Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Emily Elizabeth

This week’s featured female character is Emily Elizabeth from Norman Bridwell’s Clifford the Big Red Dog series.

I was feeling very nostalgic today and started to think about my favorite books when I was growing up.  The Clifford book series stands out to me as one of my favorite children’s series. It’s about a young little girl whose little runt of a puppy grows into this insanely large dog. Far fetched, yes. Charming, even more so.

I love Emily Elizabeth.  Her adventures with Clifford, who is not only her dog but her best friend, show her independence and excitement for life.  Her love and devotion for her furry friend can be seen in the very first story where she stands her ground in keeping Clifford even though he is too big for their house. She is a feisty, fabulous, and fierce female role model for young people as she sticks to her beliefs, has strong morals, and is loyal in her love of her unconventional best friend.

Feisty, Fabulous, & Fierce

“One day I gave Clifford a bath. And I combed his hair and took him to the dog show. I’d like to say Clifford won first prize…but he didn’t. I don’t care. You can keep all your small dogs. You can keep all your black, white, brown, and spotted dogs. I’ll keep Clifford…Wouldn’t you?”

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Wonder Woman

This week’s featured female character is Wonder Woman created by American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and published by DC Comics. I was torn when choosing today’s female because I wanted a literary character who was patriotic to honor the 4th of July.  The first female to come to mind was Wonder Woman.  Though she is a superheroine from a comic book, I believe that she still counts as a Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female in literature even if she appears in a non-traditional medium. The sexy and powerful Wonder Woman fights for justice, love, peace, and sexual equality.  As a warrior princess of the Amazons, she possesses superhuman powers and superior combat skills.  With the help of her Lasso of Truth, indestructible bracelets, tiara (used as a projectile), and her invisible airplane, she kicks ass while looking good doing it!

As Marston says about Wonder Woman’s creation in 1945:

“Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world”

Daniels, Les, Wonder Woman: The Complete History (Chronicle Books, 2004) 22-23.

Feisty

   

Fabulous 

Fierce

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Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Hester Prynne

This week’s featured female character is Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Hester’s independent thinking and strength of will stand out in a world of stuffy Puritans. Her will and poise change the “A” from representing her sin of adultery to her virtue of being able and strong. Hester is a character that cannot be forgotten among literary women.  She accepts the responsibility for her actions. She refuses to give up her daughter because she is a gift from God. Even without the help and support of her community, Hester is still able to sustain a good and honest life for herself and her daughter. Throughout the novel, she stays true to herself and her philosophies even though they are far from the norm. Her strength of character, compassion, and honesty make her one Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female!

Feisty

“Be it sin or no,” said Hester Prynne bitterly, as she still gazed after him, “I hate the man!”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 15.2

Fabulous 

“Thou shalt forgive me!” cried Hester, flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside him [Dimmesdale]. “Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!”

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 17.8

Fierce

“God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!”—And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes.

 Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, 8.24

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Scout Finch

This week’s featured female character is Scout Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Rough and tumble five year old Scout Finch is no sissy! She is a strong female character that stands up and shouts for justice. She can be found swathed in overalls, climbing trees, and fighting with the boys.  Her passion for reading and ability to see the goodness in all make her one of my favorite literary characters. Her individuality and verve for life stand out among a sea of little southern girls in dresses following the rules and maintaining proper decorum. Her strong sense of right and wrong make her a fighter and she shouts, kicks, and hits anyone who is not willing to listen. Scout is truly a Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce little girl who sticks up for what she believes in no matter the social norms that surround her.

Feisty

“Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere.”

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 24

Fabulous 

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

 Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 2

Fierce

“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”

 Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Madeline

This week’s featured female character is Madeline from Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline series. With so many of my friends being pregnant or having their first child, I can’t help but think about all of the books from my childhood.  Madeline is one of those books that has stuck with me throughout my whole life.  I love how Madeline is the smallest of the girls and the most fearless. She faces life and her fears with a sense of adventure and optimism.  Her mischievousness is coated in innocence as she tries to bring light into the lives of others.

So for the little ones coming into the world, be like Madeline – take on the world with your head held high, smile when faced with your fears, and find adventure in everything you do. Be Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce just like your mamas!

Feisty, Fabulous, & Fierce

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Luna Lovegood

This week’s featured female character is Luna Lovegood from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I adore Luna Lovegood! She always sticks to her beliefs no matter how crazy she may seem to others. Her insights into life are way beyond her young years and really help the other characters grow in their own understandings of the world. Luna is a great character because she’s not the “norm.” Her oddball comments and behavior make her stand out in a crowd. Her willingness to help others in the fight for the greater good is noble and aligns perfectly with her personality. She cares deeply for all creatures no matter how they treat her, which makes her an irreplaceable friend. She is truly Feisty. Fabulous, and Fierce!

 

Feisty

“You can laugh! But people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!”

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Fabulous 

“I think I’ll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up – it always does in the end.”

 J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Fierce

“You’re just as sane as I am.”

 J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Anne Shirley

This week’s featured female character is Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery. I adore Anne (with an “e”) Shirley! She lives her life with such passion and honesty. Her imagination and individuality make her such a wonderful character. And her temper and frustrations are so vivid. Her desire to change and be something beyond herself is easy to relate to even if she
goes about it by stamping her feet and screaming.  I absolutely love the drama that she brings to life. It’s so outrageous and yet so fitting for her feisty personality. It is also really fun to see Anne come to life in the 1985 adaptation of the books, which is phenomenal!

I decided to choose Anne Shirley for today’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female because she was one of my grandmother’s favorite characters.  I’ve been thinking about my grandmother a lot lately as she passed away last August. As a dedicated and very active children’s librarian, my grandmother couldn’t say enough positive things about the  Anne of Green Gables series. She always told me it was one of her favorite things to read. She is the reason why I started this blog because she was constantly encouraging me to write.  Though she passed away before I got back into writing, I know she would have been one of my biggest fans. As a Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female herself, this one goes out to her! ❤

Feisty

“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven’t you?”

Fabulous 

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.”

Fierce

 “I’m not a bit changed–not really. I’m only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME–back here–is just the same.”

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Lady Macbeth

This week’s featured female character is Lady Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I want to dedicate this post to my wonderful friend, Ashley, whom I met in a Shakespeare class in college. We became fast friends and were able to bond over our love of literature and of course the cuteness of our professor with his “Mr. Rogers” cardigans and tote bags. Her love of Shakespeare surpasses anyone’s that I know. I’m so happy and grateful that she was able to give me her insight on the infamous Lady Macbeth, who really knows how to get things done without pussyfooting around like her male counterparts do.

In the words of my favorite Shakespearean groupie:

Lady Macbeth is feisty, fabulous and fierce because she is unlike any other Shakespearean female character. No other “lady” talks as violent as she does and they definitely don’t ask the spirits to “unsex” them as she does. Why does she ask for that? Because she feels as though her husband is not man enough to be a king and she needs to take matters into her own blood stained hands. Yes, she does go crazy from committing murder but everyone has to pay for their guilty actions. So even though it leads to murder and she’s a “villain,” you can’t deny that she’s one of the strongest female literary characters ever written.

Ashley K. 5.22.14

Feisty

We fail?
But screw your courage to the sticking place,
And we’ll not fail.

Macbeth Act 1, scene 7, 59–61 (MEANING)

Fabulous 

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promis’d. Yet do I fear thy nature,
It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way.

Macbeth Act 1, scene 5, 15–18 (meaning)

Fierce

The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe topful
Of direst cruelty!

Macbeth Act 1, scene 5, 38–43 (meaning)

Friday’s Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female – Jane Eyre

Every Friday I will be showcasing one Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce Female character from some of my favorite books ranging from the classics to contemporaries.  There are so many to choose from so luckily there are lots of Fridays!

This week’s featured female character is Jane Eyre from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre  is my favorite classic 19th century novel. Brontë has created an independent and moral woman in Jane Eyre as she is forced to grow up with an abusive aunt and cousins and later attend an oppressive charity school. Through it all she remains strong willed and fiercely independent as she searches to make the best of the  life she has been given. I love Jane Eyre because through such adversity she remains positive and focused on being a good person and helping others. She is truly Feisty, Fabulous, and Fierce!

Feisty

“I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.” 

Fabulous 

“Flirting is a woman’s trade, one must keep in practice.” 

Fierce

“I am not an angel,” I asserted; “and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself. Mr. Rochester, you must neither expect nor exact anything celestial of me – for you will not get it, any more than I shall get it of you: which I do not at all anticipate.”