Herland

Book Description

On the eve of World War I, an all-female society is discovered somewhere in the distant reaches of the earth by three male explorers who are now forced to re-examine their assumptions about women's roles in society.

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This is written from memory, unfortunately. If I could have brought with me the material I so carefully prepared, this would be a very different story. Whole books full of notes, carefully copied records, firsthand descriptions, and the pictures - that's the worst loss. We had some bird's-eyes of the cities and parks; a lot of lovely views of streets, of buildings, outside and in, and some of those gorgeous gardens, and, most important of all, of the women themselves. Nobody will ever believe how they looked. Descriptions aren't any good when it comes to women, and I never was good at descriptions anyhow. But it's got to be done somehow; the rest of the world needs to know about that country. I haven't said where it was for fear some self-appointed missionaries, or traders, or land-greedy expansionists, will take it upon themselves to push in. They will not be wanted, I can tell them that, and will fare worse than we did if they do find it.

Customer Reviews:

Where No Men Exist.......2006-08-27

In her novel of a positive utopia made up only of women, Gilman gives us a vision of what perfection would be like, if only the inevitable power, money and sex did not get in the way of things. In Herland, there are no men thus eliminating the sex motivations. And they live a highly socialized communal life within which most of the problems of modern society have been conquered or mastered.

The ladies of Herland have been isolated from the rest of the world for about 2000 years and during the early part of that period all the men in their society were killed or died off. This left a society of women only. To go on, they developed the ability to have virgin births, (in the modern wild turkey this exists today and is called Parthenogenesis, where in the absence of male turkeys, they may produce eggs that turn into female chicks) through an unusual biological quirk. But all the offspring are women.

Throughout the book references and allusions to Edward Bellamy's famous positive utopia book "Looking Backwards" are evident. Yet Gilman's treatment of the topic is fresh and interesting in that the element of sex is removed from the utopian environment. In addition, the concept of the story is that 3 men happen to find the utopia and this allows Gilman to engage in a long discussion with those men and the women of Herland; comparing their worlds.

Interestingly, even though Gilman wrote the book in 1915, not much seems to have changed. There is still injustice, greed, hate, love, war, peace and poverty. The book is a virtual wake up call to all societies, especially the Western Developed countries that there are yet things to be done in this world.

The book is recommended to those who are interested in a vision of a better world. While Gilman's vision is an impossibility, as was Karl Marx vision of perfect Communism, nonetheless, it gives us a real reason to think on the bright side of life, as it may yet be possible to achieve.

Misunderstood.......2006-04-16

Obviously, many people who read this book -- including most of the reviewers here -- clearly misunderstood Gilman's tone and objective in writing "Herland." The purpose of the book is NOT to say that women are better than men in every aspect of life, or that women can survive without men. Indeed, the inhabitants of Herland realize that without males, their society is incomplete, which is why the three young women are encouraged to court the three male visitors. Gilman portrays two of her three male characters sympathetically and intelligently, and even the chauvinistic one is portrayed as intelligent, just misguided.

Gilman has two purposes, neither of which is to show the 'inferiority' of men. One, she wishes to show what a society would be like if everyone were treated equally. Two, and related, she wishes to show what society were like if people put the greater good above their individual goals. In that sense, Gilman's society is not socialism but more like anarchism -- there IS no central government; Herland operates like a large utopian family, in which everyone's role is equal and everyone has a very important role in society. No one's role is more important than any others, be they male or female.

The reason for the Herlandians' physical besting of the men is to show that women are only 'weak' because they are sheltered, and in turn are sheltered because they are weak; also, while the Herlandians were natural women living in the natural world, the men are essentially 'sheltered' by technology (all of them being specialists in an area) and thus are not physically trained as the women are. It's like a female Olympic runner beating a male who runs for his college in his spare time.

Of course, the book has flaws -- the utopian society of course, is without chink or problem, and Gilman ironically venerates traditional aspects of women, casting them into the stereotype of communal, compassionate, sacrificial mothers. The veneration of 'motherhood' almost religiously is hypocritical, as if every woman desires to be a mother. Predictably, no woman in the history of Herland seems to have a problem with denying self for the greater good, or the lack of tradition, or the taking away of her own children for communal rearing. For that, I have to say that Gilman -- while trying to deconstruct the typical notion of a woman -- inadvertently BUILDS it by assuming that all women have these characteristics naturally.

A Little Pre-Nazi Fairy Tale.......2006-03-21

I can't believe all that is wrong with this book. If you really detest men and you haven't a clue how males think or how real societies operate, you might like this story. However, if you have even one foot in reality, you'll find it childish to the extreme.

Author's assumptions

1. Men are the root of all evil.

2. Anything men can do, women can do better (including writng utopian fantasies).

3. Men are unnatural, unnecessary, unattractive, unreformable, and unrepentant.

4. Sex should be non-existant.

5. Science and society works out just the way you want it. (See Kendal Hunter's prior review.)

6. The reader has boundless time to vest in useless novels.

It's important to keep in mind that the book and its ideas were coming into print just as the seeds of Nazism and Hitlerism were planted and being cultivated. Clearly the author's ideas would not have been out of place in that era of eugenics as a way to build an ideal society. Furthermore, in her book, the author glosses over a myriad of 'unpleasant' details fitting of a nazi utopia:

1. The book contains more than a hint of socialist Aryan one race, one ideal elitism.

2. Birth control (!!!) is hinted, which by definition must involve some form of abortion.

3. Capital punishment is hinted as this 'utopian' society's way of getting rid of undesirables.

4. Women would be identically featureless, classless, and (apparently) humorless. By definition, parthenogenesis is not unlike cloning at the ovum level, so all women would be identical, excepting mutants.

5. It left me wondering if even crying babies was too much to be tolerated in this society.

I struggle not to be too hard on a novel nearly a century old, a blueprint for a feminist, socialist utopia devoid of men and apparently anyone else unlike the author. If this were a book about a utopia about race, we would condemn it to purgatory. However, since it only trashes men, we 'liberal women' are expected to swallow it reflexively. Unless you are a woman who pulls out her vibrator whenever you think about killing off men, I can't imagine who the audience is expected to be or why this tale was resurrected.

A number of good science fiction authors have addressed this same topic with superior stories and I would recommend any one of them over this tale that should have remained buried in the trash heap of time.

good service.......2005-09-23

I got the book in a timely manner and it is in adequate shape

Foremost All-female society classic........2005-09-18

Herland is probably the foremost classic of the "all-female society" genre. It's not exactly a good read; it's a didactic utopian novel, depicting an all-female society of highly competent women who dress in drab uniforms, have no interest in sex, reproduce by spontaneous parthenogenesis, and live together peacefully if dully in an agrarian communist paradise.

The Reader's Companion to World Literature

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Good Book
The truth is in the details
Excellent Reference Guide
1/2... Essential Guide to World Literature
Reades Companion to World Literature

The Reader's Companion to World Literature

Manufacturer: Signet Classics
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451528417
Release Date: 2002-06-04

Book Description

Compiled and edited by a board of distinguished educators, this single-volume encyclopedia contains vital information on the world's greatest literary masterpieces-and is an essential reference source for home, library, and school. Includes A-to-Z listings on: Authors * Titles * Literary Movements * Historical Periods * Technical Terms and Phrases

Customer Reviews:

Good Book.......2007-06-12

This is a good book. I'm a teacher, and this book comes in handy all the time. It is an excellent resource for a teacher who needs to get thorough literary information FAST!! It's a lifesaver when making lesson plans or teaching lessons.

The truth is in the details .......2006-11-22

I have used this book for many years. It is an encyclopediac guide to the major works, and concepts, literary terms of world- literature. What I have usually found is that even if I had studied the subject before, reading the entry gave me new information. As a one- volume portable guide to world- literature I cannot recall encountering anything as good as this.

Excellent Reference Guide.......2006-03-04

I have attempted to embark on a reading program of the great literature starting back with Homer.

The Oxford Classics has over 700 books and one wonders where to start. All the literature seems to be interconnected from Balzac to Grisham. As soon as one reads Chekhov, for example, one wants to read another earlier book by Gogol, etc. There are about 5000 well know novels by great writers, such as 20 books by Hemingway alone. In the past few months I bought about 60 novels, mostly paperback from Penguin and Oxford by a variety of authors from Henry James to Jane Austen. At some point, I realized that I was buying at random and I needed to buy one or more guides.

I ended up buying "Bloomsbury Good reading Guide" by Rennison et al plus the present book. The Bloomsbury Guide has some nice features and it has a one and two star system to differentiate the masters from the highly recommend and the normal run of the mill "great books," but overall it is short and misses a few authors. It has a date cut-off point around 1800 - it is more about modern novels.

The present book is 800 pages long, twice as big as "Bloomsbury" and it describes books, authors, and literary terms in alphabetical order back to Greek times - in an encyclopaedia or dictionary style. It does not rate the books or describe plot details for most books, but it does discuss the theme, impact, importance, etc along with the characters. In some cases it does give parts of the plot away. Usually it includes a short biography of the author, and most books are described with the author's biography, but not all.

It presents all the great authors and some (great) novels back to Greek mythology. It includes Shakespeare, along with a broad range of works. The book is described as a reading "companion." Some authors are covered in part of a page, while a few get three or four pages. The discussion presents a short biography of the author, list of works, context of the writing, etc. This is usually cross referenced to the author's works, but only the masterpieces of literature all listed with separate sections. For example, Hemingway's books are not discussed as individual books each with their own sections, but are discussed as a group under Hemingway, i.e.: one must go to "Hemingway" under "H." However, a few other books such as Ulysses - considered to be a masterpiece - have separate sections or descriptions. For example, Ulysses is described under "U" plus there is a separate section on Joyce, found under "J."

This is an excellent reading guide or companion. It is a bargain and full of many reading ideas and explanations, and it is a great investment.

1/2... Essential Guide to World Literature.......2005-10-18

"The Reader's Companion to World Literature" is one of the best literary guides I have come across and have the good fortune to own. I purchased it at a time when my budding interest in Literature was beginning to blossom and it's quality has been a staple in my literary frame of mind since. The editors and writers have selected most of the well-known and many of the best and most influential authors in literary history, contributing many well-written and memorable articles. The "Immortals" like Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, and Cervantes are given ample and worthy tribute, while authors considered to be on the "fringes" of academia are also included: Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Holderlin, and Leopardi are accorded their rightful place - considering the editors are educators, it's quite an open-minded decision very much to their credit. While the compilers of the tome have written in "A Note to the Reader" that "It was natural to stress Occidental literature more than Oriental...", they have included the prominent men of letters from the East with equal aplomb. And not only that, literary movements and historical periods in their relation to Literature are ably added, and many of the masterpieces and best works in world lit are given eloquent and informative sections of their own.

The few criticisms I have with this laudable reference is that more authors could have been included, and some of the entries should have been more comprehensive. A poet like Hart Crane and post-war authors who have left a deep impact like the Beats, Charles Bukowski, J.D. Salinger, and Philip Roth, to mention some, should have been included. Some of the entries are described in a mere sentence or two! While the brevity of these lilliputian descriptions are adequate and to the point, as a reference these entries should have been more elaborate to give the reader enough knowledge that such a book should offer. Perhaps these have been corrected in the most recent edition.

This is one of the best reference guides on Literature ever published and I highly recommend it to anyone with a passing need or desire to know more about the "noble art" as Edgar Allan Poe aptly stated. I eagerly look forward to purchasing the most recent edition under "Signet Classic", a title it deserves.

Reades Companion to World Literature.......2002-08-02

Book was in perfect condition - arrived within 5 days - could not ask for better service

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A realistic visionary returned to us
A woman ahead of her time
There is little action and much philosophizing.

Herland and Selected Stories
Charlotte Perkins Gilman , and Barbara H. Solomon
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451525620

Customer Reviews:

A realistic visionary returned to us .......2005-08-17

In Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman gives us humans (mere mortals) a glimpse of a world where all things are possible, where ideas of black and white and shades of grey have been turned into colors and textures, vibrant and pulsing with promise.
If one can get past the Victorian style, which is hardly worth mentioning since she was a funny writer and writes with a spoken voice which was unusual for her time, the reader will discover new dimensions of purpose for all people, not only women, and have a good laugh at the same time.

A woman ahead of her time.......2000-10-04

In her Utopian novel Herland, written in 1915, Charlotte Perkins Gilman anticipates many of the problems of the 20th century, from pollution to over-population. Essentially a work of science fiction, the novel portrays a culture developed in isolation that has focused on principles of love, sharing, nuturing, reason and continuous improvement. While not great literature, Herland offers fascinating insights into a rational approach to designing a society. The Signet Classic edition also contains 20 intriguing short stories written from a feminist perspective. This is the book I will be giving at the holidays! It deserves a wider audience.

There is little action and much philosophizing........1998-06-10

We read that theirs is a perfect society but there are no particulars about health,, education, child-rearing, or politics. The author seems to be saying that only without men or sex can we achieve a Utopian culture. It was much more a treatise on feminism than a novel with 3-dimensional characters and an interesting story line.

Herland, The Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)

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A nice little afternoon read....

Herland, The Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman , and Denise D. Knight
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141180625

Book Description

A new collection of fiction and poetry from a major voice in American feminism and literature

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a turn-of-the-century American feminist and socialist thinker. In her works of fiction, Gilman sought to illustrate her ideas about the way American society squandered the talents and economic contributions of women. Based on the nervous breakdown she suffered during her own disastrous first marriage, The Yellow Wall-Paper is her classic story about a woman who goes mad when the rest-cure treatment she undergoes forbids her any kind of work.

Herland, Gilman's most famous novel, is a feminist utopian comedy in which three men stumble upon a society of women that has banished men. Also included in this Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics edition is a selection of Gilman's poetry and other short fiction. Gilman scholar Denise D. Knight has written an enlightening Introduction that explores Gilman's use of the utopian form, satire, and fantasy to provide a critique of women's place in society and to propose creative solutions.

Customer Reviews:

A nice little afternoon read...........2004-12-14

A generally overlooked gem of a utopian novella that makes for a pleasant experience. The treatment is calmer and more down to earth than A Brave New World, and is more thoughtful and meditative than Looking Backward. Gilman's feminism celebrates motherhood above all, and embraces Christianity. In a time when we're reconsidering gender roles and marriage in society, Herland is particularly relevant and insightful.

Highly recommended for the fan of utopian literature and early feminist thought.

To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Ann J. Lane
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813917425

With Her in Ourland: Sequel to Herland (Contributions in Women's Studies)

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With Her in Ourland: Sequel to Herland (Contributions in Women's Studies)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Herland

ASIN: 0313276145

Book Description

Two works in one, this volume contains the full text of With Her in Ourland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, as well as an illuminating sociological analysis by Mary Jo Deegan with the assistance of Michael R. Hill. Ourland is the sequel to Gilman's acclaimed feminist utopian novel Herland; both were published in her journal, The Forerunner, in 1915 and 1916. Ourland resumes the adventures of Herland's protagonists, Ellador and Van, but turns from utopian fantasy to a challenging analysis of contemporary social fissures in his land, or the real world. The republication of Herland as a separate novel in 1979 revived critical interest in Gilman's work but truncated the larger aims implicit in the Herland/Ourland saga, leaving an erroneous understanding of Gilman's other/better half of the story, in which it is suggested that strong women can resocialize men to be nurturant and cooperative. Gilman's choice of a sexually integrated society in With Her in Ourland provides us with her answer to her ideal society, but her foray into a woman-only society as a corrective to a male dominated one is a controversial option. The challenging message of Ourland, however, does not impede the pleasure of reading it as a novel. Though known more for her fiction today, Gilman in her time was a recognized and accomplished sociologist who admired Lester F. Ward and frequently visited Jane Addams of Chicago's Hull-House. The male protagonist in Herland/Ourland, Van, is a sociologist, used by Gilman as a foil on which to skewer the assumptions and practices of patriarchal sociology. The interpretation presented here, which adopts a sociological viewpoint, is invaluable reading for scholars and students of sociology, American women's studies, and utopian literature.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Utopian Novels: Moving the Mountain, Herland, and With Her in Ourland

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Moving the Mountain

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Utopian Novels: Moving the Mountain, Herland, and With Her in Ourland
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Manufacturer: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0838637612

Customer Reviews:

Moving the Mountain.......2004-04-08

Moving the Mountain showed in more than 15 spots through out the text where someone was powerful or powerless. I would recommend this book or The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman to anyone, especially The Yellow Wallpaper. I would also recommend that you do a little bit of research on Gilman and her life as a chil and as a young adult.

Approaches to Teaching Gilman's ""the Yellow Wall-Paper"" and Herland (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

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Approaches to Teaching Gilman's ""the Yellow Wall-Paper"" and Herland (Approaches to Teaching World Literature)

Manufacturer: Modern Language Association of America
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0873529006

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Herland And the Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1406500542

Administration of Relief in New York City

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Administration of Relief in New York City
William B. Herlands
Manufacturer: New York City Department of Investigations
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KYM248

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