The 20th century English literary works have become an important arena to discuss the changing definition of womanhood and the intricacies of women's lives in modern society. Many of the modern novels showcase women as active protagonists who defy the norms of patriarchy, face challenges to identity and assert their independence in various social and cultural settings, as opposed to the passive or marginal representations which have been traditionally portrayed. This research is on the portrayal of the female identity in some of the contemporary English novels in the light of feminist literary theory. It studies the representation of themes of gender, agency, resistance, selfhood, empowerment and the representation of issues related to discrimination, cultural expectations, family relations and social inequality by women writers. The article also explores the ways in which these narratives challenge dominant gender myths and help to shape the feminist conversation by providing new conceptions of womanhood. Using text analysis and feminist criticism, the study illustrates how the status of women changes in the English novel as it develops throughout the centuries and how it acts as a cultural critique and social transformation tool. The results indicate that the re-writing of the female identity in modern fiction is an ongoing process of re-defining the role, voice and expectations of women in the fast-changing world; therefore, these texts have significant contributions to the feminist studies and modern literature studies.
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