A Title Wave of Opposite-Gender Novels

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(Courtesy of Harper.)

Elvis Presley sang “Return to Sender.” Today, I’m going to…return to gender. Heck, I’m not even a Presley fan, so excuse my blog-post opening as I write about characters who are the opposite sex of their novelist creators.

While female authors have created many of the most-memorable female protagonists and male authors have created many of the most-memorable male protagonists, skillful novelists can of course successfully cross gender lines. It takes some imagination, some research, and some drawing on experiences with opposite-sex parents, spouses, siblings, children, friends, work colleagues, etc. And authors can obviously include memorable co-stars and supporting characters of the same gender as themselves.

For the purposes of this blog post, I’m going to focus on characters who are in the novels’ titles.

An example of today’s theme that I finally read last week is Barbara Kingsolver’s tour de force Demon Copperhead, the 2022 coming-of-age story of a boy who faces poverty, the death of his parents, foster care, addiction, injury, and other enormous challenges. It’s uncanny how well a female author in her late 60s gets into the psyche of a male who’s a preteen or teen during virtually the entire Pulitzer Prize-winning book — for which Kingsolver took inspiration from Charles Dickens’ 1850 classic David Copperfield while transferring the time and setting from 19th-century England to late-20th-century/early-21st-century Appalachia in the United States.

After finishing Demon Copperhead, I read Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2014) — about the prickly (male) owner of an island bookstore. A funny and poignant short novel with some echoes of George Eliot’s compelling classic Silas Marner.

About 150 years earlier, Eliot was an accomplished female author with a male title character in three of her five best-known novels: Adam Bede (1859), Daniel Deronda (1876), and the aforementioned Silas Marner (1861). All three of those men are quite believable and three-dimensional, even as prominent female characters steal (or almost steal) the show.

The 19th century also saw the publication of such female-written works as Mary Shelley’s mega-influential Frankenstein (1818), George Sand’s Jacques (1833), Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mr. Harrison’s Confessions (1851), and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s cry-for-justice Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), among other novels.

Moving into the 20th century and beyond, we have Edith Wharton’s emotionally wrenching Ethan Frome (1911), Willa Cather’s okay debut novel Alexander’s Bridge (1912), Colette’s Cheri (1920) and The Last of Cheri (1926), Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), Lord Edgware Dies (1933), and Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938), Alice Walker’s The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970), and (you knew I would get to this eventually 🙂 ) J.K. Rowling’s blockbuster Harry Potter series of seven books published between 1997 and 2007.

And we can’t forget Murasaki Shikibu’s VERY early female-authored-novel-starring-a-man The Tale of Genji, written in the early 11th century.

Given that there were many more male than female authors published pre-1900, we can easily find a slew of male-written novels back then with female title characters: Daniel Defoe’s Moll Flanders (1722), Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740), Honore de Balzac’s Eugenie Grandet (1833), Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (1856), Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit (1857), Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin (1867) and Nana (1880), R.D. Blackmore’s Lorna Doone (1869), Thomas Hardy’s The Hand of Ethelberta (1876) and Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1878), Henry James’ Daisy Miller (1878), and Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896), to name a few.

Plenty of titles after that, too, such as Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (1900), Herman Wouk’s Marjorie Morningstar (1955), William Styron’s Sophie’s Choice (1979), Walter Mosley’s Rose Gold (2014), and multiple ones by Stephen King — including Carrie (1974), Dolores Claiborne (1992), and Rose Madder (1995).

Your thoughts about, and examples of, this theme?

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117 thoughts on “A Title Wave of Opposite-Gender Novels”

  1. Hi Dave,

    I wonder if anyone reads Jeffrey Archer anymore? My mum was a fan, so of course when I was a kid, that’s what I was taking off the family bookshelf. I’ve read a couple of his novels and found them to be quite dated. However I’m currently reading “As the Crow Flies” which is quite different. It’s set in the early twentieth century, so you’d expect it to be even more dated than the stuff set in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but I’m finding it really enthralling. And somehow, I’m finding his female characters to be better written and more empowered than the women he sets in his ‘present’ books. It’s a big novel of 600+ pages with points of view that I wasn’t expecting. The first part was all about a young man growing up and going to war and I assumed he’d be the protagonist of the whole novel, but the story has also been narrated by his future wife, as well as some enemies he’s made both at war, and in the business world. So far I think I’ve read three different female narrators and they’ve all been good fun – especially the evil one!

    Last night I happened to catch a TV adaptation of John Marsden’s “Tomorrow When the War Began” which made me think of that brilliant YA book series. A group of teenagers spend a couple of days camping in a remote part of Australia, and when they emerge, find that their country is at war. Ellie is voted in as the group’s chronicler and I just love her so much. The character development of the whole group is so well handled as they go from innocent children to war time soldiers. All led by an amazing young woman, written by an old man.

    Sue

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    • Thank you, Sue! Excellent examples, excellently described! I’ve never read Jeffrey Archer, and it’s really interesting to hear that some of his work feels dated but “As the Crow Flies” does not. Some authors definitely have surprises up their sleeves. 🙂

      “…an amazing young woman, written by an old man” — very nice turn of phrase!

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  2. Hi Dave,

    The older I get, the more sexist some things seem. In some of Stephen King’s older works, there are passages that are… problematic. So I think it’s especially awesome that his first published book, (and the first book of his that I read) was about a sixteen year old girl. I was a teenage girl myself at the time and even though my world wasn’t as traumatic as Carrie’s, and I certainly didn’t have the ability for revenge that she did, I could relate to quite a lot that this young man put down on paper.

    I’m currently reading “The Time Traveler’s Wife” which is told from the male point of view of the time traveler, as well as from his female partner’s. I often find both voices read quite similarly, and it’s not a perfect novel, but it’s quite good in places, and I think Niffenegger has done a terrific job at tying a lot of different things together, including the multiple views.

    I see Daphne du Maurier’s name mentioned a few times. I recently read “Julius” which was all about a Jewish man’s childhood, adolescence, and eventually adulthood and his own children. He’s not a very nice character, but in du Maurier’s expert hands, still quite a compelling one.

    Susan

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    • Thank you, Sue, for all those great examples and thoughts! Yes, Stephen King and many other authors have their sexist moments on the page, but King has definitely made strong, multiple efforts to get into the psyches of female characters.

      As was the case with you and “Carrie,” it can be quite relatable to not only be the same gender but also roughly the same age as a fictional protagonist.

      I agree about “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” A novel with significant flaws, but pretty darn good overall.

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  3. HI DAve, I don’t think it’s that difficult to write from the perspective of the other gender if you have spent time with the other gender. I have two sons, a husband, a father, and two nephews and I put my knowledge of males at different ages to good use when I wrote Through the Nethergate and A Ghost and His Gold, both of which include main characters from both genders and from different ages. Grandfather in Through the Nethergate is modelled off my father. Father Muike is also modelled on a real person and I used his real name. Stephen King often has multiple characters from both genders in his books. As you mentioned, Agatha Christie had both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.

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  4. At first I read “Tidal Wave”, (no my eyes aren’t going, my brain is)..

    However, after reading your tidal wave of titles, I feel somewhat psychic.

    Within this tidal wave are all the books I thought of, not that I’ve read all of the books you mentioned, but I have read many.

    I have no choice but to resort to Tennessee Williams. Yes, he wrote plays, but he was a man and 2 of his fabulous plays “The Rose Tattoo” (Serefina Delle Rose) and the fantastic story“Baby Doll”  (Baby Doll Meighan )… may qualify, even though they are plays.

    OH… Lolita by Vladimir Nabocov!

    And… uch another flew in and out of my head faster than a speeding anything.. uch … it was a good one! Okay, if it flies back in, I’ll be back!

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  6. Hi again, Dave. I recalled a few examples last night, but see that you’ve got many of them already. One you haven’t is Balzac’s ‘Cousin Bette’. The BBC dramatised this when I was in my teens, and of course I had to read it. The manner in which the ageing, embittered, poor-relation takes revenge on the well-off relatives who’ve patronised her all her life is shocking, even though she doesn’t have it all her own way in the end. So now I have to re-read it! 😂 Tolstoy’s an interesting one. I used to teach ‘Anna Karenina’, and I hate him punishing her as he does for not conforming to societal expectations of women. His beliefs also feed into Natasha in ‘War and Peace’, and there I think he did badly. She’s lively, intelligent, feeling, wonderful – and then goes crazy because her ‘essential female’ kicks in and she becomes desperate to marry so that she can reproduce. When at length she marries Pierre she turns into a baby-machine, her potential elsewhere discarded in favour of breeding. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with bearing children, it’s an option that women have – and I say that as one who’s never felt the need to exercise it. Doubtless Tolstoy would be horrifed by me! But it does I think illustrate that his capacity for portraying female characters was limited. That doesn’t mean his books weren’t good, but … just saying. 😂

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    • I’ve read a lot of Balzac, but not “Cousin Bette,” so I just put that on my list. Thank you for mentioning it, Laura!

      And you’re so right that some long-ago authors who depicted women doing “unconventional” things felt the obligation (pressure?) to “punish” those women by making them die, suffer, become totally conventional, etc. Some exceptions, of course, such as in Anne Bronte’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

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      • The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is great, I do think Anne Bronte is underrated. But there are some great depictions of women by male authors, and vice-versa. There was a BBC dramatisation of Cousin Bette many years ago, with the wonderful Margaret Tyzac as Bette – and of course, that was my motivation to read the book. I do think the world is losing out these days by not making loads of dramatisations of the Classics. They do a few, but I grew up with the BBC having a series on the go every Sunday, just after tea. I read my first Classic because of that, and so many others for years. I wish they still did it so that young people could be exposed to them. English teaching is in a dire state over here, with some universities dropping their English Literature degrees. It’s scandalous, our national literature is seen as irrelevant by young people! Sorry, Dave, excuse the rant. My culture is disappearing before my eyes, and it makes me both angry and sad. I shall take myself off to dinner and thence to watch something uplifting on the TV. Have a good day and thanks once more for the thought-provoking post. 🙂 🙂

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        • I agree, Laura, that the talented Anne Bronte is underrated. I guess that happens when a writer has two sisters who were even more talented as writers.

          Dramatizations of classics can indeed be wonderful, and I’d also welcome more of them. As you allude to, perhaps they’re not appealing enough for some young people — and for producers. There’s unfortunately a good deal of anti-intellectualism happening in quite a few countries, which of course affects universities and other societal institutions. 😦

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        • Interesting thoughts! I think Dave’s article is very thought-provoking indeed; I enjoy your blog a lot, Dave! As an aside, I commented on your site, Laura, and I think I was sent to the spam folder, if you want to liberate me! Thanks for sharing such a great post, Dave. 😊

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  7. Excellent topic! I’m a 61-year-old white guy. About five years ago, I decided to write a first-person novel from the viewpoint of a 36-year-old Black man. The initial idea terrified me so much that I wasn’t going to do it, but that wound up being part of the appeal, and eventually a great source of pride. I found it harder to be young than to be Black. Then I had fun turning my family members into Black people, and I even turned my little brother into my little sister. But in 28 books, I’ve never crossed the gender line. I probably can’t. I’m impressed by your examples and plan to read the ones I haven’t. Free Kindle samples, anyway. Oh, and Anne Tyler’s a master of writing male characters.

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  8. I have to include novels by Jeanette Winterson, who is always pushing the boundaries of gender. Her books, like The Passion, Written On The Body, etc are great reads and thought-provoking as well. Below is a link re an interview with her for those who are unfamiliar with her body of work. Btw, I don’t care for Elvis at all after finding out about his meeting with Nixon, and his wanting to end the Beatles careers. Why rich and powerful people can’t stay in their own lane is beyond me. Nice theme Dave. Susi

    https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1188/the-art-of-fiction-no-150-jeanette-winterson

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    • Thank you, Susi! I appreciate the mention of Jeanette Winterson! And, yes, Elvis was sort of a mixed bag as a person, which of course often happens when someone reaches that rarified level of fame. His meeting with Nixon was indeed bizarre and disturbing, and The Beatles certainly had a creative advantage over Elvis in that they wrote most of their songs while Elvis performed songs written by others.

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  12. Another challenging and exciting topic, Dave. First of all, “return to sender” very much applies on this side of the border. Canada Postal strike is going into a second week. Your post reminded me that understanding all sides of a situation is critical. Writers who write successfully in the voice of another, whether it be a different gender, culture, belief system, animals or children, have a capacity to delve into the story, envisioning themselves as the character. Our community has many writers who have this capacity. I remember Shey telling me that she would know when the words didn’t fit the character. Darlene creates Amanda adventures in the voice of an 8 year old. You write in the voice of Misty.

    I agree that when writers immerse themselves in the culture, language, and social dynamics of another entity (think of the science fiction writers who write about aliens), they create more nuanced and relatable characters, ultimately enriching their narratives and fostering a greater understanding among readers.

    The author that came to my mind, while reading your post is Alexander McCall Smith and his series of novels featuring the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, set in Botswana. The agency is run by the resourceful and insightful Precious Ramotswe, who navigates various cases with a blend of intuition and traditional wisdom. He has an amazing way of writing in Precious’s name and featuring the vibrancy of Botswana’s culture and landscape.

    I have become very attached to Precious Ramotswe. Her wisdom and compassion resonate with me. One of my favourite quotes:

    “Perhaps her shoes would say something; Mma Makutsi had told her once, jokingly— and she must have been joking— told her that her shoes occasionally gave her advice. Well, perhaps they could tell her not to be so bossy. They must have witnessed it after all— shoes see everything; there are no secrets we can keep from our shoes.” Alexander McCall Smith, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (No. 1)

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    • Thank you, Rebecca! Great descriptive thoughts about this topic — and great example of a male author creating a great female protagonist! I’ve wanted to read Alexander McCall Smith’s series for a while, but my local library never has the first book (though it always has some of the subsequent books). 😦 One of these days…

      Sorry about your postal strike. I hope the employees get a fair deal in order for the work action to end in a satisfactory way.

      Last but not least, I enjoyed that shoe quotation. 🙂

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  13. I once listened to Michael Ondaatje read from his fourth novel, Anil’s Ghost. During the Q & A following, someone asked how he could write from a women’s point of view. He shrugged and said, “I have a wife, a daughter, a mother and sisters as well as many female friends. I had no trouble writing from a female’s point of view.” Carol Shield’s said something similar when she wrote Larry’s Party. She said it was fun to write from a male’s perspective. Your list includes excellent examples.

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    • Thank you, Darlene! So true that most novelists had or have various people of different genders in their lives. Michael Ondaatje made an excellent point! (His “The English Patient” certainly has very strong female characters.)

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  14. Thank you Dave, for this very interesting topic and for all your exemples of opposites gender novels. I have just started reading Demon Copperhead and it really makes me curious! The writer I wanted, however, to mention is William Shakespeare, and maybe King Lear, where the three of his daughters are really convincing. Their is Cordelia, who really loves her father and the two sisters, who are above all interested in their property. Maybe I can also mention Otello and Romeo and Julia where Shakespeare makes them struggle against the wishes of their father. All the best.

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    • Thank you, Dan! Interesting that “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc” was told from the point of view of a male. For the most part, Twain just couldn’t quite get into the psyches of female characters in his various novels.

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  16. I really like how you mull over topics of literature. And you noted fantastic examples of this topic. A couple stood out to me… you’re spot-on about “Ethan Frome” being emotionally wrenching — that was one of the saddest books I’ve read. My wife and I loved the strength of the character in “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” that we named one of our daughters Tess. I can’t think of any other books that you didn’t list here. Great job with these examples!

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    • Thank you, Dave! Wow — what a tribute to that Thomas Hardy novel to name one of your daughters Tess!

      I agree that “Ethan Frome” is a VERY sad book. But I’m glad I read it. One could really relate to two “sides” of that triangle of rural Massachusetts characters. And it was interesting to see Edith Wharton not focus on New York City characters who are rich, trying to get rich, or trying not to become un-rich — as she did in the excellent “The House of Mirth,” “The Age of Innocence,” “The Custom of the Country,” etc.

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  19. As noted below, Dave, that is a big subject. I’ve read many of the books listed above – ‘Ethan Frome’ just last week – and never thought too much about the gender of the author being the opposite of their main character. I’ll have to have a think and see if I can come up with any that you haven’t mentioned – which will be difficult, I think, as that’s a pretty comprehensive list. I’ll be cheeky though for now, and throw my own ‘Degenerate, Regenerate’ into the arena. It’s not well-known (obviously) but both MCs are male. I don’t know if I made a good job of it or not, but I’ve had no complaints. Thanks for another good topic – I’ll be back! 🙂

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  20. An interesting and thoughtful post, Dave. Ah, “Madame Bovary” — a classic, for sure. I loved the way her internal struggle was so well mapped, and I never thought of it in terms of Flaubert getting into a female mindset. I see what you mean, and I actually think that it works quite well, as the opposite gender can actually provide insights that are relatable in a new way, if you catch my drift! Also, “I’ll never be Young Again” is one of my favorite books, and a testament to Daphne du Maurier’s ability to adopt a male POV. 📚🙂

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    • Hi there. It was a tour de force by Flaubert, and his statement when charged with indecency for publishing it ‘I am Madame Bovary’ makes me wonder just how different male/female mindsets are n fact. Flaubert expressed much of his own dissatisfaction with the society within which he lived through Emma – perhaps those issues came better from a woman? I tend to wonder if we’ve all got the same capacity, but are socialised from birth to suppress/express those characteristics expected from us as either male or female? Sorry, I’m not putting this very well, but your comments got me thinking about Flaubert and Emma. Thanks for the thought-workout! 🙂

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      • Thank you, Ada and Laura! Flaubert did seem to get into the female mindset quite well in “Madame Bovary.” (Though when I think of French novelists, it’s hard to do better than Colette did in that respect.)

        And an excellent point that there can be an additional perspective an author can provide when creating a different-gender character than a same-gender character.

        Daphne du Maurier also did quite well with the male POV in “My Cousin Rachel” and “The House on the Strand.”

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    • Thank you, Michael! I remember that song, too, albeit recently. My younger daughter (now 17) somehow got into an Elvis phase seven or eight years ago and played a greatest-hits CD a LOT. She’s thankfully now over it — more into Taylor Swift, etc. 🙂

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