Weaving Our Story Forward
"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."
Dear Friends Welcome to the musings of The Salty Crone. ✨ I am glad you are here and look forward to your comments—you fuel my writing. 💜 Remember that slowing down—relaxing out of productivity is not a pathology. Writing often takes me down exciting rabbit holes—making it tricky to stay in one story—we are a multilayered mystery that never ends… thanks for staying with me!
The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED
The canon of Western thought is often referred to as “the dead white man’s curriculum.” But is it dead and did he reload his canon? Is this what it means when we hear ‘white male privilege and/or toxic masculinity?’
The 48 Laws of Power (1998) by Robert Greene, was on the best seller list—inspired by historical male figures and texts, including The Prince (1513), a political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli, who introduced into Western thought—that morality has no place in leadership. Both were/are considered guides to acquiring and maintaining power, emphasizing ruthless tactics. Machiavelli argues that leaders must be willing to use deceit, manipulation, and even cruelty to achieve their goals, stating,
“The end justifies the means; Power is best maintained through fear; Appearances matter more than reality.”
Greene distills lessons from history into 48 "laws" designed to achieve influence and avoid manipulation. Law #1—Never outshine the master; Law #2—Never put too much trust in friends, Learn how to use enemies; Law #3—Conceal your intentions. Law #15—Crush your enemy completely; Law #17—Keep others in suspended terror: Cultivate an error of unpredictability; Law #42—Stike the shepherd and the sheep will shatter.” You get the idea. Like The Prince, Greene’s book became controversial yet continues as a weapon or "playbook" for its unapologetically pragmatic and manipulative strategies for domination.
“When considering power, it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” “It is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is woman, and if you want to keep her under, it is necessary to beat and ill-use her.” —The Prince
The Art of War, written by the Chinese military general Sun Tzu (fifth-century BCE.), is a popular text for defining and using power. In the book, the words war and leadership are interchangeable. Fear and deception are two words that occur most in the treatise. There are only two kinds of people—subjects and enemies. He wrote:
“If they fear you, they will respect you. If they love you, they might respect you. But if they don’t fear you, they’ll never love you or respect you.”
“To maintain order a leader must expect to wage war.”
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. All warfare is based on deception.”
Prince echoed Sun Tzu’s philosophy:
“Men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared; fear is sustained by dread of punishment which will never abandon you.”
Machiavelli believed that all men would be wise to develop the character of a prince1.
“A leader will get ahead by being self-interested rather than caring about others; that it is more effective to be punishing as opposed to merciful. And that honesty has no real place in the halls of power. It is better to break promises if keeping them would thrawt his success.”
What would it be like if women’s stories, voices, and experiences were woven into the theories of power? What if women’s emotional intelligence, relational attributes, and roles as healers, nurturers, mothers, listeners, and teachers were revered and respected as valuable? Would the defining elements of power be more balanced, and inclusive, not a ‘single story’ as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes in her Ted Talk?2
New-thinking leaders would be bold and decisive but would regard violence as a tactic of cowards, and war as a lack of imagination. This approach to leadership would focus on collaboration, empathy, inclusion, and interconnectedness, emphasizing relational dynamics, intuition, and nurturing sustainable outcomes over dominance, control, and punishment. New-thinking leaders would seek to understand emotions rather than exploit them—to build trust through transparency and authenticity to foster collaboration that prioritizes long-term harmony and sustainability—ensuring the well-being of all.
One rabbit hole led me to the 100 Greatest Books in the Western Canon. I admit my boredom in presenting 91 titles by men and 9 by women (1792, long gap 1818, another long gap 1927) Women’s stories were not passed from generation to generation. In 1871 Middlemarch was written by Mary Ann Evans under the pen name of George Eliot. Nevertheless, the list shows how long it has taken for women to have their voices published in shaping the stories that define leadership and influence our internalized psychology, invisibility—and misogyny. This isn’t to say everyone colludes with the dominant narrative but to truly think and act differently, we must give equal—if not greater—attention to the world within us—as to the one that shapes us.
“Stories can break the dignity of a people… But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
To weave a more inclusive and sustainable story, we must commit to honest self-reflection, build compassionate community bridges, and nourish course corrections. Stories fortify our dignity, not only as individuals but as a collective.
Have a quick look at the collapsing canon. We have a ways to go—to weave our stories forward with all voices that shape narratives and inspire equal leadership—a renewed humanity. Most of these books are required reading in traditional educational systems, making impressions in the minds and hearts of our children and grandchildren.
Ancient and Classical Works
The Iliad – Homer
The Odyssey – Homer
The Aeneid – Virgil
The Republic – Plato
The Symposium – Plato
Nicomachean Ethics – Aristotle
Metaphysics – Aristotle
Oedipus Rex – Sophocles
Antigone – Sophocles
The Histories – Herodotus
The Peloponnesian War – Thucydides
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius
The Twelve Caesars – Suetonius
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans – Plutarch
Confessions – St. Augustine
The City of God – St. Augustine
Medieval and Renaissance Works
Beowulf – Anonymous
The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri
The Decameron – Giovanni Boccaccio
The Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer
The Prince – Niccolò Machiavelli
Utopia – Thomas More
The Essays – Michel de Montaigne
The Book of the Courtier – Baldassare Castiglione
The Early Modern Period
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Macbeth – William Shakespeare
King Lear – William Shakespeare
Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes
Paradise Lost – John Milton
Leviathan – Thomas Hobbes
Two Treatises of Government – John Locke
Principia Mathematica – Isaac Newton
Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
The Enlightenment
Candide – Voltaire
The Social Contract – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Wealth of Nations – Adam Smith
Critique of Pure Reason – Immanuel Kant
The Federalist Papers – Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman – Mary Wollstonecraft (1792): is a foundational feminist text and one of the earliest comprehensive arguments for gender equality. It addresses the social, political, and educational inequalities that subjugated women and prevented them from reaching their full potential. “Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.” Wollstonecraft regarded as "mother of feminism,” rejected the notion that women were naturally inferior to men. Instead, she attributed differences to social conditioning and lack of opportunity.
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men, but over themselves.” Wollstonecraft’s ideas about education, autonomy, and equality resonate in contemporary feminist thought. Her personal life, including her unconventional relationships and advocacy for sexual freedom, further reflected her commitment to challenging societal norms.
The 19th Century
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (1818): As the “mother” of science fiction, Shelley explores the consequences of unnatural creation and the abandonment of responsibility. Victor Frankenstein’s rejection of his creature can be seen as a metaphor for societal disregard for maternal and emotional labor performed by women. The novel critiques male ambition to control creation without acknowledging the nurturing responsibility traditionally assigned to women. Shelley’s work challenged the male-dominated literary sphere, proving an 18-year-old woman could tackle grand philosophical and scientific themes. The creature’s loneliness and rejection by society mirror the alienation often experienced by the marginalized within patriarchal structures. Shelley subtly critiques the societal ostracization of those who do not conform. Her cautionary tale reflects the dangers of unchecked ambition and exploitation, ideas that resonate with feminist critiques of patriarchal systems of control and dominance.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (1813): is a cornerstone of women’s literature and one of the most beloved novels in English literature. The novel is deeply subversive exploring gender, class, and personal agency. Austen critiques the societal pressures on women to marry for economic security rather than love. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Elizabeth Bennet is a feminist icon for her wit, intelligence, and refusal to compromise her values. She asserts her right to happiness on her terms—a new kind of heroine. Austen subtly critiques the power dynamics of wealth and inheritance that disenfranchised women, highlighting the Bennet sisters, who had no right to inherit their family estate. Her mastery of narrative voice, sharp humor, and social critique proved the value of women’s perspectives in literature, paving the way for future generations of female authors.
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850): is written from a male perspective that resonates with women. Hester defies societal norms by embracing her identity and raising her daughter as a single mother while being ostracized. Her strength and moral integrity challenge the rigid, patriarchal values of her community. Hester transforms the symbol of her shame (the scarlet "A" for Adultery) into one of strength and individuality. She represents resilience and the ability to redefine societal judgment. The novel exposes the double standards and hypocrisy of a patriarchal society that punishes Hester while excusing or concealing the sins of men, like Reverend Dimmesdale. Surprise!
Moby-Dick – Herman Melville
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Les Misérables – Victor Hugo
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë (1847): Jane Eyre, the protagonist, defies societal expectations by asserting her independence and prioritizing her inner values over external pressures. She confronts the limitations imposed by class, gender, and personal trauma to discover her true self. Jane grapples with rejection, isolation, and the darker aspects of her relationships, particularly with Mr. Rochester whose acknowledgment of his flaws leads to his redemption. The novel critiques patriarchal systems by highlighting Jane’s resistance to being controlled or diminished—whether by Rochester’s wealth and power or St. John Rivers’s cold, missionary zeal. Jane chooses a path of authenticity and equality, reclaiming feminine power and rejecting oppressive structures. Jane Eyre’s journey speaks to dismantling old power structures and embracing the integration of masculine and feminine energies in transformative ways.
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë (1847): is a gothic masterpiece exploring love, obsession, revenge, and the destructive forces of unintegrated passion. The characters (especially Heathcliff and Catherine) embody unhealed wounds, unchecked desires, and the havoc caused by unresolved shadow aspects. Their toxic bond highlights the dangers of failing to confront inner turmoil. This novel critiques rigid class structures and patriarchal dominance, showing how they fuel conflict and suffering. Catherine Earnshaw defies societal norms, yet her inability to reconcile her desires with her circumstances leads to tragedy. The generational consequences of her choices reflect the importance of integrating feminine and masculine energies. The novel’s exploration of unrestrained emotions and power struggles makes it a compelling study of the human psyche and the consequences of unexamined drives.
On the Origin of Species – Charles Darwin
Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche
***Middlemarch – George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans): 1871–1872 (found later) is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and insightful novels ever written. It explores a wide array of social, political, and personal themes, focusing particularly on the challenges and constraints faced by women in 19th-century England. Eliot (writing as a woman under a male pseudonym) brings a unique perspective, portraying women’s inner lives, ambitions, and disappointments with unmatched depth. “She was always trying to shape her life according to some noble, inward ideal, and yet she could never quite determine how it ought to be shaped.” Evan’s compassion for characters like Dorothea and Rosamond Vincy underscores her awareness of women’s complex realities. Virginia Woolf famously called Middlemarch “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.”
The 20th Century
The Waste Land – T.S. Eliot
Ulysses – James Joyce
To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf (1927): A modernist novel exploring time, memory, and gender dynamics—the fleeting nature of human experience and the creative process. It examines the domestic roles imposed on women and the sacrifices made for family and society, contrasting these with the longing for self-expression and artistic freedom.
A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf (1929): A foundational feminist essay arguing that women need financial independence and personal space to create art and thrive intellectually. “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Advocates for women’s autonomy in a world dominated by male privilege, calling out systemic inequalities in literature, education, and opportunity.
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
1984 – George Orwell
The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
The Stranger – Albert Camus
Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel García Márquez
Beloved – Toni Morrison (1987): is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that explores the haunting legacy of slavery through the story of Sethe, an escaped enslaved woman, and the ghost of her dead daughter, Beloved. Examines the sacrifices and devastating choices women make to protect their children, particularly under oppressive systems like slavery. Centers Black women’s voices and experiences, bringing the psychological scars of slavery into intimate, personal focus. Celebrates the strength of women as they confront pain, reclaim agency, and seek community. Morrison’s lyrical prose and focus on generational trauma make Beloved a cornerstone of feminist and African American literature.
Philosophical and Political Works
The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Beyond Good and Evil – Friedrich Nietzsche
Being and Time – Martin Heidegger
Civilization and Its Discontents – Sigmund Freud
The Second Sex – Simone de Beauvoir (1949) A foundational feminist text, this philosophical work examines the historical, cultural, and social construction of women’s roles and experiences. De Beauvoir famously declared, “One is not born, but rather becomes—a woman.”
Existentialism Is a Humanism – Jean-Paul Sartre
Religious and Theological Texts
The Bible (King James Version or other translations)
The Qur'an
Summa Theologica – St. Thomas Aquinas
Scientific Works
On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres – Nicolaus Copernicus
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions – Thomas Kuhn
A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking
Modern and Postmodern Works
The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison
Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut
Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
On the Road – Jack Kerouac
Other Influential Texts
The Art of War – Sun Tzu
The Tao Te Ching – Laozi
The Bhagavad Gita – Ancient Indian Epic
The Book of Genesis – From the Bible
Meditations on First Philosophy – René Descartes
Notable Poetry Collections
Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman
The Sonnets – William Shakespeare
The Poems of Emily Dickinson (1890 Posthumously): Emily Dickinson’s poetry is celebrated for its innovative style, brevity, and profound exploration of themes such as death, nature, love, spirituality, and selfhood. Dickinson’s use of unconventional punctuation, short lines, and slant rhyme defied the rigid poetic norms of her time, paving the way for modernist poetry. Her introspective work focuses on personal experiences, isolation, and the complexity of womanhood, making her a timeless voice for women seeking to understand their inner worlds. Living a reclusive life, Dickinson rejected societal norms, creating a body of work that she unapologetically owned—even if unpublished in her lifetime. “I’m nobody! Who are you?” “Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me.”
Divine Songs – William Blake
Nonfiction and Essays
Democracy in America – Alexis de Tocqueville
Walden – Henry David Thoreau
The Souls of Black Folk – W.E.B. Du Bois (1903): became a cornerstone for the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring future leaders and thinkers. It established Du Bois as one of the greatest intellectuals of his time and continues to be studied for its insights into identity, culture, and systemic inequality. Du Bois introduced the concept of double consciousness, describing the internal conflict experienced by African Americans who see themselves through both their eyes and the lens of a society that devalues them. “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” The book celebrates the depth of African American culture while critiquing the systemic racism and inequality that suppress it. The Souls of Black Folk is both a critique of the failures of Reconstruction and a call to action for systemic reform: education, voting rights, and ending racial prejudice. Du Bois masterfully weaves personal narrative, historical analysis, and poetic language, creating a work that transcends genres and speaks to the human condition.
Literary Criticism
Poetics – Aristotle
An Apology for Poetry – Sir Philip Sidney
Drama
A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams
The Cherry Orchard – Anton Chekhov
Additional Black Authors in the Western Canon:
• Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845). His autobiography details his journey from slavery to freedom and is a foundational text in abolitionist literature.
• James Baldwin (1924–1987) Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953). Baldwin’s works explore race, sexuality, and identity with unmatched lyrical power and psychological depth.
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). A groundbreaking novel centered on a Black woman’s journey toward independence and self-discovery.
• Ralph Ellison (1914–1994) Invisible Man (1952). A cornerstone of American literature that examines race, identity, and invisibility in a racially divided society.
• Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784): The first published African American poet (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral).
• Maya Angelou (1928–2014): I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), a memoir of resilience and self-expression.
• Richard Wright (1908–1960): Native Son (1940), exploring systemic racism and its psychological toll.
I acknowledge the limits of this essay:
This book list does not include the essential voices of queer, gay, non-binary, trans people, or all races and ethnic groups. This omission stems from the boundaries of my experience as a fluid white woman with a non-binary child and a queer daughter. A trusted source reminded me this lies beyond the scope of my perspective.
The Western canon is foundational and does not reflect an inclusive lived experience. From Mary Wollstonecraft’s rallying cry for women’s rights to Toni Morrison’s haunting exploration of generational trauma, these works remind us that literature is a mirror of society’s triumphs and failings. This canon—“the dead white man’s curriculum” is not a fixed entity but a living dialogue—and it is up to us to ensure it continues to expand to include all human voices—to transform and weave our story forward.
Most frequently banned books in 2023-2024:
These bans often target works that address themes of race, gender, sexuality, and social issues. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult; Looking for Alaska by John Green; The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Tricks by Ellen Hopkins; Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood; A Court of Thorns and Roses" series by Sarah J. Maas; Forever... by Judy Blume; The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison; All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
Becoming Aware of the Monster Within.
The Swiss Psychologist C. G. JUNG uses the term shadow work to describe the inner work of bringing the unconscious to consciousness.
A Definitive Guide to Jung and Shadow Work:
“It’s always standing right behind us, just out of view. In any direct light, we cast a shadow. The shadow is a psychological term for everything we can’t see in ourselves. Most of us go to great lakes to protect our self-image from anything unflattering or unfamiliar. All we deny in ourselves—whatever we perceive as inferior, evil, unacceptable—becomes part of the shadow. The shadow is the disowned self.”
What happens to all the parts of ourselves—the qualities we deny ourselves—we see them in others. This is referred to as projection. We project onto others anything we bury within ourselves. Psychological projections distort reality, creating a thick boundary between how we view ourselves and how we behave in reality.
I suggest the work of Jungian Analyst Marion Woodman.
Woodman’s books offer profound insights into shadow work, feminine power, and the transformation of outdated paradigms from a conscious feminine perspective3.
“Whenever we refuse to accept something as a part of us, we project that something onto others. A projection is like an arrow that flies out of your unconscious and finds it’s mark in someone out there… JUNG pointed out that our projections are like treasures that we believe other people have and that we want badly for ourselves. Withdrawing our projections let’s just claim those treasures.” —Marion Woodman
See the piece I wrote called:
Tender Solitude
If you’ve woken early, just before the dawn breaks, you may have noticed how the darkest time of the night is immediately before dawn.
Tender Solitude: a Simple Intention to Linger—a gentle way to practice befriending the unconscious.
Jung encouraged us to bring the hidden parts of ourselves into the light—to understand them, own them, admit them, and transform them. In the light of awareness, what is distorted can heal and return to its natural state. We learn to take responsibility for our problems rather than projecting them onto others. While it may feel easier or less threatening to blame someone or something else—true empowerment comes from owning all of our parts.
This has been the hardest and most satisfying aspect of my personal growth, aided by tools like dreamwork and the weariness and worry of denial and projections. Over time, my spiritual practice has expanded to include every aspect of life. I recall an epiphany that struck me:
“Now that you consider yourself awake, you have to make the bed you slept in, turn on all the lights—look into the closets and corners to uncover what’s been shunned, rejected, exiled—left out of your home coming party and befriend it.”
Taking responsibility for how we collude with the old school of power and keep the rules of patriarchy alive—is one example of shadow work. It takes courage to unpack the mess we find ourselves in—cleanse, rinse, repair, and course correct. But is it worth it? Absolutely—to claim the treasure of our birthright—to stop believing that others have what we want for ourselves—to stop projecting onto men and instead unearth our feminine power and partner with men to create changes that make life better for everyone. In the transformative process—we learn to lead and wield power in new and inclusive ways.
What resonates most with you about this essay/report?
What is a favorite book that you suggest we add to the canon?
If you have a brief description, and date published—I’d love to add it to our canon.
Thank you! 🌙✨
with love,
Prajna O’Hara, The Salty Crone
Leave a heart 💚 comment. Circle a while, for your belong and I want to hear your story.
P.S. Over the past few months I have received many new subscribers. Welcome. Sometimes I see that another substack has recommended my substack. I may miss some of you but know that I appreciate any time someone shares my work.
Thank you to:
I encourage you to explore the goodies on their Substacks!
Elizabeth Lesser, Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, The Human Story Changes. Harper Wave, 2020.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED
Marion Woodman: The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological Transformation (1985); Addiction to Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride (1982); Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness (1996, co-written with Elinor Dickson); Leaving My Father’s House: A Journey to Conscious Femininity (1992); The Ravaged Bridegroom: Masculinity in Women (1990)
Yes, I agree with you. Unsettling to see the historical gaps and how dominant white mans experience/privilege has been unchallenged. Yes I think we need to consistently center minority voices. Women definitely have worked so hard, sacrifice so much and it will not go to waste. Thank you so much for stopping by and reading.
Thank you!