What roles do adults play in shaping girlhood and boyhood in 19th century childrens fiction? Discuss with reference to both Treasure Island and Little Women. Guidance notes These notes suggest some approaches you might want to take in response to the TMA question, and are intended to help you get started. They are not designed to be used as an essay plan, and you may well want to take a different approach. Please make sure that you have read through the Assessment Guide carefully before you begin, and that you have noted the guidance on referencing and avoiding plagiarism. This option asks you to explore the ways in which 19th century childrens literature presents girlhood and boyhood, with a particular focus on the role of fictional adults in mentoring or enforcing this. To prepare, you should return to Little Women and Treasure Island and consider the range of adult characters in both books. What sort of adults are represented? What do those adults stand for and how do they relate to the children? What kind of roles do the adults occupy? Do they envisage or model particular roles for girls and boys? You should aim to discuss more than one adult character from each book, but dont attempt to discuss them all! You might compare and contrast adults roles within or across the two set books. For example, you might look at mother or father figures, or adults that exert particular kinds of influence through friendship, sponsorship or advice. You should consider what effect the adults have on girls and boys behaviour, whether intended or not. It will be important to frame these considerations within an understanding of 19th century gender ideologies. The Salmon and Bristow essays in Approaches and Territories, together with Wadsworths essay in Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends might help you with this. It may also help to return to Reynolds discussion of childrens literature in the 19th century in AV1, 6: Reading and Gender Today: Childrens Views. It will be helpful to return to the online activities relating to narratives and narrators as you consider how the books present adult characters. The critical essays in Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, in particular the Fetterley and Parille essays on Little Women and the Loxley and Parkes essays on Treasure Island, may support your exploration of the roles of adults in both books. When writing your essay, pay close attention to the text of both novels. Focus on specific episodes, remembering to avoid summarising the plot. Keep any quotations short and explain why you have included them, acknowledging all sources.Show more
