Dicky birds that never die: Substitute fathers in Victorian and Edwardian children's literature.
Item
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Title
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Dicky birds that never die: Substitute fathers in Victorian and Edwardian children's literature.
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Identifier
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AAI3283724
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identifier
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3283724
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Creator
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Noimann, Chamutal.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Jaqueline DiSalvo
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Date
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2007
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, Modern | Literature, English | Literature, American | Gender Studies
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Abstract
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My dissertation extends the definitions of the Victorian gentleman to include a definition of the gentleman as father, which has only previously been discussed by social historians such as John Tosh and Penny Kane. Discussions of fathers in Victorian literature have been limited to adult literature, where the focus is often placed on father-daughter relationships. My work examines the common trope of the absent father in children's literature and investigates the characters that replace him. Their significance to our understanding of familial relations in literature and their biographical, political, and social implications are evident. Further, in investigating how these often highly subversive supporting characters construct and deconstruct the Victorian definition of Father-Function, I suggest ways of understanding the complex ideas of Victorian masculinity and femininity. I look at the child's perception of adult sexuality. I examine British and American children's literature by Burnett, Kipling, Nesbit, Ruskin, Stevenson, and Twain. I follow the evolution of orphan narratives from their origins in European fairy tales to their entrance into realism in early twentieth-century American novels. Each chapter focuses on a different kind of father substitute: fantastical creature, animal, an ensemble of human surrogates, and the Other. These different types, possible only in children's literature, allow me to explore complex issues of culture, gender, and politics.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.