Herland and Related Writings

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Beth Sutton-Ramspeck (Editor)

Herland is the account of a female utopia that has been called 'a woman's answer to H.G Wells'. Three explorers stumble on a community of women living in the Amazon rainforest, in a land without class divisions, war, greed, lust or hatred.

Genres: Fiction, Classics

275 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2012

About the author

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), also known as Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She 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 lifestyle. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper", which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression.

She was the daughter of Frederic B. Perkins.

Reviews

[Dominick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent edition of Gilman's intriguing early feminist Utopia. The excellent critical introduction and judicious ancillary reading selections (other examples of Gilman's fiction, as well as selections of her non-fiction and of other material that influenced her) illuminate the book very well. The book itself attempts to imagine what an all-female society wold be like and predictably imagines it in utopian terms. The basis of the society (parthenogenesis emerging after all the men die) is, as Gilman herself notes, implausible but functions as the novum necessary to explore the idea. Gilman speculates interestingly about how an all-female world might function, though there are some curious elements. For instance, Gilman posits the vanishing of sexual desire as a function of the change--that is, the desire and pleasure associated with sex are subsumed simply into the desire to reproduce (which Gilman presents as what leads to pregnancy: the "think method," basically). Even when men arrive the the women conclude that reintroducing bisexual reproduction will be a social good, it comes with no sense of sexual desire or arousal. The woman continue to see the function of sex purely in reproductive terms, seeing the development of other aspects of sex as unnatural and abnormal. After all, all others animals engage in sex only during cycles of heat that for reproduction. (Perhaps people really thought this at the time, though presumably Gilman would have at least known about such phenomena as dogs humping legs etc.) Gilman is almost certainly idealistic in imagining that removing men would lead to a fully cooperative peaceful society, though, to be fair, she sets the novel hundreds of years after the men were lost, so she is able to elide over the difficult transitional years, including the (rather troubling) period of eugenic control over who could and who could not reproduce to ensure only the "best" women and therefore the most socially useful traits survived. As this might imply, Gilman's utopia is fairly utilitarian; the good is measured in the overall welfare of the state, rather than in terms of individual happiness--conveniently presented as the byproduct of the ideal social order. Anyway, this book is certainly an essential read for anyone interested in feminism and SF and/or utopian fiction.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas in Herland were very interesting to me. I was intrigued by these women who were able to form a society with little to no problems. Their views on equality and the importance of child bearers put things into perspective that the average individual in their time and in ours seems to take for granted. This shows through with the different ways that the visiting men treat the women of Herland. The fact that women can bring up this new society demonstrates such strength and equality in itself, considering they don't need male guidance, and in fact at times resent their attempts to show their opinion to the women.

[Kayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The over all theme of thinking something is always better, but in a way life is what you make it. I enjoyed the concept of Herland and the utopian society that grows there. It was an interesting alternative to life as we know it. It is cool to think that there could be a completely different way of life and reproduction than we behave.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading Herland, which is why I picked this book up. I'm not sure I want to read the rest of the short stories and snippets in this volume. Included is the Yellow Wallpaper, which I've already read several times.

Gilman was writing around 100 years ago and you can sense the age. I've wanted to read Herland for ages, and glad I did.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best.

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised by how much I loved this.

Popsugar Reading Challenge 2018: A book about feminism

[Macy Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for American Communal Utopias Literature class