Friday, March 8, 2013

Friday Focus--Strong Female Fictional Characters: Then and Now

(Image Source: www.archives.gov)

Since March is Women's History Month, I am sharing two lists of strong female fictional characters that recently appeared in the blogosphere.  When viewed together, it's a then and now look at women on the printed page.

The first list, Honoring Literature's Top 15 Female Powerhouses, is from a March 1 blog post written by J. Rachel Gustafson for The Big Read, the blog of the National Endowment for the Arts. The featured heroines are from the pages of classic novels.  My personal favorites from the list are Jo March, Scout Finch, and Hester Prynne.

For a list of contemporary protagonists,  there's Our favorite female heroines, from the March 5 blog post written by Eliza Borne for The Book Case, the BookPage Blog.  These featured heroines all debuted in novels published in the 21st century.  My favorite character from the list is Bethia Mayfield from Caleb's Crossing.

Are your favorite characters mentioned?  Who would you add to these lists?  Feel free to leave a comment below.


Enjoy life with books . . .
Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader
Friday Focus--Strong Female Fictional Characters: Then and Now was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.





6 comments:

  1. Very intriguing list, however, I would have to include the character of Jane Takagi-Little from Ruth Ozeki's novel, My Year Of Meats.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That book and character are new to me--thanks for bringing them to my attention, Kimberly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that Jo March and Anne from Persuasion are on this list because I have always admired them after reading the novels, their impressions stayed with me. Good post!

    http://thehouseofliterarymirrors.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, Beth, and thanks for the feedback. Many classic heroines stand the test of time, and many of today's strong characters stand on their shoulders.

      Delete
  4. Thanks for sharing these posts! They have some really good picks. I love Hester and all the ladies from The Help. Amazing book and luckily the movie was really good as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Kay. Glad you enjoyed the lists. You are absolutely right about The Help--it's one of the few times when a movie was every bit as good as the book. Wish that happened more often!

      Delete