At a time when marriage was society's end-all for women, Jane Austen refused quite a few proposals. In spite of financial need, this country pastor's daughter not only stayed single but wrote about it in her artfully constructed comedies of manners. Her novels show an uncanny aptitude for subtle but

18th century literature, Charming, Clean, Feminist, Pathos, Witty

Fairy tales, Gothic fiction, a baroque sensibility, feminism, gender bending, and science fiction: from this mélange emerges Angela Carter's fiction. A phantasmagoric opus that wavers between the horrific, the erotic, and the humorous, Carter's work is a series of appropriations and transformation

Fantastic, Fantasy, Feminist, Lyrical, Mythic, Postmodern fiction, Women's literature

As an inquisitive woman with a critical eye, and as a member of the Chinese Communist Party who portrayed its flaws in her fiction, Ding Ling found herself in a precarious position. Her progressive vision moved her to both revere and criticize the Communist Party -- her critiques earned her ten years

Clever, Feminist, Pioneering, Political, Rebel, Women's literature

As a teacher, writer, and cultural critic, bell hooks consistently pinpoints the nastiest dust balls of sexism, racism, and homophobia that lurk in the dark corners of society. She challenges readers of all cultural or political stances with the perspective that no 'ism' is flawless and no one is ent

African american fiction, Deconstructive, Feminism, Feminist, In-your-face, Political, Women's literature