A.E. Albert: A Writer's Blog

My Favorite Literary Heroines
by A.E. Albert
@aealbert23

My Favorite 

Literary Heroines

Elizabeth Bennet
Pride & Prejudice: by Jane Austen

Elizabeth is from the Victorian world, where women cannot inherit their father's wealth.  They must rely on marrying well.  But what is a girl to do without a dowry.  

I chose Elizabeth because she is a strong woman living in a male dominant society.  However, she possesses a subtle strength which she demonstrates through her humor and candor.  She is intelligent and knows it and has a will all of her own.  

What makes Elizabeth a permanent fixture in my heart is her imperfections.  She judged Mr. Darcy as assuredly as he did her.  She fell for Mr. Wickham because of his pretty face.  Her faults are no different than our own.  

She is real.


Daenarys Targaryen
Game of Thrones: by George R.R. Martin

A fantasy world set in a medieval time like our own.  Daenarys appears on the scene as an unlikely hero. However, soon destiny spurs her onward to inevitable greatness.  

Daenarys is one of my all time favorite heroines.  In the beginning, she is physically unassuming.  She appears timid and insecure.  However, the reader soon begins to see more of her character emerge. At first it is subtleties in her character we see.  It is not before long that we realize that she is truly a queen, a woman of substance.  There is no doubt that Daenarys will play a pivotal role in the story to come.


Becky Bloomwood
Confessions of a Shopaholic: by Sophie Kinsella

Ok, I know what you're thinking! When you meet Becky in the first chapter, she is a bit of a flake and a twit.  Mind you, I almost peed myself when laughing at her blunders.

What I was pleasantly surprised to learn was there was more to Becky Bloomwood.  And maybe, we all can connect with her.  Let's face it, we all sometimes spend money we don't have, say the wrong thing and trip once in awhile on our stilettos.

I think I chose her not because she is extraordinary, but maybe because she is wonderfully ordinary.

Charlotte
Charlotte's Web: by E.B. White

Wilbur the pig knows that his days are numbered.  Well, he is a pig after all.  One day, he meets Charlotte, a barn spider.  Charlotte concocts a plan to save Wilbur, using her webs and her wits.

I chose Charlotte as an unlikely heroine, well first, she saved Wilbur's life.  Animals on a farm are born and bred for a purpose.  She herself recognizes her own role and path in the natural world.  However, this doesn't stop her from marching off this path and doing something extraordinary.  Charlotte is brave, selfless, wise and true risk taker.

Anne Frank
The Diary of A Young Girl

As most of us know, Anne Frank was a real person.  However, her diary is one of my favorite books and her story is considered a literary classic.  I chose her because she is a personal hero of mine.  When I read her story, I was moved by her optimism throughout her ordeal hiding in that cramped attic from the Nazis.  She was always looking to the future, always believed that she had one.

My favorite part in the book is when she is 15 years old.  It is amazing to see how much she had grown emotionally in two short years.  Anne had decided that she wants to be a writer one day.  She doesn't want wealth or fame.  Her only desire is to write one work, a work that would leave an impression on the world. Something important. 

Unbeknownst to her, she was writing it at that very moment.

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