From Colonial to Modern: Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Literature, 1840-1940

274 Pages·2018·2.287 MB·English

by  Michelle J. Smith, Clare Bradford, Kristine Moruzi

FROM COLONIAL TO MODERN
Transnational Girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and
New Zealand Children’s Literature, 1840–1940
This page intentionally left blank
FROM COLONIAL TO MODERN
Transnational Girlhood in Canadian,
Australian, and New Zealand
Children’s Literature, 1840–1940
MICHELLE J. SMITH
KRISTINE MORUZI
CLARE BRADFORD
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2018
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
ISBN 978-1-4875-0309-3
Printed on acid-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper with
vegetable-based inks.
________________________________________________________________
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Smith, Michelle J., 1979–, author
From colonial to modern : transnational girlhood in Canadian, Australian, and
New Zealand children’s literature, 1840–1940 / Michelle J. Smith, Kristine
Moruzi, Clare Bradford.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4875-0309-3 (hardcover)
1. Children’s literature, Canadian – History and criticism. 2. Children’s
literature, Australian – History and criticism. 3. Children’s literature, New
Zealand – History and criticism. 4. Girls in literature. 5. Femininity in
literature. 6. Sex role in literature. 7. Imperialism in literature.
8. National characteristics, British, in literature. 9. Australian literature – British
influences. I. Moruzi, Kristine, author II. Bradford, Clare, author III. Title.
PR9080.5.S65 2018 820.9'3523 C2017-907195-5
________________________________________________________________
This book has been published with the support of the School of
Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts
Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
an Ontario government agency
un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario
Funded by the Financé par le
Government gouvernement
of Canada du Canada
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
1 Introduction 3
Section One – Empire and Transnational Flows
2 Colonial Girls’ Print Culture 23
3 Girlhood in the British Empire 47
Section Two – National and Transnational Dynamics
4 The Colonial and Imperial Family 73
5 Environment and the Natural World 97
6 Race and Texts for Girls 117
Section Three – Modernity and Transnational Femininities
7 Work and Education 147
8 Girlhood and Coming of Age during the First World War 178
9 Modernity and the Nation 201
10 Conclusion 231
Bibliography 241
Index 259
This page intentionally left blank
Illustrations
3.1 Cover of The Empire Annual for Australian Girls, 1910 61
3.2 Masthead from The Girls’ Empire, 1902 63
4.1 “Mother said, ‘Tell your Uncle Robert that I have always
loved him,’” 1911 81
4.2 “They smiled at her confidently, expectantly,” 1920 94
5.1 Frontispiece of A Little Bush Maid, 1910 111
5.2 “We laughed and laughed till it hurt to go on
any longer,” 1917 115
6.1 “Hector bringing the Indian girl,” 1852 127
6.2 “We played through the immortal legend,” 1925 136
6.3 “Sajo ran home with Chilawee in her arms,” 1935 141
7.1 Frontispiece of With Beating Wings, 1913 163
7.2 “It’s a big world,” 1929 173
7.3 “Babes! What in the world are you doing?” 1927 175
8.1 “They strolled across the grass to the railings, and looked
up and down the tan ribbon of Rotten Row,” 1916 183
8.2 “I am one of those who want to help fight – if you will let me,”
1919 186
8.3 Cover of The School Paper for Grades VII and VIII, 1916 193
8.4 “Women Packing Garments for Men of H.M.S.
‘New Zealand,’” 1916 198
9.1 Advertisement for Petone Bathing Costumes, 1924 209
viii Illustrations
9.2 Frontispiece of Golden Fiddles, 1928 212
9.3 “Bed-time, sleepy boy!” 1918 218
9.4 “I’se a young New Zealander, too!” 1925 222
9.5 “The Dew on the Grass,” 1930 224
9.6 “To a Little Eskimo,” 1926 227
Acknowledgments
This project was made possible by a Discovery Grant (DP110101082)
funded by the Australian Research Council, incorporating an Australian
postdoctoral fellowship for Michelle Smith at the University of Melbourne.
Kristine Moruzi’s research was funded by a Grant Notley Memorial Post-
doctoral Fellowship from the University of Alberta. We also enjoyed the
support and collegiality of the staff working in literary studies in the School
of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University.
The research for this project took us to a variety of libraries. We ben-
efited from valuable assistance at the Toronto Public Library, the State
Library of Victoria, and the National Library of New Zealand. Thanks are
also due to some of the fabulous scholars who are working in the field of
colonial girls’ studies, including Beth Rodgers, Susan Cahill, Sarah Emily
Duff, Kristine Alexander, and Laura Ishiguro. We would also like to offer
special thanks to Cecily Devereux at the University of Alberta and Eliza-
beth Braithwaite at Deakin University.
University of Toronto Press has been incredibly supportive throughout
the long gestation of this project. We would like to thank Mark Thomp-
son for helping to bring the project through to publication.