This page is referenced by:

• 1 media/herland wallpaper.jpg media/51H1NYxdVgL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg 2017-04-13T09:52:56-07:00 Herland 46 "A Lost Feminist Utopian Novel" gallery 2017-04-30T21:06:43-07:00

  Herland: A Brief Synopsis

  Written in 1915, Herland is a utopian novel centered on a hidden land comprised entirely of females. During a scientific expedition, three men (Van, Terry, and Jeff) hear tales of a concealed land in the mountains, populated solely by women. Driven by their desire for knowledge, interest in science, and blatant curiosity, the three men set out to find this all-female county. The men eventually find this land and are impressed with the cultivation of the forest and note the vast technological and agricultural developments present. The men soon meet the land’s inhabitants, which are strong, intelligent, athletic, bold women unlike any they have met before. When the men attempt to escape, the women drug them and hold them captive.
  
  While being held captive, the women act as tutors teaching the men their language and explaining the history of their land and people. The tutors, Celis, Alima, and Ellador, explain that they have been thriving without men in Herland for 2,000 years. Before this, a combination of war, natural disaster, and conflict left only a small population of women to live in this hidden land. The women organized a structured society based upon cooperation in order to survive. One of the young girls inexplicably became pregnant. Her descendants, each of which was a female, inherited this gift of self-reproduction. It is these descendants that comprise the current-day population of Herland. These women created a structured community that emphasizes the importance of the common good, where all property is shared and the community operates in an unarguably familial nature. The women work together to better the lives of everyone and the society as a whole. The women have bred out all “bad” traits in order to create a society free of hate, crime, and competition. Motherhood along with the well-being and education of the children are high valued, and the entire community raises the children rather than solely the biological mother.
  
  The men, in turn, share stories about their world. The men develop relationships with their tutors and eventually end up marrying them. Van with Ellador, Jeff with Celis, and Terry with Alima. The women of Herland have no memory of living with men, and thus have strongly different opinions than the tradition views of marriage held by the men. The women see themselves as the men’s equals, and see no need for a private life nor any sexual activity. This is hard for the men to accept, particularly Terry. This sharp contrast in the view of marriage eventually leads Terry to attack his wife, Alima. As a result, the community exiles the men. Because Jeff has impregnated Celis, he stays behind. Terry, Jeff, and Ellador leave Herland vowing to keep the hidden land and its location a secret.

  Meet the author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman 

  Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860—1935) was a prominent literary figure noted for her work as a writer, lecturer, publisher, and was considered an influential figure in the women’s rights movement here in the United States.
  
  In 1894, Perkins divorced her husband and later sent her only daughter to live with him and his new wife. In this sense, she rejected the domesticity and maternal obligations that were so dominantly tied to the women of this time.
  
  Perkins can be classified as a reformist, as she spent a large portion of her adulthood giving lectures on topics including: women, ethics, and labor. In addition, she published numerous works calling for radical social reform, particularly concerning women, motherhood, and economics.  Just a few examples of these noteworthy publications include:
  
  -Women and Economics (1898): a manifesto that called for the radical reform of concepts surrounding marriage, family, and home, as well as emphasizing the crucial need for economic independence for women.
  
  -Concerning Children (1900): a rejection of societies conventional perceptions on the social and economic structure of motherhood. Perkins proposed creativity, the opportunity for mothers to have careers, and social-motherhood (a concept that is illustrated in Herland).
  
  -Man-made World (1911): a harsh critique of male domination that has long been present throughout the world. Perkins outlines the negative implications that follow the dominance of males. She illustrates how such male dominance not only negatively impacts women, but the world and society as a whole.

  Themes:

  In addition to the interrelated prevailing themes that this project is centered on, there are several additional themes present throughout Herland that are central to the plot and overall tone of the novel. 
  
  -Gender : Gilman explores gender throughout this text, specifically the socially constructed nature of this construct. Individual's beliefs and perception of gender and gender roles are undeniable shaped by their society. This is vividly illustrated when the men first arrive in Herland, a land where  "there was no accepted standard of what was 'manly' and what was 'womanly.'" Upon seeing the land, the men note, "Why this is a civilized country...there must be men." This suggests that civilization, agricultural and technological advancements are tied to masculine characteristics and therefore not possible without men. The men try to lure the women out of hiding with a necklace, as if all women love jewelry. They assume that all women love jewelry, therefore a necklace will surely persuade the women out of hiding. They are generally surprised when this does not work on the women of Herland. The men also view the women of Herland to have masculine traits such as short hair, athletic bodies that lack curves, and great strength. The women of Herland do not tie such traits to males. The varying views of gender are further depicted when the men explain that women in their land, “loved, honored, kept in the home to care for the children.” While this is the societal norm and accepted gender role in the eyes of the men, the women of Herland view this as absurd. 
  
  -Marriage :  In this novel Gilman draws an immense amount of attention to the flaws of traditional patriarchal marriage. Having not lived in society with men, the women of Herland have no previously conceived notions of marriage or what it entails. They are genuinely unable to comprehend or understand the purpose of the actions proposed by the men upon marrying them. They see no purpose for living isolated as a couple, or any type of private life. They competely reject the idea of patriarchal marriage, they see themselves as equals/partners. They also do not see the need to consumate the marriage, particularly becasue they only view sex as a mean of reproduction. While the other men are able to accomidate to the women's varying views of the construct of marriage, Terry is unable to. He attempts to rape his wife becasue she wont have sex with him. He feels that becasue Alima is his wife, he is entitled to her body sexuallly.
  
  -Ownership & the possessive nature of society : Everything the women do in Herland is to better society and the lives of everyone in the community. They share everything and do not have personal possessions. The women encourage their male visitors to think more about "we", "ours" and "us" rather than "me", "I", and "mine." In addition, each child born in Herland is given a unique first name, but no last name. The children are raised by the community. They feel that by giving individuals a last name, individuals are simply tacking their own name on the child and claiming possession over their offspring. This asserts that even something as basic and natural as reproduction in modern society is possessive in nature. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

  Table of Contents
  Introduction
  Iola Leroy
  "Sultana's Dream"
  Intersectionality