Herland - Nostalgic asexual fiction book !

[albinox]

You can read a free fiction book wich has much with asexuality to do. Because the book is so old, it is free at Project Gutenberg.

You find it here:

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbi...k/lookup?num=32

It's about 3 men discovering a land where there is only women. The women there are asexual and don't really know what sex is.

If you are interested in asexuality, and like books in general, you have to read this book. :D

I enjoyed it a lot.

[vits3k]

albinox, thanks for that. I've started reading it, and it looks intriguing.

I love Project Gutenberg. Thanks to PG, I have now been able to read all of M R James' ghost stories, refresh my memory on Arthur Machen's writings, and read all of Robert W. Chambers' short stories.

Dusts the statue of PG standing in his personal net.pantheon, next to those of Wikipedia, Google, Babelfish, AVEN and a few others

[jakendy]

thanks albinox..this will be the first book I read on asexuality ..ypeee :D..finally, I get to read one :mrgreen:

[Silly Green Monkey]

What is the difference between text and zip formats for downloading?

[junie99]

Thanks for the link. I love that site! :)

[Bela]

I read this book several years ago in an Intro to Women's Studies class. This was when I was still in denial about my sexuality and still thinking something was wrong with me. The idea of a culture of asexual women was very appealing to me then, but I guess it takes a ton of bricks to fall on me. :roll:

Anyway, it's a start for creating an asexual reading list, that's for sure.

[borrowedTime]

What is the difference between text and zip formats for downloading?

It's probably too late now, but I'll answer since nobody else seems to have done so:

The text format will give you the book as one large plain-text file.

The zip format will give you exactly the same thing, but compressed, so it will be much smaller in size.

So if you have a slow connection (dial-up etc.) the zip file will be much quicker to download.

If you have a fast connection it won't make so much difference either way.

[Jael L]

Thanks, albinox. I enjoy feminist utopian novels and last read this one in 1981 (remember it vividly because it was during an excruciating 36 hour series of marathon flights to ANZ). I've mislaid my copy (along with Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'Yellow wallpaper') so it's good news to find that it's available on-line.

[EJZ]

Ooh! I found Herland randomly at the book sale at my university's library, thought the cover and plot sounded interested and bought it for fifty cents.

Great read and very interesting, especially for an historical perspective on asexuality.

Something that I don't remember though: Does Gilman actually say that the women of Herland are asexual? Not that it needed to be said, it was clear enough, but I'm just wondering if she used the specific word. Anyone know?

[feef]

Nope, I searched the text, asexual doesn't pop up once. Hoo, I'm enjoying this book. I have a facination with utopian ideas so this really is my kind of book. :) thanks

edit: I'm done the thing, and the word "sexless" comes up a couple times. The non-libidoists would tout things one I bet. Oh well, I enjoyed it.