, Coming of Age, Femininity, Community

Tags Gender & Feminism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Prose, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” was first published on June 26, 1978 in The New Yorker and was later included in Kincaid’s debut 1983 short story collection, At the Bottom of the River. According to Kincaid, her works, including “Girl,” can be considered autobiographical. Kincaid grew up on the Caribbean island of Antigua and had a strained relationship with her mother before Kincaid moved to New York City. These same cultural and familial contexts are present in... Read Girl Summary

Girl, Interrupted

by Susanna Kaysen

Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, The Past, Femininity, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Death, Memory, Science & Technology

Tags Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Psychology, Gender & Feminism, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Health, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Classic Fiction, Biography

Susanna Kaysen’s 1993, Girl, Interrupted, is a memoir that explores Kaysen’s time as a teenage psychiatric patient in McLean Hospital in the late 1960s. Kaysen explores the murky definitions of mental health and illness, as she recounters her experience of being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and makes compelling arguments about the subjective nature of personality, behavior, and disorder. Girl, Interrupted is a bestselling book and was adapted into the 1999 film starring Winona Ryder... Read Girl, Interrupted Summary

Girls Like Girls

by Hayley Kiyoko

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction

Girls Like Girls (2023) is the debut young-adult romance novel by American pop singer, actor, and director Hayley Kiyoko. The book expands upon the narrative of Kiyoko’s breakthrough 2015 song and viral music video of the same name, which became an important touchstone for LGBTQ+ representation. Set in the summer of 2006, the story is told from the perspective of 17-year-old Coley, who’s sent to live in rural Oregon with her estranged father following her... Read Girls Like Girls Summary

Girls & Sex

by Peggy Orenstein

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Femininity, Coming of Age

Tags Gender & Feminism, Parenting, Psychology, Love & Sexuality, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

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God of Malice

by Rina Kent

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, New Adult

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Gone With The Wind

by Margaret Mitchell

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Perseverance, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Romance, Military & War, American Civil War, Southern Literature, World History

Gone with the Wind (1936) is the only novel by author Margaret Mitchell published during her lifetime. It is an enduring but controversial classic of American literature, and according to one poll, its popularity among American readers is only exceeded by the Bible. Thirty million copies have been sold worldwide.The novel’s tale of the Civil War is told from the perspective of the wealthy planter class that ruled the antebellum South, a class from which... Read Gone With The Wind Summary

Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies

by Salman Rushdie

Publication year 1987

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Colonialism, Femininity

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Immigration & Refugeeism, Gender & Feminism, Indian Literature

“Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies,” a short story written by Salman Rushdie, was first published in The New Yorker in 1987 and then reprinted in East, West, a collection of Rushdie’s short stories published in 1994. This anthology divides the stories into three sections: “East, “West,” and “East/West.” “Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies” can be found in the “East” section. Most of this story takes place in a shantytown next to the British... Read Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies Summary

Good for a Girl

by Lauren Fleshman

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Equality, Wins & Losses, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Biography, Sports, Gender & Feminism, Health, Women`s Studies

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Grandma Gatewood's Walk

by Ben Montgomery

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Grandparents, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Aging, Death, The Past, Environment, Plants, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Nation, Fame, Safety & Danger

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Biography, Inspirational, US History, Trauma & Abuse

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk (2014) is a work of nonfiction biography by Pulitzer Prize–finalist journalist Ben Montgomery. The book chronicles the journey of Emma “Grandma” Gatewood, who at 67 became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 1955. Carrying little more than a denim sack and wearing tennis shoes, Gatewood’s public feat masked her private motivation: escaping a life defined by decades of domestic abuse. A New York Times bestseller, Grandma Gatewood’s Walk... Read Grandma Gatewood's Walk Summary

Hamnet

by Maggie O’Farrell

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Death, Order & Chaos

Tags Historical Fiction, European History, Gender & Feminism, Health, Arts & Culture, British Literature, Elizabethan Era, World History

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