Wit, courage and guile: ten literary heroines to inspire you on International Women’s Day

By Amy Wilcockson, Research Fellow, English Literature, Queen Mary University of London

Ever since pen was first put to paper, literary heroines have leapt off the page, often as literature’s most nuanced characters. Whether plucky and confident, pushing the boundaries of society, or increasingly empowered in their own quiet ways, it is no surprise that fictitious females reveal much about the world.

So, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, we’ve picked ten of our favourite literary luminaries (in no particular order) to uncover what they can teach us about living.

1. Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë

“I am no bird; and…

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