'Feminist Avenging Angels': 10 of the Most Powerful Female Book Characters

More

From Hua Mulan to Jane Eyre to Lisbeth Salander, these heroines exemplify bravery and virtue.

GWTDT.jpg
Columbia / Sony

For all the hullabaloo about the dearth of strong female characters in modern culture, thankfully there are some wonderfully powerful, kick-ass maidens that have inspired us with their strength, self-discovery, and incredible brilliance over the years. Below, I've collected some of the most powerful female characters in literature. Be sure to pipe up with your own suggestions—I've chosen the 10 who resonate most deeply with me, but since there are many more than 10 strong ladies in literature (thank goodness), share which ones blow you away on a daily basis.

This post also appears on Flavorpill, an Atlantic partner site.

Jump to comments

Emily Temple is an editor at Flavorpill.

Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Video

What Does It Take to Make Real Craft Gin?

Tour the Green Hat Gin distillery

Video

Letter From the Editor

The June 2013 issue

Video

What Straights Can Learn From Same-Sex Couples

New insight from decades of research

Video

The End of the Mall Rat

A tribute to that pillar of teen culture

Writers

Up
Down

More in The Sexes

In Focus

Picking up the Pieces After the Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma