The struggle for womanhood : female pre-adolescence in American novels written by women, 1970 to the present

Female pre-adolescence, a rarely studied subject, has increasingly become a theme of women writers since the 1970's. The increase of novels dealing with this subject may be a direct result of the feminist movement of that time, since virtually no novels dealing with this subject are to be found prior to this period. Thus, it is only now that a comprehensive study of this subject can be made. Notable sociologists believe that the period between eight and ten years of age is an especially crucial time in the lives of young girls because it is at this time that they form the patterns for all interpersonal relationships. That is, it is at this time that girls learn about "proper female behavior." Since women are the primary socializers of young girls, it is with them that these girls experience problems of connection as they are pushed toward the adult female role. As exhibited by the novels included in this thesis, the most important, although turbulant, relationships girls experience are with their mothers and girl friends. The importance of this period in women's lives is witnessed by the fact that women novelists of different cultural backgrounds repeatedly return to this subject. Thus, the novels included in this thesis, as well as the discussion of them, bind women together across cultural lines through the discussion of common experiences, and link women's writing to specific sociocultural realities.