Herland

The novel is framed as a first-person account from the perspective of Van—one of three male explorers—who, along with his two companions, Terry and Jeff, sets off to discover an unknown land. After a long and arduous journey, they stumble upon an isolated, uncharted territory, Herland, which is completely inhabited by women. The men are initially stunned to discover that this society has flourished without the presence of men for two thousand years.In Herland, there are no men, but the women have managed to thrive through a combination of virgin birth and communal living. The society is highly organized, with no war, crime, or poverty, and the women live in peace, harmony, and egalitarian cooperation. The men initially struggle to comprehend this world and its culture, which is entirely different from their own patriarchal society. As they interact with the women, they discover that Herland has developed along lines completely contrary to the social structure that the men know.