Girlhood in the contemporary American novel : coming-of-age 1990-2020 / Angelica De Vido.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Vido, Angelica, author.

Series:

Modern American literature and the new twentieth century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Girls in literature.

Children in literature.

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

American fiction.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 272 pages).

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, [2025]

Summary:

Explores literary representations of American girlhood between 1990-2020.

"What experiences constitute ‘girlhood’? What personal and social pathways are available to girls in contemporary American fiction? These questions lie at the heart of this book, which argues that emancipatory new representations of girlhood have emerged in novels published between 1990-2020, in response to the social and cultural transformations that have been catalysed by the girl-centric agendas of contemporary feminism. Through analysing how twelve contemporary novelists depict girlhood as an expansive period during which girls can fulfil a range of personal and socio-political agendas – from pursuing intellectual ambitions at university, to achieving self-realisation through solo travel – this book investigates how contemporary fiction asks readers to view girlhood anew, by reimagining the personal, narrative, and social possibilities of American girlhood"-- De Gruyter Brill.

Contents:

Introduction : who invented the typical girl?

My brilliant friend : girls’ friendships in the fictional memoir

Girl, interrupted : sexuality in the campus novel

You play the girl : queer girlhood in the bildungsroman

My mother, my self : intergenerational girlhood in the picaresque

America was hard to find : coming-of-age in novels of immigration

A home at the end of the world : gothic girlhood

Conclusion : girls will be girls.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed January 15, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: De Vido, Angelica. Girlhood in the contemporary American novel

ISBN:

9781399528351

1399528351

9781399528344

1399528343

9781399528337

1399528335

OCLC:

1512318319

Publisher Number:

CIPO000212017

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license