Herland and Related Writings (1915)

"Charlotte Perkins Gilman's provocative utopian novel Herland, first published in 1915, tells its story through the observations of three male explorers who discover a land inhabited solely by women; the women reproduce through parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction). Initially skeptical, the explorers come to realize that Herland has evolved into an ideal, cooperative, matriarchal society--fertile, peaceful, and clean--by selectively reproducing the women's best attributes. As the explorers study Herland culture, t…