One of the requests authors get from publishers is to find similar books to the one they are publishing and promoting. This helps readers decide on their choices. Sometimes this is an easy task, other times not! When I wrote Life in Slake Patch, this task gave me a few headaches, as well as frustration. Yes, there are novels with matriarchal society's in them in a variety of genres, however, I could not find one written with the POV of a young man living within such a society. This is the basis of my novel.
During my research, I did find one book that astonished me. The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a feminist published it in 1915, a time of patriarchal dictated society (even more than now!) It is a utopian story of only 124 pages. What is exceptional this that Charlotte sets her narrative in an isolated society composed entirely of women, who bear children without men (parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction). Can you imagine the backlash and astonishment of the men of the time? It is surprising how Gilman formed the concept of an all female land in an era when women were seen as delicate housebound wives. Although, Gilman was hardly typical of her time as she was a turn-of-the-century social critic and lecturer. Her short story 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is probably more widely known than Herland. The style of Herland is of course a reflection of the era's writing style, but even so fascinating and enthralling. Gilman tells the story of a feminist utopia from the viewpoint of a trio of men, who discover it by chance. I wonder if she did this to ensure that 'men' were an integral part of the story.
In contrast, Life in Slake Patch is a future apocalypse matriarchal society forced by a global war’s destruction of the planet's civilization and a huge number of the men deceased, which leads to a large proportion of the female population taking control. This developed into a segregated lifestyle maintaining men and women into defined roles. The population is bound by strict rules on activities, living quarters and tryst parings (marriage).
Although, Gilman's verbiage can distract the flow of the story, which in itself does not have the modern trait of increasing action and concluding climax. It is monotone rather than stereo, devoid of suspense. However, it has beautifully written exposition giving the reader a real feel of the land and its inhabitants. I feel Gilman must have had an expansive imagination not only because she created a woman only land, but also she obviously thought of the ‘perfect’ female world, cut free of the stereo type she personally experienced. Gilman goes into great detail on how the fruit trees were cultivated, how the traditional meat animals were kept and the garments the women wore were much more practical and comfortable. She writes in great detail of their psyche and how the population works together and abides to a thoughtful and exacting structure of life. Her explanation of their history is also creative.
Although, the male narrator explains throughout the book how he and his companions try to impress the women of their male dominated civilization, he is not part of the society as is my main character, Evan. Over time two of these men find that Herland has a much better way of life, utilizing forethought and planning, which over the generations made the utopia. One man is, however, not convinced and is determined to ‘show’ the female leaders, how they should be mastered.
In our modern age it is probably thought of as a naïve story, but at the time I would think it was shocking. Women ruling their own world and equal to men! The women of Herland were strong, capable and fearless of the men. Their interest was purely educational, a thirst for knowledge of the world beyond their fortified enclave. The woman's way of life was based on motherhood. This was their governing and abiding focus in everything they did, from nurturing the female only babies to caring for each other to sustaining themselves.
The second surprise was Gilman’s explanation of how the women managed to reproduce without men. It is a kind of immaculate conception, (actually a parthenogenesis process), which occurred several generations after all the men were killed and the women cut off from the outside world. One woman gave birth and her daughters also carried the genetic ability to reproduce. In our modern day of science fiction and fantasy rich environment, where anything is possible this seems fanciful but in 1915, I would think it was inconceivable (pardon the pun!) to most of the population.
Although, I bore in mind the era in which it was written whilst reading, Herland is quite exceptional in its concept. Gilman was a woman before her time and I’m sure if it were written today in our accepted style, it would be a great hit with speculative and fantasy lovers.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1860-1935
Which book surprised you?
0 Comments