What do you think?
Rate this book
Gloriana: or The Revolution of 1900
At the age of twelve, Gloriana de Lara dreams of the day that women are no longer second-class citizens, be able to vote, can aspire to any career open to men. She makes a solemn vow in front of her mother, Speranza, that she will make her dream reality, or die trying. Some years later, she reappears in the guise of Hector DStrange, and starts her revolution to free women from oppression. Written by gender equality and womens suffrage activist Lady Florence Dixie in 1890, Gloriana has no shortage of self-confident, heroic and forceful women.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1890
4 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Florence Caroline Dixie
22 books5 followersLady Florence Caroline Dixie, née Douglas, was a Scottish writer, war correspondent, and feminist. Her account of travelling Across Patagonia, her children's books The Young Castaways and Aniwee: or, The Warrior Queen, and her feminist utopia Gloriana: or, The Revolution of 1900 all deal with feminist themes related to girls, women, and their positions in society. She was also a supporter of Irish and Scottish Home Rule.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 23, 2023
A fantastic and fascinating Victorian novel - hugely feminist and revolutionary for its time, with a brilliant, pacy plot. I highly recommend this one.
October 13, 2019
Love this, with all its cheesiness and sensationalism and two-dimensional characters. This is a weird mix of a fun futuristic adventure novel and a 19th century feminist manifesto. It's got gun fights, romance, shipwrecks and detective investigation and also parliamentary speeches and social reform. Sounds weird, is weird, but wonderful.
January 6, 2025
I have SO many feelings about this book and they are SO conflicted, but foremost, I'm just so glad that I read this one and I'm sorry it's so obscure that even people who might enjoy reading something niche like this probably don't know about its existence.
So first, maybe a little bit about plot. This book is about Gloriana de Lara who at the very young age has a dream about world where women and men are equal and she vows she's going to make that happen. Looking back, this kind of mirrors the prophetic dreams of religious leaders, although unlike most of them Gloriana is in from the very beginning, no need to further persuade her. She disguises as a boy so she could attend Eton and here Hector D'Estrange is borne. So yes, we get a cross-dressing here and all the gay stuff that comes with it (what a delight!).
From the philosophical angle this book is highly optimistic, because it supposes that people (men especially) just... don't realise that women are their equals and if they could just see the stuff they could do and if someone explained to them, they would change their minds and everything would get better. Yeah... we now know that seeing successful women doesn't really have that effect, but as an escapist fiction I would take it.
You should also know going into this that this is pretty much sensational novel. There is murder, evil ex-husband, secret identities, Scotland Yard and undercover spies, complicated family relationships... you name it. I do enjoy this type of stuff, but for people who prefer their fiction to be more serious... yeah, not for you probably. This book is a really intriguing mesh of serious topics and completely silly form and I thought that it was kind of brilliant, but not for everybody probably.
The narrative voice was delightful, I especially loved the way she commented on the institution of marriage. There was none of the usual joy surrounding matrimony, instead we got bits like this one:
The marriages in this story are in most cases highly regrettable ones which in my current mental state regarding marriage I thought was a refreshing touch.
There are also the fun bits surrounding the cross-dressing shenanigans, which, you know as a bisexual I'm always a big fan of these kinds of narratives (even though yeah, they are often problematic, bisexual erasure and such). But yeah, I was eating the romance up! Hector has a best friend and they are the masculine version of gal-pals, always walking arm in arm and having deep intimate discussion. And Evie is all, "I have ALL those feelings for you, Hector! And I don't know what to do with them because you are not a girl!" And he's also watching him soulfully and the narrator feels the need to say that he really loves him "with that devoted, admiring love which some men have been known to inspire in others." I mean, is this your way Dixie of saying he's not gay?! Because first of all, if you thought this would do the job, you are mistaken and second of all, you are the one who is bringing it up! We all know that Hector is *actually* Gloriana...
I guess it does say a lot about me that I preferred the romance when they were both guys...
Talking about romance, I actually really disliked the way some of the entanglements ended. I'm not talking about Evie and Gloriana, it was clear that those two were soulmates from the beginning, but I'm mostly talking about Flora. I can't really talk much about Flora without spoiling much of her story, so let me just say that she is the second most important feminist woman character from the book and that she is delightful and that she gets married at the beginning of the book and things don't really go well. Later in the book, there is a sort of romantictriangle some sort of geometric shape, which took me a bit longer to realise was there, because I confused two of the characters together. (mild spoilers)
The way love is described here is overall a little annoying, but also super on brand Victorian - everything is very pure and forever, which means some of the characters get very unsatisfactory endings.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this even though some parts obviously didn't age that well. Definitely would recommend if you are interested in 19th century feminist fiction or if you like to read classics with queer undertones (which are very not-intentional here but... I feel like Dixie had to know what she was writing...). I'm so glad I finally got to this since I planned to read this last year but didn't get to it!
I listened to LibriVox recording which was quite good: https://librivox.org/gloriana-or-the-...
The e-book is also available for free on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69843
So first, maybe a little bit about plot. This book is about Gloriana de Lara who at the very young age has a dream about world where women and men are equal and she vows she's going to make that happen. Looking back, this kind of mirrors the prophetic dreams of religious leaders, although unlike most of them Gloriana is in from the very beginning, no need to further persuade her. She disguises as a boy so she could attend Eton and here Hector D'Estrange is borne. So yes, we get a cross-dressing here and all the gay stuff that comes with it (what a delight!).
From the philosophical angle this book is highly optimistic, because it supposes that people (men especially) just... don't realise that women are their equals and if they could just see the stuff they could do and if someone explained to them, they would change their minds and everything would get better. Yeah... we now know that seeing successful women doesn't really have that effect, but as an escapist fiction I would take it.
You should also know going into this that this is pretty much sensational novel. There is murder, evil ex-husband, secret identities, Scotland Yard and undercover spies, complicated family relationships... you name it. I do enjoy this type of stuff, but for people who prefer their fiction to be more serious... yeah, not for you probably. This book is a really intriguing mesh of serious topics and completely silly form and I thought that it was kind of brilliant, but not for everybody probably.
The narrative voice was delightful, I especially loved the way she commented on the institution of marriage. There was none of the usual joy surrounding matrimony, instead we got bits like this one:
This is how Flora Ruglen became Lady Flora Desmond. Had she erred in the step she took? Perhaps so. What other alternative had she? Had the law permitted her to go out into the world and adopt the profession of her choice, there is little doubt that ere this Flora Ruglen would have made a great name for good.
The marriages in this story are in most cases highly regrettable ones which in my current mental state regarding marriage I thought was a refreshing touch.
There are also the fun bits surrounding the cross-dressing shenanigans, which, you know as a bisexual I'm always a big fan of these kinds of narratives (even though yeah, they are often problematic, bisexual erasure and such). But yeah, I was eating the romance up! Hector has a best friend and they are the masculine version of gal-pals, always walking arm in arm and having deep intimate discussion. And Evie is all, "I have ALL those feelings for you, Hector! And I don't know what to do with them because you are not a girl!" And he's also watching him soulfully and the narrator feels the need to say that he really loves him "with that devoted, admiring love which some men have been known to inspire in others." I mean, is this your way Dixie of saying he's not gay?! Because first of all, if you thought this would do the job, you are mistaken and second of all, you are the one who is bringing it up! We all know that Hector is *actually* Gloriana...
I guess it does say a lot about me that I preferred the romance when they were both guys...
Talking about romance, I actually really disliked the way some of the entanglements ended. I'm not talking about Evie and Gloriana, it was clear that those two were soulmates from the beginning, but I'm mostly talking about Flora. I can't really talk much about Flora without spoiling much of her story, so let me just say that she is the second most important feminist woman character from the book and that she is delightful and that she gets married at the beginning of the book and things don't really go well. Later in the book, there is a sort of romantic
The way love is described here is overall a little annoying, but also super on brand Victorian - everything is very pure and forever, which means some of the characters get very unsatisfactory endings.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this even though some parts obviously didn't age that well. Definitely would recommend if you are interested in 19th century feminist fiction or if you like to read classics with queer undertones (which are very not-intentional here but... I feel like Dixie had to know what she was writing...). I'm so glad I finally got to this since I planned to read this last year but didn't get to it!
I listened to LibriVox recording which was quite good: https://librivox.org/gloriana-or-the-...
The e-book is also available for free on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69843
July 22, 2017
It's so sad that this book has kind of been forgotten about. It's a feminist utopia with vision and passion that was written all the way back in 1890 by a Scottish feminist and war correspondent. Sure, some of the ideals don't really align with our modern feminist ideals, but some of them do, marking it as way ahead of its time.
Plus, the plot is pretty exciting. There's some adventure in there - a little bit of kidnapping and espionage and infiltration of Eton. Who doesn't love that?
With wit, sincerity and excellent characterisation, Lady Florence Dixie has weaved a story that can hopefully be rediscovered as a classic of women's and/or Scottish writing in the future.
Plus, the plot is pretty exciting. There's some adventure in there - a little bit of kidnapping and espionage and infiltration of Eton. Who doesn't love that?
With wit, sincerity and excellent characterisation, Lady Florence Dixie has weaved a story that can hopefully be rediscovered as a classic of women's and/or Scottish writing in the future.
October 26, 2023
"To the subjection and degradation of woman I ascribe the sufferings and crimes of humanity, nor will Society be ever truly raised, or ennobled, or perfected until woman’s freedom has been granted, and she takes her rightful place as the equal of man."
Gloriana, or the Revolution of 1900 is about the young girl Gloriana, who dreams of the day that women are free, can vote, in short are the equal of men. But she knows that dreams do not actions make, so she disguises herself as a man to convince the world that women deserved rights.
I am quite sad that this little book has been quite forgotten over the years; I had certainly never heard of either it or Florence Caroline Dixie. But I really, really enjoyed reading it! Especially the first volume was amazing! It was so much fun seeing Gloria set up her movement, trying to convince England that the root of all evil was the suppression of women. I don't read a lot of feminist books, but I enjoyed it so much!
And the writing was really amazing! It may not be as polished or poetic as other more well-known Victorian authors, but it had a certain charm and poetry of its own in its fierceness. We would plod along with dialogue that felt pretty standard, and then Dixie would hit us out of nowhere with stunning paragraphs such as:
If there is one weak point of this book, then it is the plot. As I said, I really enjoyed the first volume, but the plot quickly became quite ridiculous with kidnappings and murder plots here, there, and everywhere. It detracted the focus from the feminist movement that I was interested and invested in. And since those were the best parts of the book, it was a bit disappointing to see it take a backseat.
So if you want some early Victorian feminism, then I would definitely recommend Gloriana as a fascinating historical document of how women dreamed the world could be.
Gloriana, or the Revolution of 1900 is about the young girl Gloriana, who dreams of the day that women are free, can vote, in short are the equal of men. But she knows that dreams do not actions make, so she disguises herself as a man to convince the world that women deserved rights.
I am quite sad that this little book has been quite forgotten over the years; I had certainly never heard of either it or Florence Caroline Dixie. But I really, really enjoyed reading it! Especially the first volume was amazing! It was so much fun seeing Gloria set up her movement, trying to convince England that the root of all evil was the suppression of women. I don't read a lot of feminist books, but I enjoyed it so much!
And the writing was really amazing! It may not be as polished or poetic as other more well-known Victorian authors, but it had a certain charm and poetry of its own in its fierceness. We would plod along with dialogue that felt pretty standard, and then Dixie would hit us out of nowhere with stunning paragraphs such as:
"For what is life but a greater day of warmth and sunshine, storm and rain? What is death but the night which brings rest after the toils or pleasures of that day? What is the future life beyond, but a new day breaking into existence, perchance in a world more lovely than our own?"
If there is one weak point of this book, then it is the plot. As I said, I really enjoyed the first volume, but the plot quickly became quite ridiculous with kidnappings and murder plots here, there, and everywhere. It detracted the focus from the feminist movement that I was interested and invested in. And since those were the best parts of the book, it was a bit disappointing to see it take a backseat.
So if you want some early Victorian feminism, then I would definitely recommend Gloriana as a fascinating historical document of how women dreamed the world could be.
March 21, 2025
This is actually quite gay. Gloria, Evie, and Flora should have been a throuple.
But for real, this was quite entertaining and moving, especially given the time it was written in. Unlike the other utopian novels of its time, it is about the (fantastical) process of creating a utopia. Because of this, it has more of an actual story and is thus easily the most readable of the feminist utopian novels of this time. The characters are quite overwrought and romantic, none more so than Ms. Gloria herself, a nigh perfect woman. But it works, and it is standard in this genre of utopia.
The author is quite into the idea of Nature (decreed by God) as the core driver of the human species. Patriarchy has perverted Nature, which decrees men and women are equal, but Nature can not be stopped forever. Women's emancipation will come and liberate all of humanity. It is very radical feminist in its conception then. Of course, the first wave was far more into the idea of the natural woman, endowed with a higher moral character, than any feminism to follow, but I still haven't seen any foreground a very strange, religious idea of Nature as the prime mover of justice. Nature operates as the "moral arc of history" here.
But for real, this was quite entertaining and moving, especially given the time it was written in. Unlike the other utopian novels of its time, it is about the (fantastical) process of creating a utopia. Because of this, it has more of an actual story and is thus easily the most readable of the feminist utopian novels of this time. The characters are quite overwrought and romantic, none more so than Ms. Gloria herself, a nigh perfect woman. But it works, and it is standard in this genre of utopia.
The author is quite into the idea of Nature (decreed by God) as the core driver of the human species. Patriarchy has perverted Nature, which decrees men and women are equal, but Nature can not be stopped forever. Women's emancipation will come and liberate all of humanity. It is very radical feminist in its conception then. Of course, the first wave was far more into the idea of the natural woman, endowed with a higher moral character, than any feminism to follow, but I still haven't seen any foreground a very strange, religious idea of Nature as the prime mover of justice. Nature operates as the "moral arc of history" here.
October 7, 2018
A unique dystopia in reverse, although it wasn't that when it was first written. In this novel women do not have the vote or any other of the rights they enjoy today, and a young woman decides she will change that by enrolling at Eton disguised as a boy. The novel is the story of her life and work.
This story should be interesting to a modern reader. I certainly found it compelling reading. There are a few predictions she made that did not come true. One was that women, if encouraged to develop their bodies, would become as strong as men. Certainly there are women athletes who are worthy of our respect, but the strongest man can lift a lot more weight than the strongest woman. A second prediction was that if women participated in government the business of governing would be done better. So far that hasn't happened.
As for flaws in the novel, there is an epilogue that adds nothing to the story and which I would have simply removed.
If you enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale you'd probably enjoy this novel as well.
This story should be interesting to a modern reader. I certainly found it compelling reading. There are a few predictions she made that did not come true. One was that women, if encouraged to develop their bodies, would become as strong as men. Certainly there are women athletes who are worthy of our respect, but the strongest man can lift a lot more weight than the strongest woman. A second prediction was that if women participated in government the business of governing would be done better. So far that hasn't happened.
As for flaws in the novel, there is an epilogue that adds nothing to the story and which I would have simply removed.
If you enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale you'd probably enjoy this novel as well.
January 22, 2023
"[L]aw is only strong so long as the people acknowledge it to be just, and agree to obey it. No law is binding or sacred which has not been ratified by the people's approval. There is no natural Divine right which gives to a few men the power and authority to impose on millions a command to obey. Might alone can force it. It has been declared that might is right. What if the people defy might, and struggle against its tyranny for the triumph of right?"
March 30, 2023
First time in my life I actually like a book l read for uni! Granted it is my last year , oh well better late than never!
PS: this is a really underated book , you guys have been sleeping on it!! Thus, making my further readings very short , no one has ever written something about it!
PS: this is a really underated book , you guys have been sleeping on it!! Thus, making my further readings very short , no one has ever written something about it!
January 11, 2022
A little corny. It has the flavor of Orlando, but without the magic and well developed story of Orlando. Lighthearted and fun
October 25, 2024
Is this really the earliest modern work about women's rights in America? Do some of us not know there has never really been a women in America's presidency...until right now?
April 17, 2020
this was really fun, it was easy to forget this book served as the author's feminist manifesto in a time where women couldn't even vote. this book doesn't take itself too seriously, but it does give the reader much to think about in terms of womens place within society. recommended !!!
February 27, 2014
Fabulous feminist utopia involving cross dressing, kidnapping, shipwrecks, and more. Sensational and fun on the surface with deeper social commentary as foundation. Highly recommend to any level reader.
April 21, 2015
Genuinely enjoyed it. A feminist utopia written in the late 1800s, a bit of a soap opera and wildly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews