Katie Parnian

Living Backward and Looking Forward: A Glance at the First Feminist Utopia

               Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel, Herland, is perhaps the most accredited and well-known example of utopian feminist fiction of the twentieth century. Not only did Gilman successfully dare to challenge common patriarchal attitudes and views concerning appropriate roles for women during its day, but it also served as inspirational framework for similar feminist utopian fiction, such as Ursula Le Guin’s Left Hand of Darkness, Joanna Russ’ The Female Man, as well as several others whose characters, dialogue, and themes consistently call into question the validity of women’s perceived abilities, nature and appropriate roles in society as related to the reality of male-dominated social norms. Gilman effectively accomplished this task by in Herland by showing how biased and narrow views towards women’s abilities, nature, and roles were entirely socially constructed rather than being justified through Nature, itself. She accomplishes this task by systematically dispelling common, biased notions through the observations of three men as they discover, interact and form relationships with the all female inhabitants of an island, otherwise known as Herland, whose success and sophistication defies the stereotypical beliefs and expectations of the surprised visitors. Just as Gilman attempted to call attention to the plight of women during her day, it is logical to assume that there may preceding attempts farther back in history that also address the issue of women’s rights at their respective places in history. Therefore, the objective of this paper will be to investigate the origins of the earliest known example of feminist utopian fiction and how the work addressed issues pertaining to women’s rights at that time in history.

               According to an article entitled, “Toward a Feminist Utopia: Women’s Same-Sexed Communities, Real and Imagined”, Christine De Pisan wins the position as the author of the earliest documented example of feminist utopian literature, entitled City of Ladies. De Pisan’s utopian ideal involves a city in which the most heroic and accomplished women in history reside and who advocate for a raised level of respect and position for women (1).  In her work, the notable women serve  as the very foundation on which the city is built, both literally and metaphorically. According to Wikipedia, “She (De Pisan) uses each famous woman as a building block for not only the walls and houses of the city, but also as the building blocks for her defense of female rights” (“The Book of the City of Ladies”, 1). The resulting product is a solid and formidable dwelling designed by three highly regarded heroines, known as the Virtues, who instruct the author on how to build a formidable and self-sufficient city by the hands of women and controlled by women.

              In further reference to Wikipedia, Di Pisan’s utopia is progressive in terms of its period in history in that it esteems the importance of character in women over their title, recognizes heroines of religious diversity, and attributes positive aspects to women’s character rather than viewing them as vessels of deceit and temptation, which was common during a period of remarkable Christian stoicism. In the fifteenth century, the strict,  hierarchical social order placed importance on social rank over the individual, especially since those of the noble class were usually the only individuals who had access to learning and other basic skills, such as reading and writing. In De Pisan’s utopia, the term “lady”, such as in the title, The Book of the City of Ladies, is used to refer to any girl of noble spirit rather than exclusively noble birth. In addition, the heroines in the work are comprised as pagans as well as saints, some of which stemming from as far back as Greek mythology. Three of these prestigious women of antiquity and other past eras are referred to as the Virtues, who discuss with the author not only ways to construct the city, but also which women will be selected as noble and worthy enough to reside in the city. The Virtues are referred to Reason, Rectitude, and Justice, which are qualities more readily associated with men than women during that age (“The Book of the City of Ladies”, 1).

               Just as Gilman’s utopia focused on the power of community and capability of women to govern themselves effectively, De Pisan addressed the need for women in her era to be recognized in terms of possessing moral integrity and virtuous spirits. DuFresne illustrates how she accomplishes this task by recounting women who have brought honor and dignity to their gender and recognizing them, by their merit, within three different sections of her book, referred to as “parts”. For instance, Part One recounts women of military and intellectual merit, such as Joan of Arc. Part Two recounts tales of moral and loving women, and lastly, Part Three, martyred and women of saintly dispositions (DuFresne, 3). The purpose of such a in depth listing and discussion on these points is explained by the author to “Gain power and respect for past, present, and future generations of women” (DuFresne, 3). Although both author’s styles and approaches may differ, both created powerful ideal societies in the attempt to convey an inspirational picture of the feminine ideal of independence and capability.

“The Book of the City of Ladies”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 19 June 2011.

              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_City_of_Ladies

Chang, Li-Wen. “Economics, Evolution, and Feminism in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Utopian Fiction”.

Women’s Studies: June 2010, Vol. 39 Issue 4, p319-348.

DuFresne, Laura Rinaldi. “Women Warriors: A Special Case from the Fifteenth Century: The City

            Of Ladies”. Women’s Studies: 1994, Vol. 23 p111-p131.

“Toward a Feminist Utopia: Women’s Same-Sexed Communities, Real and Imagined”. The Norton

               Anthology of Literature By Women, Third Ed. 19 June 2011.

               http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nalw/topics/top5,overview.aspx