Good books based on patriarchy or the oppression of women

For alevel English Lit I’d like to do my nea based on a theme similar to the oppression of women, Patriarchy, women gender roles, women’s identity, sexualising women or something surrounding women in general. I’m unsure on which I’ll focus on yet as I’m unsure on what books to read with themes relating to the ones above!

Does anyone have any good book recommendations for pre-1900 novels or any post-1900 novels that I can read to help me decide what to do?

Any recommendations would be appreciated, thanks :smile:

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

becausethenight

19

The Handmaid's Tale is an obvious one, or Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower? If you're allowed near literature in translation, Han Kang's The Vegetarian could be interesting too.

For pre-1900 could be worth looking at the big classics so Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, anything by Austen, that sort of thing.

Hope that might be a bit of a spring board, this is just off the top of my head and there are obviously other great feminist novels out there :smile:

Reply 2

Anonymous1502

20

Jane Eyre (pre 1900s) and the Bell jar post or the colour purple for (post 1900s)

Reply 3

Anonymous1502

20

Forgot to add Wide Sargasso Sea (post 1900s)

Reply 4

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by becausethenight

The Handmaid's Tale is an obvious one, or Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower? If you're allowed near literature in translation, Han Kang's The Vegetarian could be interesting too.

For pre-1900 could be worth looking at the big classics so Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, anything by Austen, that sort of thing.

Hope that might be a bit of a spring board, this is just off the top of my head and there are obviously other great feminist novels out there :smile:

Thank you for the suggestions!! I will do some research into those now :smile:

I did want to do the hand maids tale and really liked the story but it was on the prohibited texts list which was annoying!!

Reply 5

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by Anonymous1502

Jane Eyre (pre 1900s) and the Bell jar post or the colour purple for (post 1900s)

Thank you so much, I’ll give those a read :smile:

Reply 6

tinygirl96

21

Little Women
A Chinese Cinderella
Anne Frank Diary

Reply 7

becausethenight

19

Original post by Year12student:)

Thank you for the suggestions!! I will do some research into those now :smile:

I did want to do the hand maids tale and really liked the story but it was on the prohibited texts list which was annoying!!

Good luck with your research :smile:

If you can’t do Handmaid’s Tale but liked it are there other Atwood novels that might work? I’m not a huge fan so can’t think of any but maybe you can!

Reply 8

SupposedlyIronic

21

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8mf - this documentary might give you a good place to start. My English teacher recommended it back at the start of lockdown and I thought it was incredibly interesting.

Best of luck!

Reply 9

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by shak101

You're best will probs be looking in the fairytale/fiction section

Okay thank you, I’ll have a look around those sections :smile:

Reply 10

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by tinygirl96

Little Women
A Chinese Cinderella
Anne Frank Diary

Thank youuuu

Reply 11

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by becausethenight

Good luck with your research :smile:

If you can’t do Handmaid’s Tale but liked it are there other Atwood novels that might work? I’m not a huge fan so can’t think of any but maybe you can!

Thanks, I’ll have a look and see if any of her other books are similar :smile:

Reply 12

chopingirl

14

Dracula - Mina is prim and proper and repressed and Lucy is hypersexualised.

Reply 13

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by ashtolga23

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8mf - this documentary might give you a good place to start. My English teacher recommended it back at the start of lockdown and I thought it was incredibly interesting.

Best of luck!

Thank you so much- I’ll give that a watch today :smile:

))

Reply 14

SupposedlyIronic

21

Original post by Year12student:)

Thank you so much- I’ll give that a watch today :smile:

))

No problem! I hope you enjoy it.

Reply 15

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by chopingirl

Dracula - Mina is prim and proper and repressed and Lucy is hypersexualised.

Thank you

))

Even something like an inspector calls could be useful :smile:

Reply 17

EnglishStudent:)

OP

14

Original post by laurawatt

Even something like an inspector calls could be useful :smile:

Thank you

Reply 18

Anonymous1502

20

I think if you compared wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre it would be a very interesting essay as Bertha is shown as savage in Jane eyre while in wide Sargasso Sea you get to view Bertha's true story. Wide Sargasso Sea is like a prequel to Jane Eyre but written by a different person. It also looks at women of colour which makes it extra interesting.