Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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 accomplishmentsHerland 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 1970sThough 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 communityGilman's own use of language in Herland is uniquely feministShe 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 studyThese 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 StatesThey 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 reformShe 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 lifestyleHer best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860 - 1935) was born in in Hartford, Connecticut. Her father, Frederic Beecher Perkins, was the grandson of the theologian Lyman Beecher and nephew of Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Shortly after Charlotte's birth, her father left the family and thereafter provided only small support, thus forcing Charlotte, her mother, and her brother, Thomas, to move frequently over the next several years in search of work and financial help from relatives. After attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Charlotte worked as a governess and as an art teacher.

In 1884, she married her first husband, Charles Walter Stetson, by whom she had her only child, Katharine. Mrs. Stetson, however, could not endure domestic life with an overprotective and patronizing husband, and as a result suffered a nervous breakdown in 1885. Following a separation from her husband (they were divorced in 1894) and a recuperative move to California with her daughter, Charlotte Stetson began to devote herself to women's issues by lecturing and writing. Her powerful short story, The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), based on Mrs. Stetson's own experience, is the tale of a married woman who can escape from her domestic confinement and humiliation only through madness. Charlotte Stetson's feminist writings were influenced by the socialism of Edward Bellamy and the evolutionism of Charles Darwin. In her most influential work, Women and Economics (1898), she argued that the socioeconomic system currently enslaving women was not a natural given but rather a situation that could be rectified by rational and ethical analysis. She criticized the social and economic system that degraded women by relegating them to the status of chattel. The only remedy to this situation was to fit women to be economically independent through a radical reorganization of society based on feminist and socialist principles. Mrs. Stetson's bitingly satirical and profoundly insightful work was an immediate international success; it was praised in the Nation as the most significant utterance on the subject since Mill's Subjectionof Women.

In 1900, Charlotte Stetson married her first cousin, George Houghton Gilman. But she remained resolutely independent, devoting herself to lecturing and writing. From 1909 to 1916, she edited and wrote The Forerunner, a feminist monthly magazine. In her book Man-Made World (1911), Mrs. Gilman described women as essentially peaceful and cooperative, while men were competitive and warlike. Until women claimed their rightful place, destructive male attributes would continue to dominate the world.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was the leading intellectual of the American women's movement during the early twentieth century. In 1932, Mrs. Gilman was diagnosed with breast cancer. For three years she battled the disease; but once she determined that the cancer was undermining her ability to be useful to society, Mrs. Gilman committed suicide. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's other works include The Home (1903), the novel Herland (1915), His Religion and Hers (1923), and her posthumously published autobiography, The living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1935).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781909735125
ISBN 10	1909735124
Title	Herland
Author	Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding type	Paperback
Publisher	Aziloth Books
Year published	2013-07-15
Number of pages	122
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable