The Yellow Wallpaper Herland (Collins Classics)
- Downloads：9271
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-20 07:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- ISBN：000852792X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved， essential classics。
‘There are things in that wallpaper that nobody knows about but me， or ever will’
Hailed as one of the most distinctive and compelling literary voices of her era， Charlotte Perkins Gilman is praised today for her ground-breaking， feminist writing。 Collected here， both The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland are extraordinary for scrutinising the patriarchal norms of turn-of-the-century America。
In The Yellow Wallpaper a woman frantically paces the empty nursery at the top of a secluded mansion。 Her husband John， a physician， is of no comfort and she can’t bear to sit with the new baby as his crying makes her much too nervous。 And then there’s the putrid， yellow wallpaper which seems to shift and creep around the room before her very eyes…
Herland， first published in 1915， follows a group of three men as they arrive in a female-only society。 Peace and tranquillity thrive in this utopian land， forcing the explorers to question how their own corrupted， male-dominated world can survive。
‘There are things in that wallpaper that nobody knows about but me， or ever will’
Hailed as one of the most distinctive and compelling literary voices of her era， Charlotte Perkins Gilman is praised today for her ground-breaking， feminist writing。 Collected here， both The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland are extraordinary for scrutinising the patriarchal norms of turn-of-the-century America。
In The Yellow Wallpaper a woman frantically paces the empty nursery at the top of a secluded mansion。 Her husband John， a physician， is of no comfort and she can’t bear to sit with the new baby as his crying makes her much too nervous。 And then there’s the putrid， yellow wallpaper which seems to shift and creep around the room before her very eyes…
Herland， first published in 1915， follows a group of three men as they arrive in a female-only society。 Peace and tranquillity thrive in this utopian land， forcing the explorers to question how their own corrupted， male-dominated world can survive。
Reviews
Jessica
，
It honestly boggles my mind that Gilman expressed these thoughts so clearly in 1915。
Evelyn Milburn
，
I think this book is remarkable。 There were so many times where Gilman illustrated the experience of gender roles so flawlessly that I wanted to paste the words on my wall。 For her time， this book is revolutionary and her writing is unique， spiritual， and compassionate。 I would recommend this to anyone。
Lins
，
Non so bene come valutare questo libro。 L'ho trovato estremamente interessante per i temi trattati， ma allo stesso tempo è terribilmente problematico e contraddittorio。 È sicuramente uno dei primi romanzi femministi del Novecento che vuole scardinare i costrutti sociali e gli stereotipi di genere che ruotano soprattutto attorno alla donna， ponendo molto l'accento sul potenziale del ruolo della donna in società。 All'epoca in cui è stato scritto， è stato sicuramente innovativo e all'avanguardia vi Non so bene come valutare questo libro。 L'ho trovato estremamente interessante per i temi trattati， ma allo stesso tempo è terribilmente problematico e contraddittorio。 È sicuramente uno dei primi romanzi femministi del Novecento che vuole scardinare i costrutti sociali e gli stereotipi di genere che ruotano soprattutto attorno alla donna， ponendo molto l'accento sul potenziale del ruolo della donna in società。 All'epoca in cui è stato scritto， è stato sicuramente innovativo e all'avanguardia visto che mette in crisi il concetto di femminilità della società patriarcale che imponeva alla donna di essere sottomessa， debole e， soprattutto， madre。 È proprio sul concetto della maternità che si fonda non solo l'intero romanzo ma anche la società che ci viene descritta da Gilman。 È affascinante vedere come l'idea di maternità sia stata completamente reinventata senza la presenza maschile e senza l'obbligo della vita domestica， tuttavia è anche uno dei grandi limiti del femminismo proposto da Gilman。 Nonostante ci sia uno stravolgimento della concezione della donna a livello sociale e culturale， basando questa società utopica solo sulla maternità， Gilman non fa che rinforzare l'idea patriarcale della donna come mero strumento per la procreazione。 Ci sono molti altri punti problematici nel romanzo che riguardano lo stupro， il corpo e la sessualità femminile ma， essendo stato scritto negli anni '10， non mi aspettavo di ritrovare delle considerazioni diverse da quelle che ho letto。Nonostante le problematiche emerse， consiglio comunque la lettura di questo romanzo。 Dal mio punto di vista， è una testimonianza di una scrittrice femminista abbastanza sconosciuta e che merita di ricevere più visibilità nella storia della letteratura del Novecento e del movimento femminista。 Un grandissimo pregio di Gilman è la sua prosa incredibilmente scorrevole， considerando che nel romanzo non c'è alcun tipo di azione ma solo dialoghi。 Questo romanzo è un curioso scontro tra due mentalità opposte: quella patriarcale che tutti conosciamo e quella matriarcale fittizia ideata da Gilman。 。。。more
Isabelle
，
• Read for Utopian Imagination。
Sherry
，
I really love The Yellow Wallpaper but Herland was a lot less interesting and tinged with a whole lot of racism。 I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it delve into more philosophical questions of gender and binarism， how gender is conceived and how the absence of one affects the notion or maybe even the existence of the other。 Le Guin definitely set the bar for me。 It was still an interesting read though。And I did enjoy this line:“We honor them for their functional powers， even while we I really love The Yellow Wallpaper but Herland was a lot less interesting and tinged with a whole lot of racism。 I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it delve into more philosophical questions of gender and binarism， how gender is conceived and how the absence of one affects the notion or maybe even the existence of the other。 Le Guin definitely set the bar for me。 It was still an interesting read though。And I did enjoy this line:“We honor them for their functional powers， even while we dishonor them by our use of it; we honor them for their carefully enforced virtue， even while we show by our own conduct how little we think of that virtue; we value them， sincerely， for the perverted maternal activities which make our wives the most comfortable of servants， bound to us for life with the wages wholly at our own decision， their whole business， outside of the temporary duties of such motherhood as they may achieve， to meet our needs in every way。” 。。。more
Daniele Milani
，
It was my first utopian book and I had a great experience reading it。 Differently from dystopias in which we confront our societies' issues through an exaggeration of the social vices， the utopias give us possible solutions that would make our world a better place to live。 From the beginning， this book approaches not only feminist traditional flags during the time it was written， additionally it also open to discussion ideas to what we know today about sustainable development and veganism。 It was my first utopian book and I had a great experience reading it。 Differently from dystopias in which we confront our societies' issues through an exaggeration of the social vices， the utopias give us possible solutions that would make our world a better place to live。 From the beginning， this book approaches not only feminist traditional flags during the time it was written， additionally it also open to discussion ideas to what we know today about sustainable development and veganism。 。。。more
Nadine
，
Herland 3*/The Yellow Wallpaper4*
Cameo
，
It's a very interesting take on how a world without men would look like （if women managed to manifest pregnancies with only their immense longing for a child） and how， by comparing it to the world we know today， how ridiculous most of our beliefs and social conventions are。I wholeheartedly stand by Perkins in what she is trying to say and the impact she wanted it to have in the early suffragette movement， but she's missing some vital points in her satirical analysis of society; mainly our histor It's a very interesting take on how a world without men would look like （if women managed to manifest pregnancies with only their immense longing for a child） and how， by comparing it to the world we know today， how ridiculous most of our beliefs and social conventions are。I wholeheartedly stand by Perkins in what she is trying to say and the impact she wanted it to have in the early suffragette movement， but she's missing some vital points in her satirical analysis of society; mainly our history and how all the stupid beliefs and conventions came about in the first place。But hopefully we will manage to change the way men and women perceive each other， mainly rooted in the sexes， and start to percieve each other as simply people。 。。。more
Ciel Emerson
，
madness in yellow + a female 'republic' madness in yellow + a female 'republic' 。。。more
Josie
，
Yellow Wallpaper is a masterpiece of exploring post partum depression。 Herland was nothing special to its time， which is probably why I'd not heard of it before。 I'm not sure why CPG decided to write from the perspective of a man， but she definitely doesn't deep delve into women's psyche in the same way。 It was an Amazonian/Lesbos story that could have been written by anyone and missed so many opportunities to be unique。 A criticism I read stated that Gilman readily adopted female/male stereotyp Yellow Wallpaper is a masterpiece of exploring post partum depression。 Herland was nothing special to its time， which is probably why I'd not heard of it before。 I'm not sure why CPG decided to write from the perspective of a man， but she definitely doesn't deep delve into women's psyche in the same way。 It was an Amazonian/Lesbos story that could have been written by anyone and missed so many opportunities to be unique。 A criticism I read stated that Gilman readily adopted female/male stereotypes - which I completely agree with and is a shame。 One amusing fact is that one of the stereotypes mentioned is that women designed clothes with a preponderance of pockets - ironic that in 1915 and today， women still just dream of enough pockets。 。。。more
Anni
，
This might change upon further reflection but right after finishing i’d give Herland a 3，5 🌟 rating and The Yellow Wallpaper gets a solid 4，5！
Jezebel's
，
Would have given ☆☆☆☆ if it hadn't been for the disappointingly abrupt ending。 Would have given ☆☆☆☆ if it hadn't been for the disappointingly abrupt ending。 。。。more
Carol Chiovatto
，
Eu nunca tinha lido uma utopia tão utópica。 Amei a experiência！
Laurie
，
technically I only read The Yellow Wallpaper but it's all I had to read for uni so yeet technically I only read The Yellow Wallpaper but it's all I had to read for uni so yeet 。。。more
Adil ELbourichi
，
The Yellow Paper is ok but Herland is so boring I couldn't finish it。 Why to have a country with beautiful， strong and highly organized women only to spend their time asking questions about men in other countries？？ The Yellow Paper is ok but Herland is so boring I couldn't finish it。 Why to have a country with beautiful， strong and highly organized women only to spend their time asking questions about men in other countries？？ 。。。more
José Wemerson Da Silva
，
Ótima leitura sobre um país utópico comandado apenas por mulheres， excelente crítica a sociedade da época， recomendo！
marstxles
，
Herland: One of the best books I've ever read。 When I picked up this book I didn't really know what it was about or if I was gonna like it， but I was fascinated by the descriptions， the characters and everything。 Eventhough it was written a century ago， it is still relevant today。 I truly recommend reading this。The Yellow Wallpaper: I liked this little story and the way it is written but it is not one of my favourites。 Herland: One of the best books I've ever read。 When I picked up this book I didn't really know what it was about or if I was gonna like it， but I was fascinated by the descriptions， the characters and everything。 Eventhough it was written a century ago， it is still relevant today。 I truly recommend reading this。The Yellow Wallpaper: I liked this little story and the way it is written but it is not one of my favourites。 。。。more
sinefant
，
（This review focuses mainly on Herland）Herland was first published in 1915 and it is important to keep that in mind while reading the utopian story of Charlotte Perkins Gilman。 In that sense， the author was definitely ahead of her time and to a great extent her text is still relatable to contemporary readers。 However， it is also lacking in some parts， （view spoiler）[ e。g。 it seems rather old-fashioned that a land of only women would strictly focus on motherhood and disregard sexuality in its ent （This review focuses mainly on Herland）Herland was first published in 1915 and it is important to keep that in mind while reading the utopian story of Charlotte Perkins Gilman。 In that sense， the author was definitely ahead of her time and to a great extent her text is still relatable to contemporary readers。 However， it is also lacking in some parts， （view spoiler）[ e。g。 it seems rather old-fashioned that a land of only women would strictly focus on motherhood and disregard sexuality in its entirety。 （hide spoiler）] The imagination of the author and the setting she created are fascinating。 At times， the writing can feel a bit lengthy。 Regardless， I can recommend Herland to anyone interested in early feminist literature。 。。。more
Chloe
，
3。5 stars
Rachel H
，
This book begins with the short story The Yellow Wallpaper。 As someone who used to casually study the patterns around me， I enjoyed this intriguing tale of post-partum depression， especially the unexpected ending。Herland follows。 Three male explorers come upon a country populated entirely by women。 This is a tale of cultural encounter through the point of view of one of the men。 It reads a little like an anthropologist's field notes。 Published in 1915 this is a work of its time。 The men come wit This book begins with the short story The Yellow Wallpaper。 As someone who used to casually study the patterns around me， I enjoyed this intriguing tale of post-partum depression， especially the unexpected ending。Herland follows。 Three male explorers come upon a country populated entirely by women。 This is a tale of cultural encounter through the point of view of one of the men。 It reads a little like an anthropologist's field notes。 Published in 1915 this is a work of its time。 The men come with preconceived notions about what women are for （mainly to please their husbands， not for hard work） and find that the women of Herland are nothing like this。 They are expected to teach the Herland citizens all about the rest of the world， and of course their teachings are tainted by their male egos。 I found it frustrating that the three men each seem like such stereotypes - one is too cocky， another the complete opposite and the third （our narrator） in between。 Their characters lacked nuance。 Similarly， we don't get to know any of the female characters well， possibly because everything comes through the eyes of one of the men。 Eventually all three men end up marrying Herland women but their cultural differences create problems for some of them。 This aspect of the novel made me think about the history of colonialism， and various intercultural encounters I have had in my own life。 Unfortunately the novel ends quite abruptly。 I would have liked a little more。 。。。more
Scott
，
This is a fictional utopian book however it is an excellent read and makes you pause and think about where we are today and where we need to think about going in the future。I really enjoyed this book， and now realising there is a trilogy I am reading the 3rd book， and will then read the 1st book in the trilogy。The only downside was it was challenging to read in the way it was written （albeit that was most likely intentional）; but I did not want to put it down。Totally recommend this book。
Sam
，
Now this is a tough one to review given the subject matter， the difference in accepted views when it was written， and how scarily relevant it still is now。 Overall I thought this was utterly superb， highlighting the how ingrained patriarchal views and attitudes are in society and how this governs every other view and opinion。 I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be to tell the story of a society consisting solely of women but I think it worked as it gave Gilman the chance to show just how ingr Now this is a tough one to review given the subject matter， the difference in accepted views when it was written， and how scarily relevant it still is now。 Overall I thought this was utterly superb， highlighting the how ingrained patriarchal views and attitudes are in society and how this governs every other view and opinion。 I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be to tell the story of a society consisting solely of women but I think it worked as it gave Gilman the chance to show just how ingrained the issues are， even for those men who consider themselves more open to equality （even Jeff had a few patriarchal moments）。 This comparison of patriarchal views and matriarchal views continued throughout Herland and so much of it is still applicable now it really is quite disturbing to read。 My one issue was with the view that motherhood is the be all and end all of a woman's worth， which is the one area we have managed to move a little way from， although still not all that much。 Gilman does temper this a bit with the idea that not all of the women have children and that the entire community helps raise them， which links to how many animals， higher mammals as well as insects， often raise their young with all members of the group helping。 For me， this kind of wider community thinking is the core message of Herland as if you take away the selfish competitive drive of modern life then that would have such a positive knock-on effect for everyone， including the environment。 While this has the potential to be a really heavy read， Gilman does keep it lighter and easy to read and by using the narrators explanations and internal monologues to explain certain things and highlight various issues， it is kept conversational rather than confrontional。The second story is the Yellow Wallpaper， which I have read before but thoroughly enjoyed reading again as the story has more layers and intricancies than you pick up with the first reading， a bit like the wallpaper itself。 It was actually a little more chilling than the first time I read it， either because I picked up more of the subtleties or because it was preceeded by Herland （not sure which）， which added to its impact。 。。。more
Chiththarthan Nagarajan
，
Charolette published Herland in 1915， her words still holds a power to affect a reader。 A good sci-fi novel has a profound ability to make the reader uncomfortable。 But this novel made me question the ideas of gender， especially how gender influenced the evolution of civilization。 Charolettes was meticulous with details like religion， agriculture， population， education， child care and so on but she was way ahead of her time。"When we say men， man， manly， manhood， and all the other masculine deriv Charolette published Herland in 1915， her words still holds a power to affect a reader。 A good sci-fi novel has a profound ability to make the reader uncomfortable。 But this novel made me question the ideas of gender， especially how gender influenced the evolution of civilization。 Charolettes was meticulous with details like religion， agriculture， population， education， child care and so on but she was way ahead of her time。"When we say men， man， manly， manhood， and all the other masculine derivatives， we have in the background of our minds a huge vague crowded picture of the world and all its activities。。。of men steering their ships into new seas， exploring unknown mountains breaking horses， herding cattle， ploughing snd sowing and reaping， toiling at the forge and furnace， digging in the mine， building roads and bridges and high cathedrals， managing great businesses， teaching in all the colleges， preaching in all the churches; of men everywhere， doing everything - "the world。" And when we say women， we think female -the sex。。。 but to these women。。。 The word woman called up all that big background， so far as they had gone in social development; and the word man meant to them only male - the sex” 。。。more
James
，
2。5 stars for Herland， which started off interesting but dragged towards the end， and 4 stars for "The Yellow Wallpaper"， which is a well constructed spook。 2。5 stars for Herland， which started off interesting but dragged towards the end， and 4 stars for "The Yellow Wallpaper"， which is a well constructed spook。 。。。more
Pixie
，
I read 'Herland' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman many years ago as part of my many readings into utopic societies and ideas。 This is still a fabulous story， a fictional utopia， written at a time （1915） when women were still struggling for the right to vote & the US was slowly breaking out of the Victorian modes of living yet reflects some new thinking of the time。 There will be no spoilers here but I will say that it hearkens to social reforms， environmental awareness as well as being a classic nove I read 'Herland' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman many years ago as part of my many readings into utopic societies and ideas。 This is still a fabulous story， a fictional utopia， written at a time （1915） when women were still struggling for the right to vote & the US was slowly breaking out of the Victorian modes of living yet reflects some new thinking of the time。 There will be no spoilers here but I will say that it hearkens to social reforms， environmental awareness as well as being a classic novel of feminist literature - a super read。 Most books which publish her writings include some of her other short stories as well as her poems， this one did not disappoint either & there is much to be gleaned from her idealizations， some clearly based on personal experiences as per her biographers。 She writes playfully & somewhat lightly but with great skill to get her viewpoint across - all definitely worth reading more than once too！ 。。。more
Flaubertscarrot
，
thinking about utopia of women where all the clothes have loads of pockets
Harry Lay
，
I’ve seen some comments mentioning how Herland is not necessarily relevant in today’s society。 Although I can see where these comments come from， you have to remember this was written in the early 20th century and for its own context this was a bold feminist utopian novel that discusses themes of gender; social hierarchy， eugenics， motherhood， and individuality。 Remember the context of the conditions it was written in， not the context of which you read it today。 As for the novel itself， Gilman h I’ve seen some comments mentioning how Herland is not necessarily relevant in today’s society。 Although I can see where these comments come from， you have to remember this was written in the early 20th century and for its own context this was a bold feminist utopian novel that discusses themes of gender; social hierarchy， eugenics， motherhood， and individuality。 Remember the context of the conditions it was written in， not the context of which you read it today。 As for the novel itself， Gilman has a rather dry narrative style， which makes the text easily read from a linguistic standpoint， but also rather difficult from an enjoyment aspect。 There are definitely conversations to be had about Gilman’s hyper-feminist ideas presented throughout the text， and it will almost certainly cause debate in educational institutions。 However， for casual readers I do not know how much enjoyment will be had。 This was read as part of my Science and Literature Module in my second year of University。 。。。more
Sinead
，
Really enjoyed this book。 Made me pause and think many times and I think it would be a great book to study in school。
Tracey
，
A lot of these reviews fail to grasp， or do so and then forget when this book was written。 Yes there is much that is disappointing， however， you must take it as it was。 An astonishing and forward thinking novel， of its time。Many miss the satire and finger pointing hilarity， especially toward the men。If you look beyond the problematic nuances of the time and see instead， the early forming of a feminist viewpoint， then you will enjoy this。If you're thinking of reading this， but feel put off by pre A lot of these reviews fail to grasp， or do so and then forget when this book was written。 Yes there is much that is disappointing， however， you must take it as it was。 An astonishing and forward thinking novel， of its time。Many miss the satire and finger pointing hilarity， especially toward the men。If you look beyond the problematic nuances of the time and see instead， the early forming of a feminist viewpoint， then you will enjoy this。If you're thinking of reading this， but feel put off by previous reviews， don't be。 Read and make up your own mind。 。。。more
J。K。 Forrest
，