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Women in literature that you must read
Here are some books with realistic portrayals of women; some defy the usual notion we have about women in society.
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In books, female characters are often inferior to male ones, which is why the characterization of Amy in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl takes us by surprise.
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W
omen are often underrepresented in literature, or worse, portrayed as two-dimensional characters compared to men. In books, female characters are inferior to male ones, which is why the characterization of Amy in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl takes us by surprise.
Here are some books with realistic portrayals of women, some defy the usual notion we have about women in society.
Author: Lauren Groff
Behind a great man, there’s always a great woman. Fates and Furies explores what happens inside the mind of both, and interestingly, the contrast between the two. How man and society see his wife is very different than the reality. The book is a reality check of the figure behind the much romanticized supportive and loving wife trope.
Author: Han Kang
The book tells the story of Yeong-hye, who one day decides to be a vegetarian. Divided into three parts, Han Kang’s The Vegetarian explores the role of a woman as wife, sister, daughter, mother and sex object. Through Yeong-hye and her family, the book mocks the limited and stereotypical view of female in society. The Vegetarian won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize.
(Read also: Six books you can actually finish)
'Persiden'
Author: Wirsan Hadi
With a rumah bagonjong (traditional Minang house) as the setting, Persiden tells a story of Cik Inan and her four brothers. As is Minang tradition, Cik Inan's brothers have more authority over her daughter, Malati, than her own father. Conflict arises when Cik Inan takes the matter of Malati’s promiscuity into her own hands without family consultation. This book is an introduction to one of few the matriarchal societies, Minang, which defies the stereotypical gender role in family.
Author: Eka Kurniawan
There is nothing usual about Beauty Is a Wound. First, the story begins one afternoon in which Dewi Ayu stops being dead. Second is that Dewi Ayu has been a prostitute since the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, and continues to be one throughout her life. Third, is her belief that beauty is a curse, as opposed to the usual view of beauty. Listed among New York Times' 100 best books of 2015, this book delivers a hauntingly beautiful tale of Dewi Ayu and her family.
Author: Margaret Atwood
Making a list of books about women cannot be done without this book, a classic on par with George Orwell’s 1984 or Huxley’s Brave New World. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaiden’s Tale is what women's rights activists are fighting against. Women have a very limited role in society: as a wife or a handmaiden (concubine) whose task is to give babies to the wife. The handmaidens do not even have a name, as their name is based on their owner (Offred literally means "of Fred"). The book is a feminist’s worst nightmare. (kes)
