The first part of this paper gives a theoretical-historical overview of two periods in the Croatian literature, namely the Proto-Realism and Realism. The authors who created their works in these two periods are presented, as well as their works. Moreover, the magazines that published the authors’ works in installments are mentioned. Historical and political circumstances that influenced further literary development of each author are also described in the first part of the paper. Realism is marked by the rule of Khuen-Héderváry and his enforcement of Hungarization and Germanization. Consequently, advocacy and promotion of national identity is an inevitable theme in some novels. Themes described by the authors are divided into three separate sections. The first one is related to social themes of a particular author’s native region. The second deals with social problems of the Croatian society in the 1880s and 1890s. Finally, the third sectiondescribes the downfall of the Croatian nobility. After the first theoretical-historical part, the second part of the paper displays an overview of Krešimir Nemec’s article: A Hearth Keeper, a Saint, a Vamp. The Image of a Woman in the Croatian Literature of the 19th Century. The article lists four types of female characters; a persecuted innocence (home angel), a fatal woman (femme fatale), femme fragile, and a subversive woman on the path to self-awareness. This paper explains each type separately and then approaches the analysis of female characters and gives citations from the following novels: The Goldsmiths’ Treasure (Dora and Klara), Branka, In the Registrar’s Office (Laura and Anica), and The Last Stipančićs (Lucija). Citations from the short story Tena are also included. The backbone of this paper was comparison of a selected character with the features listed in Nemec's and Buzov's articles. We note that characters do not have to meet all the features in order to belong to a particular type. Accordingly, Tena, although a fatal woman, finds love, and both Klara’s and Lucija's physical appearance in some segments differs from the established features of the type of character to which they belong.