Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Voices in Children's Novels

by Roberta S. Trites

The Sleeping Beauty in Roberta Seelinger Trites' intriguing text is no silent snoozer passively waiting for Prince Charming to energize her life. Instead she wakes up all by herself and sets out to redefine the meaning of “happily ever after.” Trites investigates the many ways that Sleeping Beauty's newfound voice has joined other strong female voices in feminist children's novels to generate equal potentials for all children. Waking Sleeping Beauty explores issues of voice in a wide range of children's novels, including books by Virginia Hamilton, Patricia MacLachlan, and Cynthia Voight as well as many multicultural and international books. Far from being a limiting genre that praises females at the expense of males, the feminist children's novel seeks to communicate an inclusive vision of politics, gender, age, race, and class. By revising former stereotypes of children's literature and replacing them with more complete images of females in children's books, Trites encourages those involved with children's literature—teachers, students, writers, publishers, critics, librarian, booksellers, and parents—to be aware of the myriad possibilities of feminist expression. Roberta Trites focuses on the positive aspects of on the ways females interact through family and community relationships, on the ways females have revised patriarchal images, and on the ways female writers use fictional constructs to transmit their ideologies to readers. She thus provides a framework that allows everyone who enters a classroom with a children's book in hand to recognize and communicate—with an optimistic, reality-based sense of “happily ever after”—the politics and the potential of that book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Gender Studies, Literary Criticism

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Lauralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! She approaches feminism from the viewpoint that everyone is equal and should be able to fulfill their potential. Many of the books she refers to I have read, and Love because of their strong female characters, AND strong male characters also. We need both!

[Grace Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Far from being a limiting genre with a vision narrowed only to praising females at the expense of males, the feminist children’s novel recognizes the potential of all people and proclaims that potential.”

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It puts feminisim in a light that I agree with. Providing valid voices for both males and females. She uses children's literature to show how. She DOES NOT bash men. She DOES promote books that empower both males and females. And to her power equates agency. Not control over others, but the right and ability to make your choice. Awesome book!
I'll post a better review of this book since that is an assignment for a class I need to do- will come probably next week. :)