She Hated Men as a Class

The Bostonians 

by Henry James

“She thought him very handsome as he said this, but reflected that unfortunately men didn't care for the truth, especially the new kinds, in proportion as they were good-looking. She had, however, a moral resource that should always fall back upon; it had already been a comfort to her, on occasions of acute feeling, that she hated men, as a class anyway.”   ― Henry James, The Bostonians

To give a fair synopsis of The Bostonians, the three main characters—Verena Tarrant, Olive Chancellor, and Basil Ransom—are the focus of in-depth analysis and discussion, with a special emphasis on their perspectives. All three are young adults without children, and the two ladies, along with most of the other characters, are from Boston. With long pauses in New York and on Cape Cod, most of the action takes place in Boston.

The reader may notice that the characteristics of "proper Bostonians" have not changed much, despite the fact that this is set in the late 1870s. I will admit that I saw a lot of this as ironic satire, but still satire. According to historian Paul Jehle, even after the Puritans rejected Christian orthodoxy, they continued to act in ways consistent with their Puritan upbringing. They were searching for fresh mental exercises. They conducted experiments with various philosophies and religions. And they were still looking for causes to advocate for and believe in. 

This early work by James is a good candidate for someone who is not familiar with his novels.