"Herland", a novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is the first book I am reading in the third marking period. Through four chapters, I am actually, surprisingly enough, enjoying it. Gilman's writing style is not what one would expect from a woman from the early 1900's. It is very easy to understand, and I often find myself longing to find out what will happen next. So far, three men, Terry O. Nicholson, Jeff Margrave, and Vandyck Jennings, have been on an island inhabited entirely by women. The women are very interested in the culture of the outside world, but teach the men about their own history as well. The men are so amazed at the women's society that they feel that their MUST be men there. In this, Gilman is making a wonderful social commentary on male-female roles. I am very excited to see how this novel progresses, and what other social commentary Gilman has in store for her readers.
For more on the unique writing style of Gilman, visit these sites:
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/marty.htm
http://www.lsus.edu/la/journals/ideology/contents/utopianfeministpedagogy.htm
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