Herland

A detailed Summary of Herland

Herland is the story of three men who stumble upon a society populated entirely by

women. This culture is superior in virtually all ways to the world of the men. The narrator

of the book is one of the visiting men , and he is constantly in awe of the perfection of the

country. In writing Herland , Gilman attempted to address the problems that go hand in

hand with gender roles. By creating a female utopia, Gilman shows the flaws in our

society created from these distinct roles. She takes the women of Herland and creates an

atmosphere where no men exist , and where women live in harmony and sisterhood. She

draws a picture of what she thinks an ideal unisex society would be like, and shows what

happens when men are brought into such a society. (Clemons 1)

The Herlanders have invented a language which is both easy to learn and beautiful.

Tammy Clemons states that "Without learning the language of the Herlanders , Van, the

book's narrator, would not be able to tell their story. Gilman was obviously aware of the

power of language to shape and reflect society, and in creating this utopian vision, she

acknowledges that a language invented solely by women would possess very different

motherhood is a first priority and each child is mothered primarily by those best fit for the

when Terry, who believes females should act like females and submit to men, suggests

expand their lands beyond their small, private little world. Even when the male intruders

become without the restrictions being put on them. (Simpson )

Indeed, the women have no interest in the men sexually except as potential

women what to do, they create their own thoughts and ways of life. ( Clemons 5-6)

love to challenge their minds and bodies. He understands why for each generation of

The women of Herland continually defy the expected norms of female behavior in

Approximate Word count = 1049
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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