Herland

Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Herland Cover

Herland

Adele1967
2/21/2022
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This is definitely a product of First Wave Feminism. The set up is 3 male explorers finding their way into this hidden country composed of all women. It seems each of them represents a sector of male responses to women. One is the male friend who accepts a woman's merits. Another is the male who admires the woman while placing her on a pedestal. The third is a male who is a loathsome mysogynist. Using thier responses and descriptions of "Herland", the author provides a great deal of feminist critique and demonstrates a great deal of the ridiculousness of the male patriarchy at the turn of the 19th century. My biggest issue was the absolute adoration and worship of Motherhood itself. As "progressive" as many of the views were for the time, it still couldn't imagine a woman being perfectly happy without the pursuit of Motherhood.