Emma Woodhouse. She’s smart, confident, caring, honest, knows her role in society, and able to learn from her mistakes.
Esme Weatherwax is my current favorite, but Harriet the Spy (author?) is still my favorite from childhood.
Violet from “Shakespeare in Love” is worth mentioning, as are all of the smart women from Jane Austen.
Harriet Vane, the mystery writer in Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Peter Whimsy novels is also a great female character.
Another vote for Granny Weatherwax.
Amelia Peabody (by Elizabeth Peters)
There is none better than the funky bounty hunter with attitude, Stephanie Plum. You can catch her in a series of books by Janet Evanovich.
she kicks ass…
I’ll agree with that. I’m rereading the first two in preparation for the imminent release of Book 3. Then it’s back to review the last few Jordan books in preparation for November’s release of his Book 9. Sigh. So much reading, so little time.
FairyPrincessKitty - definitely read the second book.
alot of my favourites have already been posted (Cordelia Naismith, Polgara, & Paks) but my current fav is Honor Harrington who is from a Sci-Fi series by David Weber.
I could name several others but my books are still packed away:(
TopazAntares mentioned Lessa of Pern… I do love that character and at times I feel like I’m channelling Lessa, or at least her gentler, more maternal side (to the extent she could be said to have a gentler side…). But out of this series I still have a soft spot for Menolly, probably because I found the Harper Hall books when I was fifteen, had outgrown Pippi Longstocking and all the other young girl heroines but still needed to read of a strong girl my age.
The title character of Sigrid Undset’s historical trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter is also a fascinating character, but I find myself admiring her mother Ragnfrid more and more.
Scout, from To Kill a Mockingbird.
Meg Murray, from A Wrinkle in Time.
Lois, from Malcolm in the Middle.
Dido, mythical founder of Carthage.
Myrna Minkoff, from A Confederacy of Dunces.
Liza Doolittle, from Pygmaleon.
Margaret Sullivan’s character in Shop Around the Corner.
I’m sure there are more, but these are all I can think of right now. I’m not at all into fantasy or science fiction, so that’s probably why I run aground when it comes to conjuring lists of heroines. My interest in formula fiction is pretty much confined to old movies.
Oh, yeah, Stephanie Plum is great, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the funky, funny, kick-ass private investigator named after me (not really, but I was here first), Kinsey Milhone, of the A is for Alibi series by Sue Grafton.
Also, I’ll always love Scout of To Kill A Mockingbird and Francie Nolan of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, my all-time favorite book.
Another vote for Stephanie Plum. Kinsey was great for about the first 5 or 6 books, but she’s gotten pretty moribund lately.
Stephanie is just a hoot and she blows up about six cars per book.
I’d have to say Egwene al’Vere from the Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan. Of all the characters, I feel she is the most round, especially in the most current books, where she
developes herself as Amyrlin Seat in the rebel Tower.
I would say Nynaeve, but I don’t think she’s nearly as round as Egwene.
[hijack] I’ve heard a rumor that Moiraine might be coming back in book 9 with the help of fireworks. Does anyone know how accurate this rumor is?[/hijack]
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Scully yet.
hmmm…
Toda Mariko Buntaro from James Clavell’s SHOGUN
The American Maid from The Tick (thats my mom, she throws shoes)
and
SHE-HULK. Yea i know her own book sucked but i just loved her when she was with the Avengers 
First, a slight disagreement on the Peter David written book for “She-Hulk.” Hilarious series that had some real fun with the whole superhero genre. C’mon, where else could you see a seven-foot-tall green woman who refused to wear a costume, opting instead for business suits? Great play with the fourth wall concept, especially the time she tried to climb out of the page when she argued with the writing.
As for a favorite heroine, that would be Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, from Diane Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series. Smart, acerbic, loving, courageous and with enough personal demons to be any one of us. Great series with a great heroine.
Ah, good one. I had forgotten her. I’ll also go with Elizabeth Bennett, Buffy Summers (and Willow Rosenberg,) Kinsey Milhone, and Amelia Peabody Emerson. Now for some of my own, but first some definitions -
IMO, a heroine needs to be active in the story, and she needs to be heroic. So anti-heroines (do we have that many?) and strong villains aren’t applicable here (so no Lady Kaede, or Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth.) With that in mind -
“History may not have been like this, but it should have been” - Helena Justina in Lindsey Davis’ Marcus Didius Falco ancient Rome series. Witty, active, loyal, shy, brave, beautiful, and half of the detection in the series. Also a big appetite for books, jokes, and sex (with Marcus.)
“No, we’re not all Fran Drescher” - Asst DA Tess Kaufman, from Marlee Matlin’s short-lived series Reasonable Doubts. No, it wasn’t the best tv I’ve ever seen, but it was a mitzvah (IMHO) to see an attractive, non stereotype/NYC/JAP* Jewish woman who quietly integrated her Judaism into her life. And professional, intelligent, and caring.
Viola in Twelfth Night - the heroine of my favorite Shakespeare play, so she has to be included in my list.
Hapgood in Tom Stoppard’s Hapgood. Fascinating woman in a fascinating play.
Cinnamon Carter in Mission: Impossible. If you catch the little bits of characterization the show throws in, you can infer that she was the toughest/most suited to the spy work of the bunch. Moves on an equal frame with the guys, and takes the same risks as them without a question.
And finally - Sgt. Kay Howard. She’s not aiming to be one of the boys (although she can be,) she’s aiming to beat the boys (of her Baltimore Homicide Squad.) She’s ambitious, but she has the abilities to prove it (and the best case closure rate of the series - 100%.) She dresses the way she wants to dress, goes without makeup when she feels like it, and brags about her lovelife (when she has one) with the best of them.
*By the way, I’ve met many Jewish women from NYC and the NYC area, and none of the ones I know confirm to the JAP stereotype.
Christa Crutaire from Gael Baudino’s novel “Gossamer Axe”
Penelope and Circe from The Odyssey
Elizabeth Bennett (Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice”)
Effie from “The Maltese Falcon”
Cordelia Gray from P.D. James’ novels “An Unsuitable Job for a Woman” and “The Skull Beneath the Skin”
Leiko Wu from the old Master of Kung Fu comic
Nova Kane from the E-Man comic
Sand Serif and Silk Satin from The Spirit
Two Doc Savage heroines: Hannah the pirate from “Mystery on Happy Bones” and Toni Lash from “The Devil Genghis”
Clarice Starling
Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear and its sequels.
Commander Susan Ivanova. Tough. Dedicated. Beautiful. Three-dimensional (this is rare in female tv/movie characters…)
Two quotes to back up my opinion:
“I am Susan Ivanova, Commander. Daughter of Andre and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that is going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, goddammit! I am death incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see. God sent me.”
Captain Sheridan: “Are you trying to cheer me up?”
Susan Ivanova: “No sir, wouldn’t dream of it.”
Sheridan: “Good, I hate being cheered up.”
Ivanova: “In that case we’re all going to die slow, agonizing deaths.”
Sheridan: “Thank you, I feel so much better now.”
I’ll have to agree with Blue Three and go with Ayla. A most resourceful woman.
Molly Bloom, Joyce’s Ulysses
Death, as characterized by Neil Gaiman in Sandman
Molly, also by Neil Gaiman in the Books of Magic