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Constructions of Female Selves in Adolescent Fiction: Makeovers as Metonym
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 9 no. 1 1999; (p. 5-13)In this article, Stephens examines the makeover as a 'specialized form of feminine discourse' (5) by looking at how it is represented in adolescent fictions. Stephens' comparative approach discusses several novels by Australian authors of children's literature in conjunction with discourses from popular culture and explores the links between teenage magazines and adolescent fiction. He uses Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity to highlight the dialogic relationship between identity as 'performance' and identity as 'expression' (5) pointing out that the former is often equated with nihilism, while (neo)humanist conceptualisations of the subject usually privilege 'expression' in narratives of adolescent identity formation: 'By realizing the physical or exterior body...the makeover metonymically expresses a character's unfolding inferiority...But when the fictions represent a character whose subjectivity is 'merely' performative...that character is apt to be radically alienated and possibly tragic' (5). For Stephens, the implicit function of makeover narratives is either transformative or cautionary based upon the notion that the 'transformed body' acts semiotically as a 'metonym of growth' (6). Stephens conludes that makeover narratives in teenage adolescent fiction for girls generally adhere to the dominant humanist paradigm of subjectivity in which 'self identity is defined by how an individual is valued by others' (5) and as the 'expression of a substantial self' which acts as a stable and innate ground for choice and agency' (12)
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Untitled
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 41 no. 3 1997; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel -
[Review] Fishnets
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Spring vol. 5 no. 3 1997; (p. 37)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel -
The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 192 1997; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel ; Spiked 1992 single work novel
-
Untitled
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , August vol. 41 no. 3 1997; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel -
The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 192 1997; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel ; Spiked 1992 single work novel -
[Review] Fishnets
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Spring vol. 5 no. 3 1997; (p. 37)
— Review of Fishnets 1997 single work novel -
Constructions of Female Selves in Adolescent Fiction: Makeovers as Metonym
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 9 no. 1 1999; (p. 5-13)In this article, Stephens examines the makeover as a 'specialized form of feminine discourse' (5) by looking at how it is represented in adolescent fictions. Stephens' comparative approach discusses several novels by Australian authors of children's literature in conjunction with discourses from popular culture and explores the links between teenage magazines and adolescent fiction. He uses Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity to highlight the dialogic relationship between identity as 'performance' and identity as 'expression' (5) pointing out that the former is often equated with nihilism, while (neo)humanist conceptualisations of the subject usually privilege 'expression' in narratives of adolescent identity formation: 'By realizing the physical or exterior body...the makeover metonymically expresses a character's unfolding inferiority...But when the fictions represent a character whose subjectivity is 'merely' performative...that character is apt to be radically alienated and possibly tragic' (5). For Stephens, the implicit function of makeover narratives is either transformative or cautionary based upon the notion that the 'transformed body' acts semiotically as a 'metonym of growth' (6). Stephens conludes that makeover narratives in teenage adolescent fiction for girls generally adhere to the dominant humanist paradigm of subjectivity in which 'self identity is defined by how an individual is valued by others' (5) and as the 'expression of a substantial self' which acts as a stable and innate ground for choice and agency' (12)