Chapter three shifts towards the contemporary period of children’s literature with analyses of Murder is Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens, and My Name is Mina by David Almond, and argues that the contemporary notion of girlhood is characterised by the apparently contradictory idea of permitted transgression. The second chapter considers the mid-twentieth century and argues for a tentative aesthetic of liberation, substantiated through analyses of the St Clare’s and Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton, and A Little Love Song by Michelle Magorian. It is argued that these stories represent an attempt to mediate between an unorthodox idea of girlhood and an Arcadian stereotype whilst effectively rendering neither. The opening chapter considers the Golden Age of children’s literature, and investigates The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and four of Angela Brazil’s most typical school stories: The Fortunes of Philippa, For the Sake of the School, The Mystery of the Moated Grange and The School in the Forest. This thesis argues that the representation of both the ‘girl’ and ‘girlhood’ within children’s literature can be best understood through a reading of space and place.
In it, I write about Angela Brazil, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Michelle Magorian, Enid Blyton, Robin Stevens, and David Almond. It’s called A Space To Be Herself : Locating Girlhood In Children’s Literature and is available to download here. So, on that note, here’s a brief note to say that my MPhil thesis is officially on public view from today. Obviously I believe in a lot of things, but I think that’s the one that underpins everything. If I believe in anything, I believe in making my research publicly accessible when and where I can.
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