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From Colonial to Modern

Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Literature, 1840-1940

Kristine Moruzi author Michelle J Smith author Clare Bradford author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of Toronto Press

Published:11th Apr '18

Should be back in stock very soon

From Colonial to Modern cover

Through a comparison of Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand texts published between 1840 and 1940, From Colonial to Modern develops a new history of colonial girlhoods revealing how girlhood in each of these emerging nations reflects a unique political, social, and cultural context.

Print culture was central to the definition, and redefinition, of colonial girlhood during this period of rapid change. Models of girlhood are shared between settler colonies and contain many similar attitudes towards family, the natural world, education, employment, modernity, and race, yet, as the authors argue, these texts also reveal different attitudes that emerged out of distinct colonial experiences. Unlike the imperial model representing the British ideal, the transnational girl is an adaptation of British imperial femininity and holds, for example, a unique perception of Indigenous culture and imperialism. Drawing on fiction, girls’ magazines, and school magazine, the authors shine a light on neglected corners of the literary histories of these three nations and strengthen our knowledge of femininity in white settler colonies.

"This is a useful examination of girlhood in colonial girls’ texts. It gives voice to girls whose lives remain less studied than their British, adult, and male counterparts and sets a precedent for future research."

-- Jennifer Duggan * International Research in Children's Literature

ISBN: 9781487503093

Dimensions: 236mm x 159mm x 24mm

Weight: 570g

280 pages