3 Great Classics Written by Women

[dropcap custom_class=”normal”]S[/dropcap]ince 1987, the United States has observed Women’s History Month annually in March to honor the contributions women have made to society. Show your appreciation and celebrate the month by reading one of these novels written by a female author.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, is a horror story about a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who brings a creature to life through unconventional means and the consequences of his actions.

Mary Shelley began the story when she was 18-years-old while summering in Switzerland in 1816. It was a gloomy summer so Shelley and her group of friends, which included British writer Lord Byron as well as her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, entertained themselves by writing ghost stories.

Frankenstein was later published in 1818.

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Herland is a utopian novel about the adventures of three men who discover a country inhabited only by women. As the men interact with the women and observe how the new society is organized, they begin to reconsider how women are treated in society.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an American feminist writer widely known for her short story “The Yellow Wall-Paper.” She first published Herland in 1915 as a series of installments in her monthly magazine, Forerunner. Herland was later compiled and republished as a novel in the late-1970s. It is the second installment in a trilogy that begins with Moving the Mountain and ends with Her in Ourland.

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

The House of Mirth is about a poor, attractive woman with some social clout called Lily Bart, who hopes to marry a wealthy man to secure her social standing. However, Lily squanders the marriage proposals she receives and is later destroyed by a scandalous rumor and her monetary debts.

Edith Wharton was an American writer who was born into New York City’s high society, which she often wrote about in her novels. The House of Mirth, which was first published in 1905, was her fourth novel.