Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence

Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence explores the paradox of the nineteenth-century girls book, which frames female adolescence as an opportunity for productive investment in the self but also provides access to imagined worlds in which teens are at the center. It reframes our understanding of the history of the girls book and provides insightful readings of forgotten bestsellers, outlining an alternate model for imagining adolescence and supporting adolescent girls.

Format: Hardback
Length: 158 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2021
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence delves into the intriguing paradox of the nineteenth-century girls book. On the one hand, early novels aimed at adolescent girls often perpetuate gender binaries, suggesting that girls must conform to and support a patriarchal framework to find happiness. On the other hand, they offer glimpses into imagined worlds where teens take center stage. The early girls book portrays female adolescence as a valuable period for self-investment. Within this realm, mentors who possess self-confidence, provide quality education, and believe in the inherent goodness of the girls help alleviate their anxieties about maturity.

These mid-nineteenth-century novels uniquely approach female adolescence as a social category, deviating from the twentieth-century portrayal of alienated adolescents. Instead, they emphasize collaborative growth. The primary objective of these novels is to offer a fresh perspective on adolescence, one that celebrates fluid identity and the deliberate construction of a self. They challenge cultural beliefs about the experiences of white, middle-class girls in the nineteenth century and provide alternatives to the notion that the evolution of the girls book invariably leads to less sexist and more inclusive images of girls.

By drawing on best-selling novels from both the United States and Germany (known as Backfischliteratur), Transforming Girls offers a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the history of the girls book. It provides insightful readings of forgotten bestsellers and sheds light on the lesser-known contributions of female authors. Moreover, it presents an alternative model for envisioning adolescence and supporting adolescent girls.

In the mid-nineteenth century, a prevalent character in fiction for girls was the awkward adolescent girl. This portrayal reflected the societal pressures.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496836267