An early novel in the First Wave of Feminism, with original proceeds
donated to the suffrage movement, written by fourteen different, popular
writers of the early Twentieth Century.
With a new introduction placing The Sturdy Oak as a foundational story
of feminist literature, this composite novel, written by fourteen
popular authors including nine women, was drawn together during first
wave of feminism when the status of women in American life was brought
into the spotlight. All proceeds of the book were donated to the
Suffrage cause and the tale itself sought to reveal the tensions and
expectations in Whitewater, a fictional district of New York. Jordan's
assembled team of writers sought to undermine the stereotypical idea of
the sturdy oak (the traditional male) with its clinging vines (the
women) requiring his support.
Flame Tree 451 presents a new series, The Foundations of Feminist
Fiction. The early 1900s saw a quiet revolution in literature
dominated by male adventure heroes. Both men and women moved beyond the
norms of the male gaze to write from a different gender perspective,
sometimes with female protagonists, but also expressing the universal
freedom to write on any subject whatsoever.