By Mia Smith

Storylines with female protagonists have become increasingly normalized in the past two decades, but that wasn't always the case. Luckily, some places had a few strong female-led stories in different periods. However, the Middle Ages was not included in this intertextuality project because women were treated with little to no concern, and as second-class citizens, which does not cater to the point of the project. My research showed that women in the Middle Ages were valued for being virgins or for birthing sons--that's it. That doesn't contribute to the idea of a powerful female protagonist, so unfortunately stories from the Middle Ages were all misogynistic.

Each of the stories connected with the points was chosen for its strong female main characters, and consequental influence on the literature of that time period and location.

 

Bibliography

Lindsay, Joan. “Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay.” Penguin Random House, 1947.

Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by George Theodoridis, 2004.

Bronte, Charlotte. “Jane Eyre.” Penguin Random House. London, England, UK 1847.

Collins, Suzanne. "The Hunger Games." United States. Scholastic, 2008.

Alcott, Louisa May. "Little Women." United States, 1868. Roberts Brothers Publishing.