Types of English Children's Literature: Fiction Story Books--Gender


Figure 1.--This illustration is from "Every Girls Story Book" which seems to have been published in the 1930s shows that there were adventure stories in the girl's story vooks as well. Often but not always it was the boy characters rhat were the most valaint. The wonderful but unlikely illustration of a boy (Jack) heroically fighting off a giant squid with a huge knife to save a damsel in distress is from a story titled 'The Wreck'. I'm not sure who the author was. Note the Wellington boots.

Some of the story books were written specifically for boys and others for girls. Often they were written with material both boys and girls could enjoy. Some looked raher like the "Boys' or Girls' Own" papers and annuals, only they were only composed of stories and did not have the other material like games and activities that were in these publications. Of course the boys' story books tended to be much heavoer on the adventure stories, that does not mean that there were also not adventure stories in the girl's story books as well. Often but not always it was the boy characters that were the most valaint. We find this a little surprising. As the author, did not delve into girl's litterature much as a boy in the 1940s. While girls might peak at boys' books, no self respecting boy would be caight dead looking at a girls' book. So as an adult, I was somewhat surprised to find that even in girls' books, it was the boys who took the valiant or dominant role. The gorls in many of these books are depicted as the weak featute needing to be resuced, or at least taking a back seat in the plot. Of course we have just begun our assessment and perghaps the prelimaray material we have fouynd here is mislakeading. Also there may have been chronological shodts in plot lines. Hopefully our HBC ladt yreaders will set us straight in this regard.

Gender Focus

Some of the story books were written specifically for boys and others for girls. Often they were written with material both boys and girls could enjoy. Some looked rather like the "Boys' or Girls' Own" papers and annuals, only they were only composed of stories and did not have the other material like games and activities that were in these publications. Here we are no positive how this trend varied over time, as to how the popularity of mixed and opposed to specific gender story books. There were also probably differebces as to the age of the chidren involved. All thes are issues we have not yet begun to assess.

Story Focus

Of course the boys' story books tended to be much heavier on the adventure stories, that does not mean that there were also not adventure stories in the girl's story books as well. We do not yet have sufficent information on girls' story books to reasonably assess their focus. We suspect that they may lean heavily on stories about princesses, but here we require more information than we now have.

Titles

A HBC reader has provioded us infornation on one fascinating girls story book, Every Girls Story Book which was an annual. We are not sure of the date that the issue provided was published, it looks rather like the 1930s. There were many more titles, both for mixed gender and specific gender story books. We will add some representaive tiles here as examples

Gender Role Depiction

Often but not always it was the boy characters that were the most valiant. We find this a little surprising. As the author, did not dealve into girl's literature nmuch as a boy in the 1940s. As an adult, I was somewhat surprised to find that even in girls' books, it was the boys who took the valiant or dominant role. The girls in many of these books are depicted as the weak figure needing to be resuced, or at least taking a back seat in the plot or activity depicted. Note the boy's valiant role in the illustration here and the girl's meek role. (We will ignore the fact that the boy is not showing an overabundance of intelect in that all they have to do is stepmaway from the dick.) Of course we have just begun our assessment and perhaps the prelimaray material we have found here is misleading. Also there may have been chronological shifts in plot lines. Hopefully our HBC lady readers will set us straight in this regard.






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Created: March 6, 2003
Last updated: March 14, 2003