Herland

A forgotten feminist classic about a civilization without men.

A mirror image to Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, Herland is Charlotte Gilman's feminist utopian novel that attempts to paint a portrait of an all-female society and its resulting accomplishments. Herland is a paradise: no war, no crime, no hunger, no waste, no vanity, no jealousy and no heartbreak.

First appearing as serial installments in Charlotte Gilman's own Forerunner magazine in 1915, Herland was not published as a single volume until the feminist movement revived it in the 1970s. Though it was written close to a century ago, Herland depicts a utopian vision that successfully incorporates a feminist philosophy and critique.

In spite of certain cultural stereotypes that persist in the novel, Herland is still a relevant and powerful model of feminist thought and community. Gilman's own use of language in Herland is uniquely feminist. She frequently utilizes plays on words and her own word coinages in her descriptions.

In Herland, Gilman comments on a set of themes that are instrumental in shaping women's identity and thus inherently a part of in feminist study. These themes include language and education; sexuality and motherhood; and power structures and religion.

The women of Herland defy the expected norms of female behavior in both the turn of the century and present day United States. They have short hair, their manner of dress is based on comfort and function, they are naturally athletic and physically strong, they are all highly educated and have specialized jobs in the community, their self-esteem is not dependent on validation by men, and they are assertive in setting and maintaining boundaries.

Charlotte Gilman was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and non fiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a Utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper", which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression.