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This book examines school and college fiction for girls in Britain and the United States, written in the first half of the twentieth century, to explore the formation and ideologies of feminine identity. Nancy G. Rosoff and Stephanie Spencer develop a transnational framework that recognises how both constructed and essential femininities transcend national boundaries. The book discusses the significance and performance of female friendship across time and place, which is central to the development of the genre, and how it functioned as an important means of informal education. Stories by Jessie Graham Flower, Pauline Lester, Alice Ross Colver, Elinor Brent-Dyer, and Dorita Fairlie Bruce are set within their historical context and then used to explore aspects of sociability, authority, responsibility, domesticity, and possibility. The distinctiveness of this book stems from the historical analysis of these sources, which have so far primarily been treated by literary scholars within their national context.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

The School and College Story

The Novels

The Authors

Themes: Fiction, Femininity, and Friendship

Structure of the Book

References

Chapter 2: School Stories: A Transnational Perspective

Introduction

The School Story in Britain and the United States

Toward a Transnational Reading of School Stories

Conclusion: Transnational Fiction, Femininity, and Friendship

References

Chapter 3: Sociability

Introduction

Education for Girls in Britain and the United States, 1910-1960

Learning the Rules

Team Spirit

Conclusion

References

Chapter 4: Responsibility

Introduction

Citizenship in Britain and the United States

Learning to Be Good Citizens within their community

Citizenship and the Wider Community

Conclusion

References

Chapter 5: Domesticity

Introduction

Learning Domesticity in Britain and the United States

Managers, Matrons, and Maids

Domestic Education

Conclusion

References

Chapter 6: Authority

Introduction

Authoritative women in Britain and the United States

Headmistresses and Principals

Teachers and Prefects

Conclusion

References

Chapter 7: Possibility

Introduction

Future Possibilities in Britain and the United States

Higher Education and the World of Work

Following in Mother´s Footsteps: Love and Marriage

Conclusion

References

Chapter 8: Conclusion

Introduction

A Transnational Approach

Fiction

Femininity

Friendship

Conclusion

References

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Nancy G. Rosoff is Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at Arcadia University, USA. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the History of Women´s Education at the University of Winchester, UK, and has published on the history of girls´ culture, education, and sport.

Stephanie Spencer is Professor of the History of Women´s Education at the University of Winchester, UK. She is also President of the History of Education Society (UK) and has published a range of books and articles on girls´ formal and informal education.

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