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Strong Girls (re Rinaldi)
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From: Debbie Reese <dreese.nambe_at_gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:28:15 -0500
I'm a little behind, so I apologize if I'm being redundant.
There is relevant discussion taking place on some blogs about the character in True Grit. The gist of it is that she is seen as strong for having characteristics attributed to men. The discussion is not a new one, but I thought I'd share it here for those who don't study historical fiction. You can start at Sociological Images, a site maintained by Lisa Wade of Occidental College, and Gwen Sharp of Nevada State College.
not-a-feminist-character/
As you'll read in the comments, there are questions as to why society LETS those characteristics be coded as masculine. Who wrote the rule, in other words, about what constitutes male/masculine and female/feminine?
Which brings me to the problems in assuming that, for example, a Native female character would have the same characteristics of strength as a male. There are differences across cultures (and I'll hasten to say that Western influences on Native Nations in the US are significant).
Earlier in this discussion, someone referenced Ann Rinaldi's books. Ann Rinaldi has done two books with Native protagonists. The first is MY HEART IS ON THE GROUND, and the second is THE GIRL WHO CHASED AWAY SORROW. Neither book is recommended by myself or Oyate.
I also want to say a couple more things. One is, I have been taking a second look at THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES by Paul Goble. It's supposed to be a story about an unspecified Native Nation, or at least it is categorized as a Native American story. But! I'm thinking that if I separated the text from the illustrations, it could be anybody's story. Which of course, assumes that universality that I think doesn't hold up.
Last thing---and it is unrelated to the discussion at hand. For that, I
apologize in advance.
I'm giving a lecture at UIUC' library school. The lecture is co-sponsored by UIUC's new initiative: INFORMATICS. I'm going to talk about my site and its use/impact. If you use American Indians in Children's Literature, would you take a minute to send me an email off-list telling me how/when/why you use it?
I asked for similar information a few years ago in an effort to make the case that my site should be part of my tenure package. The upshot is that it doesn't count for tenure, and my publications aren't sufficient to be considered for tenure. So, I'm in my last semester at Illinois. Generally, people don't share that sort of information publicly, because there's associated feelings of failure, judgment, etc. Fair or not, I am confident in the work I do, and will continue publishing my research and essays on my site.
If you have a minute to write to me off-list letting me know how you use my site, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks! Debbie
Received on Tue 15 Mar 2011 06:28:15 AM CDT
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:28:15 -0500
I'm a little behind, so I apologize if I'm being redundant.
There is relevant discussion taking place on some blogs about the character in True Grit. The gist of it is that she is seen as strong for having characteristics attributed to men. The discussion is not a new one, but I thought I'd share it here for those who don't study historical fiction. You can start at Sociological Images, a site maintained by Lisa Wade of Occidental College, and Gwen Sharp of Nevada State College.
not-a-feminist-character/
As you'll read in the comments, there are questions as to why society LETS those characteristics be coded as masculine. Who wrote the rule, in other words, about what constitutes male/masculine and female/feminine?
Which brings me to the problems in assuming that, for example, a Native female character would have the same characteristics of strength as a male. There are differences across cultures (and I'll hasten to say that Western influences on Native Nations in the US are significant).
Earlier in this discussion, someone referenced Ann Rinaldi's books. Ann Rinaldi has done two books with Native protagonists. The first is MY HEART IS ON THE GROUND, and the second is THE GIRL WHO CHASED AWAY SORROW. Neither book is recommended by myself or Oyate.
I also want to say a couple more things. One is, I have been taking a second look at THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES by Paul Goble. It's supposed to be a story about an unspecified Native Nation, or at least it is categorized as a Native American story. But! I'm thinking that if I separated the text from the illustrations, it could be anybody's story. Which of course, assumes that universality that I think doesn't hold up.
Last thing---and it is unrelated to the discussion at hand. For that, I
apologize in advance.
I'm giving a lecture at UIUC' library school. The lecture is co-sponsored by UIUC's new initiative: INFORMATICS. I'm going to talk about my site and its use/impact. If you use American Indians in Children's Literature, would you take a minute to send me an email off-list telling me how/when/why you use it?
I asked for similar information a few years ago in an effort to make the case that my site should be part of my tenure package. The upshot is that it doesn't count for tenure, and my publications aren't sufficient to be considered for tenure. So, I'm in my last semester at Illinois. Generally, people don't share that sort of information publicly, because there's associated feelings of failure, judgment, etc. Fair or not, I am confident in the work I do, and will continue publishing my research and essays on my site.
If you have a minute to write to me off-list letting me know how you use my site, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks! Debbie
Received on Tue 15 Mar 2011 06:28:15 AM CDT
