Classic Heroines?

Every writing coach or teacher I’ve ever had has said that to become a better writer, you must read. Good thing I love to read. So, in my quest to continuously improve, I got a list of classic literature from a friend of a friend that are “must-reads.”

I’ve been slowly plowing through this list of classics for about two or three years. I feel like I’m making good progress, but I’ve noticed something about some of the women that are cast as heroines in these novels – they are miserable, unhappy people.  Not exactly what I would call Rich Chicks in my interpretation of the term.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read The Awakening or Madame Bovary I’m about to ruin it for you, so stop here.

Example 1: The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Her heroine, Edna Pontellier, who was apparently ahead of her time, seems like one of the most miserable, self-absorbed people ever. I know this is classic literature and an example of a woman writer who was a pioneer, but I have to say – I don’t get it. I’m not sure what feeling her story is supposed to invoke in me, but I found it depressing.

Example 2: Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert. I have to say that Emma Bovary got on my nerves. This woman was never happy. She always felt sorry for herself, neglected her child, hated her husband, and took it out on everyone. This woman took retail therapy to a new level, putting her husband in massive amounts of debt that he could never escape, and then chickened out on the mess she made by killing herself.

These are not women who took responsibility for their lives or their happiness. They were self-indulgent in their unhappiness and were compelled to wallow in it. Maybe I’m just an eternal optimist and niaive, or maybe I just expect too much of people, but I don’t relate to these women. I read for entertainment and to feel good, neither of these books made me feel good.

Although I didn’t love either of them, I’m glad I read both of these books, because now I can check them off my list and have an intelligent conversation about them.  Have you read them? What did you think? What are you reading?