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A level english lit

We have just been told to come up with ideas for our english lit coursework. I’m quite stuck with choosing books, I think I do want to revolve the theme around women but I don’t know what books to use as they also need to have a lot of time apart. Maybe wuthering heights? Can anyone recommend good books to use?
(edited 2 years ago)
Women is quite a broad topic! and most if not all books have some women in them, so you might want to narrow down something more specific?
are you looking to write about women's rights to work/finance/vote? women in romance? social relationships between women? there's a lot of ways you could go!

The Group by Mary McCarthy is a personal favourite book about women, post-1900 (1930s) if that's relevant to you. Austen novels are a pretty good bet as well. Could potentially compare one book written by a man about women to one written by a woman or something like that.

honestly starting with just the topic 'women' you can pick pretty much any book you enjoy/find interesting and decide what kind of argument you'd like to make, then take comparisons from there!
Reply 2
I’ve not actually read wuthering heights, have you read it? I think I want to do it on like the treatment of women or maybe social relationships between women but I also need a more modern book to compare it with which I have no idea what to use.
ahh I've read wuthering heights, it's an interesting book buut not totally my thing. The characters are very frustrating to read, though that's kinda the point ahah. there's definitely plenty to analyse if it interests you though.
for modern books there's big ones like handmaid's tale, maybe The Help by Kathryn Stockett, uhh Gone Girl could be interesting?
there's some great books to look at for relationships between women! think of stuff like Little Women or Emma maybe.
for treatment of women there's the Scarlet Letter or maybe The Crucible if you're looking at plays as well?
don't forget there's interesting comparisons to be made in contrasting texts as well! so you can look at quite a wide variety of texts.
Are u allowed to use Wuthering heights I know it’s on my prohibited list so just asking in case it’s on urs too
Reply 5
Original post by Msbrownie.xo
Are u allowed to use Wuthering heights I know it’s on my prohibited list so just asking in case it’s on urs too

Oh I don’t actually know I’ll have a look
Reply 6
Original post by Underdescribed
ahh I've read wuthering heights, it's an interesting book buut not totally my thing. The characters are very frustrating to read, though that's kinda the point ahah. there's definitely plenty to analyse if it interests you though.
for modern books there's big ones like handmaid's tale, maybe The Help by Kathryn Stockett, uhh Gone Girl could be interesting?
there's some great books to look at for relationships between women! think of stuff like Little Women or Emma maybe.
for treatment of women there's the Scarlet Letter or maybe The Crucible if you're looking at plays as well?
don't forget there's interesting comparisons to be made in contrasting texts as well! so you can look at quite a wide variety of texts.

Just saw that wuthering heights is actually prohibited but I’ll definitely check out little women because I do want to base my coursework on relationships between women. What would you suggest is a good comparison to that? I need a book that’s set very far apart I think, I can’t remember exactly how many years.
Reply 7
Original post by _amberkhan
Oh I don’t actually know I’ll have a look

Oh yeah it’s on the prohibited list thanks for reminding me, what did you do your coursework on? I’m thinking I might use little women but idk want to compare it with
Original post by _amberkhan
Oh yeah it’s on the prohibited list thanks for reminding me, what did you do your coursework on? I’m thinking I might use little women but idk want to compare it with

Have you read any D.H. Lawrence?
Reply 9
Original post by Reality Check
Have you read any D.H. Lawrence?

No I haven’t. What would you recommend?
Original post by _amberkhan
No I haven’t. What would you recommend?

I'd recommend Sons and Lovers (1913). So much to discuss if your theme is 'women'.
Reply 11
Original post by Reality Check
I'd recommend Sons and Lovers (1913). So much to discuss if your theme is 'women

Okay thank you I’ll have a look into it. Do you think that would be a good book to compare with ‘little women’?
Original post by _amberkhan
We have just been told to come up with ideas for our english lit coursework. I’m quite stuck with choosing books, I think I do want to revolve the theme around women but I don’t know what books to use as they also need to have a lot of time apart. Maybe wuthering heights? Can anyone recommend good books to use?


If you don't mind Shakespeare, you could make interesting comparisons between women in one of his plays (I did King Lear) and a more modern text

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