The Yellow Wallpaper & Herland

Review of Herland only, as I am unable to review The Yellow Wallpaper at the moment as it is not a easy read at all and it took a toll on me.Book Review:A land of partho genetic women.A land which is devoid of conflict and war.A land where education has been made accessible for children.A land where cats have been trained to become superior functional animals.Sounds perfect, right?Charlotte Perkins Gilman creates such a world in '𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥', a utopian fiction published in 1979. Through her characters Jeff, Van and Terry, she paints a picture of an ideal world. The three friends set off on an expedition to search for a land rumoured to be comprised entirely of women. On reaching the destination, they discovered a community of women who were intelligent, rational and patient. Despite being trespassers, the manner in which the women take care of them is astonishing, as the three men couldn't imagine a response to foreign invasions in such a manner in their country. While Van was majorly neutral, Terry was mostly surprised that the other gender could be anything more than sensual and homely; it is through Jeff that Gilman announces her praise for the women. Jeff's voice is that of a feminist and through him, questions about gender-normalised norms are asked. With her feminist ideals, she creates a world where a woman is given the sole right to her reproductive functions, where education is considered the greatest virtue and children are given a sense of individuality in their upbringing among others. As the novel progresses, various comparisons of 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 and the 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 are made which provides an insight of what the world is compromising on by subjugating women.Herland is not a perfect depiction of a functioning society. It is a dream-like world created for the escape of women, a world where they can be free and exercise their full potential. The utopian world for women was created accidentally and the heights of civilization that it reached is reflective of the great things that women could achieve if they were given the chance to. The contents of this novel should be limited to the pleasure of reading; the creation of a utopian world is mostly a myth.

Excellent quality paperback, really good book

Love the book, it’s an amazing little read. This copy is printed upside down! I thought the dust jacket was upside down, but the actual hardcover is upside down. Other than that I like it

I really enjoyed both stories in this book, and got a lot from them both. "Herland" was required reading for my college class, but I read "The Yellow Wallpaper" on my own. I have recommended "Herland" to many other people to read, as it is a fascinating story. It will really make you think about life, love, hierarchy, gender roles, and all sorts of neat stuff."The Yellow Wallpaper" is a fairly quick read. "Herland" is the majority of the book, but well worth the read.

A college course requirement