History Main / SpiritedYoungLady

* ''Anime/AkageNoAnne'': No one can put a damper on Anne or tell her what to do - once she's made up her mind she's made up her mind. The biggest example of this would be when Gilbert called her "carrots" so she broke her slate over his head - Mr. Phillips tried to get Anne to behave by making her sit with Gilbert, but instead she decided she'd never attend school again.

** Monica is a strange case. She does have the guts to pooh-pooh stiff propriety whenever it's necessary and my does she speak her mind; however, she knowingly play-pretends to be a fragile flower for her husband, and seems enthusiastic about getting rid of Victorian fashions and customs in India - and then again, she's a tiger when it comes to some young man breaking her dear little sister's heart.

%% * ''Literature/AmeliaPeabody''. Definitely. (Aside from being a little long in the tooth - early 30s at the start of her series.)

* Lady Barbara Wellesley from the ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' book series. Although she's out of the 16 - 25 age bracket, she fits all the other qualifications. She's traveling without a male companion, doesn't mind the tiny accommodations, and is basically described as being so capable that it aggravates Hornblower, who thinks that a properly feminine woman should at least be a little incompetent.

* ''Literature/ChaletSchool'': Mary-Lou Trelawney has some Spirited Young Lady tendencies - she's notorious for saying whatever pops into her head and getting away with it, and unlike many other girls, she's more interested in a career than marriage. She's mischievous, has her own clique, and sometimes breaks the rules, but isn't malicious with it.

* In ''Literature/ARoomWithAView'', Lucy Honeychurch is a naive but somewhat adventurous young woman who has fewer inhibitions than her cousin Charlotte and enjoys the way in which George Emerson and his father both flout convention. Although she is living in an era (the Edwardian times) in which women could have slightly more freedom and independence than previously, she is still chafing at the carryover from the Victorian times manifesting in some of those around her - particularly her stuffy fiance Cecil.

** Raised at court and the stepdaughter of a noblewoman, Kate is well educated and knows how to be a lady of society. Yet, she has a wild streak and does unladylike activities such as hunting and solo horseback riding. She is competitive, sharp-tongued, fiery, and quickly established as a rule breaker with little regard for propriety -- she is first introduced riding astride unchaperoned with her leg exposed. She also doesn't mind being considered a spinster as she is aware of [[spoiler: her commoner status]] and never intended to marry.
---> '''Anthony''': From the moment I saw you riding [[LonersAreFreaks alone in that park, it was obvious that rules are meaningless to you]].\\
'''Kate''': Oh, you and your rules.

** Monica is a queer case. She does have the guts to pooh-pooh stiff propriety whenever it's necessary and my does she speak her mind; however, she knowingly play-pretends to be a fragile flower for her husband, and seems enthusiastic about getting rid of Victorian fashions and customs in India - and then again, she's a tiger when it comes to some young man breaking her dear little sister's heart.

** Despite she's blue-blooded, Eloise tends to dislike societal functions. She's not interested in marrying; she prefers reading books, dreaming of attending university, writing in her diary, and investigating the identity of the mysterious Lady Whistledown as opposed to doing more proper things.

--> '''Anthony''': From the moment I saw you riding [[LonersAreFreaks alone in that park, it was obvious that rules are meaningless to you]].
--> '''Kate''': Oh, you and your rules.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the main characters' ancestor Sun Yee was {{implied|Trope}} to have been one in her youth. Judging by her and her daughters' clothing, she must have lived some point during China's UsefulNotes/MingDynasty (1368-1644). However, in spite of living in a historically misogynistic time period where women were seen as inferior and their education was often not prioritized, Sun Yee is also described to be a scholar and a poet, implying she was more educated than most women were in her time.

%% * ''Literature/DoctorSyn'' novels:

* ''Literature/TheVirginWidow'': Anne O'Brien's historical novel is told from the point of view of Anne Neville and focuses on her romance with her future second husband, UsefulNotes/RichardIII. Anne is portrayed as more intelligent than most people credit her for and spirited enough to stand up to formidable people like Edward IV and Margaret of Anjou. However, her refusal to marry Richard when she believes Richard only wants her fortune, is portrayed as naive as she needs a protector. Fortunately, however, Richard does love her and he appreciates her backbone.

%% * The title character from Lisa See's ''Literature/PeonyInLove'' is very much a Spirited Young Lady, [[spoiler:even after she dies and becomes a ghost.]]

* ''Literature/TheVirginWidow'': Anne O'Brien's historical novel is told from the point of view of Anne Neville and focuses on her romance with her future second husband, UserNotes/RichardIII. Anne is portrayed as more intelligent than most people credit her for and spirited enough to stand up to formidable people like Edward IV and Margaret of Anjou. However, her refusal to marry Richard when she believes Richard only wants her fortune, is portrayed as naive as she needs a protector. Fortunately, however, Richard does love her and he appreciates her backbone.