Thendara House | Literary Precedents

Thendara House Literary Precedents

Amazon literatures are an ancient form of popular romance in the West, beginning with the Greek epics and romances.

Greek drama, too, depicted strong female characters such as Antigone and Medea, often in opposition to patriarchal values.

In Aristophanes's Lysistrata (411 BC) women from different city states, as Bradley's women are from all the domains, unite under a witty, wise, and warm leader.

The depiction of female societies is not usual in science fiction. Anne McCaffrey's Dragonsea novels feature female societies, and the androgynous inhabitants of Ursula K. Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness (1969; see separate entry) share some features of Amazon literatures. Recently, feminist science fiction writers such as Joanna Russ, Sally Gearhart, and Susie Charnas have created totally female worlds.