Our favourite literary heroines

 
From Elizabeth Bennett to Carrie Bradshaw, we take you through our favourite literary heroines and ask which of these ladies have inspired you? 

Elizabeth Bennett - Pride & Prejudice

Elizabeth Bennett has got to be one of the most likeable literary heroines of all. Like most of us, she thinks just a bit too much of her own opinion -and risks losing the love of her life in the process. But her unwillingness to marry for anything but love, her refusal to be a gold-digger and her constant fights against injustice and snobbery make her courageous and modern. We\'d probably still kill her for her husband though!

Becky Sharp - Vanity Fair

Inspiring a list of pretenders to the role of queen bitch that include Scarlet O\'Hara and Alexis Carrington, Becky Sharp is hard to like but easy to admire. Given beauty, brains but few opportunities for wealth in a rigid, male-orientated class structure, her outrage allows her to claw her way to the top in a manner which makes Jordan look tame

Bridget Jones - Bridget Jones\'s Diary

Forever dismissed as \'chick lit\' and diluted almost to the point of idiocy in the film, the exploits of the \'real\' Bridget Jones and her circle of friends have probably had more influence on \'Sex and the City\' than the film version. Bridget Jones made it fun to be thirty-something and single. Watching her make a fool of herself again and again - and still be able to laugh at herself, makes us feel better about ourselves too

Scarlett O\'Hara - Gone With the Wind

Scarlett is vain, spoilt, selfish, ruthless, adulterous and more vulnerable than you think. This feisty heroine embodies many of the things most of us don\'t like about ourselves, but shares with most of us a love of her home. In fact Tara is the real love of her life. Even if she is a royal pain in the ass - and doesn\'t deserve Rhett, we can\'t help hoping she finds a way to get him back

The second Mrs DeWinter - Rebecca

It\'s strange to think that a character who is never even given her own name could make such an impact, especially when the novel is named after her husband\'s first wife. This novel should be required reading for those who want psychological insight into the insecurities of the female mind. What is really incredible is that this shy, oppressed woman only gets the strength to take control of her life - and be happy, after she realises her husband is a killer

Jane Eyre - Jane Eyre

The original \'plain Jane\', Charlotte Brontë\'s most famous character is not as exciting as other heroines on the list (or as the mythic Cathy from her sister Emily\'s \'Wuthering Heights\'. In her day, however, Jane Eyre was almost a revolutionary. She endures a string of obstacles to achieve happiness and sexuality on her own terms, never sacrificing her principles or sense of self. Her influence on later heroines cannot be overstated

Emma Woodhouse - Emma

Jane Austen worried that only she would like Emma. With only a hypochondriac father and a circle of sycophants to keep her company, Emma\'s matchmaking and self-importance threaten to destroy her own happiness and that of her friends. Only family friend Knightley keeps her from becoming totally unlikeable. The scene where they realise they love each other is surely one of the most romantic - and satisfying, in literary history

Celie - The Colour Purple

Not all literary heroines have to be fun and feisty. The unfolding story of the Celie\'s terrible ordeal - revealed through letters to God, should be read by everyone. Celia experiences horrors that would break anybody\'s spirit, yet she endures. Her ability to finally make sense of the world - and her place in it, is an inspiration

Miss Marple - Agatha Christie novels

With the heroine being sane, savvy and over-seventy and the author being the second biggest seller of all time after Shakespeare, we thought she deserved a mention. This is a woman with seemingly no social status in a man\'s world and time. Old and unmarried, she might well be ignored in the real world even now. In Agatha Christie\'s 12 Miss Marple stories, she runs rings round every man and murderer around her - even with a walking stick!

Holly Golightly - Breakfast at Tiffany\'s

Forever associated with Audrey Hepburn\'s performance in the 1961 film, Holly Golightly was actually meant to have been inspired by Marilyn Monroe. Beneath the froth, sexuality, glamour and social climbing lies a vulnerability, loneliness and depression that is reminiscent of Marilyn. But why not just let Holly be an icon in her own right? Although written by a man in the 50\'s, this truly modern heroine\'s exploits resonate in both Bridget Jones and Carrie Bradshaw

Carrie Bradshaw - Sex and the City

While many of us first got to know her via Sarah Jessica Parker\'s television version, we turned to Candice Bushnell\'s books in droves after becoming addicted to the life of Carrie Bradshaw. Yes, there was the sex, but it was the fashion, wit and most importantly - the friendships - which cemented Carrie Bradshaw and her girls to our hearts and our dirty minds

 
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