Time To Move On

Herland has finally come to a close and while I did enjoy it, I'm eager to begin something new. I feel as if the theme, even in a mere 120 pages, has grown a bit tedious. I have chosen to use this post to talk about the author, as opposed to the book itself which I believe has been done to death. At this point, it is 100% clear that Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a thoroughbred feminist. I agree with many of her views and I like the fact that she does not write her work in a way that preaches "this is how it has to be and everything else is wrong." Instead, she writes with a tasteful air of possibilty, which is one of the main reasons why I actually liked Herland. She proved that a female-only society is possible and it CAN function just as well as one can with men involved. Gilman was way ahead of her time and will always be remembered for her societal views and works.
While researching for my paper, I learned a lot about the feminist author. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1860 and interestingly enough is the niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the famous Uncle Tom's Cabin, who she most definitely inherited some of her feminist views from. Throughout her career, Gilman has written multiple poems, 186 published short stories in magazines, newspapers, and journals, numerous novels and dramas, and over one thousand non-fiction works including articles, essays, book reviews, and lectures. It is easy to tell that Charlotte Perkins Gilman has achieved an unbelievable amount during her lifetime; as a female, I value her work and the ways in which she gives a voice to her fellow women. This voice has lingered on and will continue to do so as time goes by. The following are quotes that were said by Gilman at one time or another that I think are really important messages to consider. :)

"There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. Might as well speak of a female liver."

"But reason has no power against feeling, and feeling older than history is no light matter."

"To be surrounded by beautiful things has much influence upon the human creature: to make beautiful things has more."

"There should be an end to the bitterness of feeling which has arisen between the sexes in this century."

"Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time."


More quotes by Charlotte Perkins Gilman..