Hello all! due to an unconventional upbringing i was unable to read many “classics” growing up, so i’m trying to get around to it in adulthood.
i just finished Catch 22 and loved it, but the female characters were written horribly, used solely as vessels for metaphor or embodiments of male desire. In fact, a lot of the books i’ve read recently have done women so dirty, making them monoliths of lust or vapid vanity.
i’d love some recommendations for classics that have thoughtfully-written women. i’m tempted to say “strong female characters”, but i don’t want the modern monolith characters of invulnerable, hyper-independent women who still find a way to be a male fantasy.
i’m looking for female characters that have real, multi-faceted personalities. that tackle trials with complex motives and experiences. they don’t even necessarily have to be morally good characters, i just want characters who have rich motivations that are given their due significance. something beyond wanting to be the most beautiful, get chosen by “the man”, or outcompete other women for “the man”. Hopefully the main conflict passes the Bechdel Test
and a preference not a necessity: i’m a really slow reader and struggle if the book takes a while to catch on. i’d love if the book had a striking exposition that intrigues in the first 40 pages or so. it can be any genre. thanks
by Ok-Introduction-3638