Invisible girls: discourses of femininity and power in children's fantasy

Sanna Lehtonen

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    Abstract

    In children's fantasy, invisibility is a popular motif, typically achieved by using different magic items. Invisibility also serves an important role in feminist discourses of femininity and power. In feminist theory, invisibility has been used to describe the status of females in patriarchal systems, while in fantastic texts invisible females have often literally served as the monstrous Others. However, invisibility has also been seen as a form of empowerment, particularly in fantastic contexts where it can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. To open up and explore these questions, this article examines the feminist discourses of invisibility, femininity and power in two British children's fantasy novels: The Time of the Ghost (1981) by Diana Wynne Jones and The Ghost Drum (1987) by Susan Price.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)213-226
    Number of pages14
    JournalInternational Research in Children's Literature
    Volume1
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright the Publisher. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

    Keywords

    • invisibility
    • femininity
    • children's fantasy
    • Diana Wynne Jones
    • Susan Price

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