Which feminist literary heroine are you?

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die... By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.”

Charlotte is cool, collected, and ever so practical, relying on her cleverness and her skills to get by in life. A bloodthirsty and beautiful artist, this spider commands the entire story – and manages to create a miracle in a bid to save her best friend’s life. Through her web weaving, she manages to make the humans see Wilbur as he truly is: a terrific and radiant pig – and, in her dying moments, motivates herself to write the word that will save the piglet’s life. In doing so, she taught us that compassion, love, and courage are the basis of true strength. And, you know, made us cry a thousand tears, too.

“I can’t be having with that.”

Esme Weatherwax is one of Terry Pratchett’s most brilliant creations – and the moral conscience of the witching business. If you want something done properly, just pay a visit to Granny; she’s battled everything from vampires to masked opera ghosts, and she’s always come out on top. Yes, she can be tad dismissive of “soft-headed” romantics – and, yeah, she can be more than a little crotchety (the trolls refer to her as “She Who Must Be Avoided”). But, underneath all the hobnailed boots, glacial glances, and tough no-nonsense thinking, beats a heart of pure and shining gold. All hail the Doyenne of the Lancre Witches!

“Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.”

The books may be named after Harry Potter, but the Boy Who Lived wouldn’t have got very far without his quick-thinking best friend. Hermione is very logical, upright, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things wizarding-based. No small feat, considering she was raised in an all-Muggle household. But Hermione isn’t just about books and cleverness; oh no! Despite her insecurities, she’s endlessly brave, wildly funny, and wonderfully kind, too. She fiercely campaigns on behalf of downtrodden House Elves, teaches vindictive tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter a valuable lesson, joins the battle against Voldemort, and defends her friends until the end. In short, she’s the ultimate literary heroine – or, to coin Ron’s phrase, she’s bloody brilliant.

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

Lizzie Bennett is courageous, smart, and playful. Best of all, she knows what she wants from life – no small feat, considering she’s been raised in the 19th century, when women were expected to seek a marriage of convenience for economic security. Instead of bowing to societal pressures, Lizzie continues to speak her mind, and turns down not just one, but two, unsatisfactory proposals. And, when she realises she has allowed her pride and prejudice to affect her judgement, Lizzie is all too willing to own up to her mistakes; she is strong enough to admit her faults without wallowing them, instead taking the opportunity to improve her attitude and become an even better person than before. All hail Lizzie!

"It's bad enough to be a girl anyway, when I like boys' games and work and manners! I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy; and it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with Papa, and I can only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman.”

Jo is everyone’s favourite Little Woman – and for good reason. She’s smart, impulsive, argumentative, and, unlike her female contemporaries, refuses to be bullied into a marriage of convenience. Instead, Jo prefers to “throw away perfectly good proposals” and follow her dreams to New York, where she throws herself into her writing and meets all manner of interesting people. But, while Jo is her father’s “wild girl”, she’s also incredibly selfless and kind; she chops off all her hair to raise some cash, dives into an icy lake to rescue Amy, rushes home to care for ailing Beth, fiercely defends Meg’s honour, and uses her inheritance to set up a wonderful school that’s open to anyone who’s willing to learn. Oh Jo, we love you so.

"Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it's unbelievable."

Matilda is Roald Dahl’s most enduring creation, and it’s easy to see why we’re so in love with this bold little bookworm. She’s clever, and fearless, and unwilling to accept the restrictions placed on her gender. Instead, she turns to her local library for inspiration, and overcomes adversity by reading books. In her literary pursuits, she develops a thirst for adventure, hones her moral compass, and teaches herself to make miracle happens wherever she goes. It is her kindness, however, that makes her our hero; we love how fiercely she fights injustice – and how she uses her powers to rescue those around her when they need her most. We’d definitely want Matilda on our side if we went into battle with the Trunchbull.