Herland and Related Writings (1915)

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

"Charlotte Perkins Gilman's provocative utopian novel Herland, first published in 1915, tells its story through the observations of three male explorers who discover a land inhabited solely by women; the women reproduce through parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction). Initially skeptical, the explorers come to realize that Herland has evolved into an ideal, cooperative, matriarchal society--fertile, peaceful, and clean--by selectively reproducing the women's best attributes. As the explorers study Herland culture, they also rethink their own. This edition reproduces the text originally...