Early British literature, such as that of the 8th- to 11th-century, features women in powerful roles. This is an exception to literature that ended with the Norman Conquest. For example, "Beowulf", an epic poem dated around the 10th century, shows Grendel's mother as a strong, angry and powerful creature who fights male warriors to avenge her son's death. During this time in England women were political leaders and land owners.
Women in the Bible were perhaps the most-influential female characters for both literate and illiterate women before the industrial revolution of England in the 1850s. British territories, as well as the United States, identified highly with Biblical moral influence. Children were taught at a young age what was expected of them as males and females from various Biblical characters. The characteristics of the Virgin Mary, for example, such as purity, meekness, and obedience to God, were seen as exemplary traits for women. These qualities are still instilled in countries where Catholicism is prominent.
Women lacked control in England during the mid-18th century, and this was reflected in the literature and characters. Thomas Hardy, a prominate author during this time, describes females' lack of power in "Tess of the D'ubervilles" in which the protagonist, Tess, is abandoned by her husband on her wedding night for not being a virgin, her virginity being lost to rape as a teenager. Scholar Philip Allingham states, "Rarely do his female characters have inner strength or spiritual power." Meanwhile women were beginning to be published and demonstrate what their lives were like at this time in England. Jane Austen wrote of social pressures for women to marry.
Trends in American literature changed with the Civil War. Both men and women began writing more realist style in the 1880s. Dr. Jan Wilkotz, founder of Women's Studies at Towson University, argues that literature changed as women became more educated. This trend continued for female authors as women grew to demand more inclusion in life: voting, rights, work, and now equal pay. Among influential female authors is Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who wrote about the injustices of sexism in the early 19th century.
After the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, women of minority races began to get published. These writers are current role models for girls and women as they teach them to accept their cultural history. During that period, women in the United States wrote from the perspective of immigrants celebrating cultural history. Zora Neale Hurston, an African-American folk writer, is celebrated for writing in dialect. Amy Tan's novels focus on the Chinese-American experience.