You’ve heard of Lizzie Bennet, Hermione Granger, and Nancy Drew. The same characters pop up repeatedly in English classes, libraries, and wherever else you go to talk about books. Though many of these women are #goals, some of their overlooked counterparts provide just as much inspiration.
1. Meg Murry
Meg, the protagonist of Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels, deals with a lot. She doesn’t fit in at school, she has to constantly protect her mute little brother, and her father has mysteriously disappeared. But the same aspects of her life and self that Meg hates wind up enabling her to save not just her family but the universe. Meg’s intelligence, independent thinking, and capacity for love combine into a powerful force- especially considering that she’s just turned 13. You can catch Meg in her books, the 2003 TV movie, or an upcoming movie starring Storm Reid.
2. Jane Eyre
The titular heroine of Charlotte Brontë’s most acclaimed novel breaks barriers, especially for the 19th century. A penniless orphan, Jane suffers abuse as a child from nearly everyone she meets. Nevertheless, she maintains self-confidence and lives as an adult on her own terms. Jane teaches what she knows to other girls, and she participates in a romance marked by her self-sufficiency. Jane doesn’t let anyone take advantage of her and finds her own happy ending. Jane Eyre is available in most libraries and has been dramatized several times.
3. Tess Durbeyfield
Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles shocked readers for its sympathetic depiction of a sexual assault survivor. Tess, an English peasant girl, learns to take ownership of herself in the face of shame and anxiety. Even the not so subtly named Angel Cuthbert views Tess as impure after learning of her past. Yet Tess never gives in: she resists financial and social pressure from her rapist, finds allies in other women, and ends her story only when she feels ready to do so. Besides the book, Tess’s story appears most recently in a 2008 BBC adaptation.
4. Scheherazade
Most girls, hearing of a tyrannical ruler who murders his wives, would not volunteer to go marry him. But Scheherazade, in One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, does so with courage and determination. She tricks the sultan into delaying her execution while gradually reforming him through her wit, contending with a toxic patriarchy and scheming courtiers. Scherherzade is also featured in the young adult novel Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher.
5. Rebecca Sharp
Becky numbers among multiple protagonists in William Thackery’s Vanity Fair, but she stands out for her cleverness and drive. She defies feminine stereotypes through formatting her actions and speech into a scheme to marry rich. Becky has no qualms about manipulating people to further her ends, but she retains an admirable loyalty to those she deems worthy of it. Though Becky makes enemies, she employs her skills to achieve her goals. Rebecca’s talents, in fact, prompted a movie following only her in 1935 as well as a portrayal by Reese Witherspoon in 2004.
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