Item Details

Entanglement and feminist agency in picture books

Issue: Vol 14 No. 4 (2020)

Journal: Gender and Language

Subject Areas: Gender Studies Linguistics

DOI: 10.1558/genl.40038

Abstract:

How are gender ideologies encoded in children’s picture books recommended as non-sexist? Previous research indicates that fully reversing gender roles and creating a gender-egalitarian universe of discourse might be an unrealistic authorial endeavour. In the current study, we examine a different kind of enterprise. Having identified a group of picture books to investigate, which we define as anti-sexist (rather than non-sexist), we apply the vocabulary of critical thought elsewhere applied to class, literature, race and gender, thereby offering a critical outlook to the analysis of feminist ideologies in picture books. We show how these anti-sexist books, rather than attempting to reverse dominant gender ideologies, make their female protagonists struggle their way from within openly presented sexist realities to agentive gender subversion. This struggle involves interplay between gender stereotypical and anti-stereotypical elements in moments of entanglement, which are ultimately resolved with a victorious moment of gender-subversive agency.

Author: Hadar Netz, Ron Kuzar

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References :

Picture books cited

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Cole, Babette (1986) Princess Smartypants (B. Cole, illus). London: Penguin.

Cole, Babette (1996[1986]) Princess Smartypants. (B. Cole, illus; D. Peleg, trans). Or Yehuda: Zmora Bitan.

Donaldson, Julia and Scheffler, Axel (illus) (2010) Zog. London: Alison Green.

Donaldson, Julia and Scheffler, Axel (illus) (2011[2010]) Zog. (R. Di-Nur, trans). Modi’in: Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan.

Falconer, Ian (2012) Olivia and the Fairy Princesses (I. Falconer, illus). New York: Atheneum.

Falconer, Ian (2013[2012]) Olivia and the Fairy Princesses. (I. Falconer, illus; Y. Molchadsky, trans). Modi’in: Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir.

Fosberry, Jennifer and Litwin, Mike (illus) (2010) My Name Is Not Isabella: Just How Big Can A Little Girl Dream? Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks.

Fosberry, Jennifer and Litwin, Mike (illus) (2015[2010]) My Name Is Not Isabella(Y. Atlas, trans). Tel Aviv: Sefer Lakol.

Funke, Cornelia and Meyer, Kerstin (illus) (2001) The Princess Knight. (Anthea Bell, trans). Frome Somerset: Scholastic/Chicken House.

Gelbart-Avni, Ofra and Kedem, David (illus) (1998) The King Who Knew Everything. Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad.

Keren, Nira and Katz, Avner (illus) (2004) Boy or Girl? Kiryat Gat: Korim.

Munsch, Robert and Martchenko, Michael (illus) (1980) The Paper Bag Princess. Toronto: Annick.

Munsch, Robert and Martchenko, Michael (illus) (2012[1980]) The Paper Bag Princess. (R. Roccas, Trans). Tel Aviv: Tal May.

Primo, Rinat and Binjamini-Ariel, Liat (illus) (2001) The Princess. Merhavia: Sifriat Poalim.

Rot, Miriam and Tzach Garber, Liat (illus) (1997) King Doogy. Merhavia: Sifriat Poalim.

Sauer, Tammi and Berger, Joe (illus) (2012) Princess in Training. Boston MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Sauer, Tammi and Berger, Joe (illus) (2013[2012]) Princess in Training. (A. Greif-Kantorovich, trans). Ben Shemen: Modan.

Shuv, Yael and Liphshiz, Odelia (illus) (2011) The Ice Cream PrincessBen Shemen: Keter.

Weizman, Einat and Sfard, Emi (illus) (2013) Two Cinderellas. Hod Hasharon: Agam.

Zarchi, Nurit and Teharlev, Roni (illus) (2005) A Well-Made Bed [Shingalonga: A Well-Made Bed]. Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad.

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