Herland Gilman, Charlotte Perkins

This is written from memory, unfortunately. (from the first line)

On the eve of World War I, an all-female society is discovered somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth by three male explorers who are now forced to re-examine their assumptions about women's roles in society.

From the Publisher:
On the eve of World War I, an all-female society is discovered somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth by three male explorers who are now forced to re-examine their assumptions about women's roles in society.One the eve of WWI, three American male explorers stumble onto an all-female society somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth. Unable to believe their eyes, they promptly set out to find some men, convinced that since this is a civilized country--there must be men. So begins this sparkling utopian novel, a romp through a whole world "masculine" and "feminine", as on target today as when it was written 65 years ago.

Annotation:
The seminal (1915) feminist utopian novel, written in an attempt to transform the role of women in American life. In Herland, there have been no men for 2000 years, freeing women to develop a humane and independent civilization. Three men happen upon Herland. One is a relentless womanizer, one a romantic who idealizes women, the third--Vandyke, the narrator--a proto-feminist willing to entertain new and even radical ideas. Their experiences there, the difficulty of their re-education, the emotional ties that are forged, and Gilman's thoughts on the differences between men and women and the societies they would create, form the basis for this innovative and influential work. Issues of dress, work, child-raising, and recreation in Herland are set in satirical contrast to the restrictive, unfair, or just plain absurd practices of American society.

Author Bio

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was abandoned by her father, a nephew of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Left impoverished with her mother and siblings, Perkins received a very limited education and worked as a governess and an artist. In 1884 she married an artist, Charles Stetson, whom she divorced after the birth of their daughter. "The Yellow Wallpaper" suggests that mental illness may have contributed to the breakup of her marriage, and most likely refers to the severe depression that followed the birth of her child. Gilman moved to California, where she lectured on the status of women and socialism. Additionally, she taught school, ran a boarding house, wrote and edited many feminist and Utopian books. Terminally ill with cancer, she ultimately took her own life.

Praise

(unknown)
"'Herland' is a pure delight. Those who know 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and little else of Gilman's life and work will be thrilled. What a serendipitous discovery." - Susan Brownmiller

Product Attributes

Book Format:		Paperback
Number of Pages:		0147
Publisher:		Pantheon Books

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Herland (Paperback)

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