American Girls’ Kunstlerroman: A Century of Girls Writing

Class Description

If a Bildungsroman is a coming-of-age story, then a Kunstlerroman is a story about the coming of age of an artist. This course will look at the Girls’ Literature subgenre specifically dedicated to girls who are writers, “scribblers,” and/or storytellers in America. What are the markers of a girl coming of age as a writer in American society? How much has changed since Jo March first used to shut herself away in the attic “in a vortex” of writing? How self-referential are books about girl-writers written by women-writers (and where are the books about boy-writers by men-writers, aka “Joe Marches”)? How do girls learn their place as writers in a society that expects specific gendered behavior from girls and women, and in what ways do they resist or capitulate?

This six-week discussion-based course will explore over 150 years of girl-writers in American children’s literature, looking back at formative texts, as well as ahead to new versions of older stories.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

Dawn Sardella-Ayres received her PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2016, and was the L.M. Montgomery Institute Research Associate for 2022-2023. She specializes in girls’ literature and the girls’ Bildungsroman/Kunstlerroman. Her publications include articles on Alcott, Montgomery, Johnston, and Wilder.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual

Class Capacity: 24

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Louisa May Alcott, Little Women. 1868. Norton Critical Edition. Eds. Anne K. Phillips and Gregory Eiselein. Norton, 2004. ISBN: 9780393976144
• Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903). Penguin Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN: 9780143039204
• Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy Go Downtown. HarperCollins, 1943. ISBN: 9780064400985
• Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy. Harper & Row, 1964. ISBN: 9780385327879
• Beverly Cleary, Dear Mr. Henshaw. William Morrow, 1983. ISBN: 9780688024055
• Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl. St. Martin’s, 2013. ISBN: 9781250030955
• Other Instructor-Distributed Materials

First Reading

• It is strongly suggested that students read the required texts before class. The first two classes will discuss Little Women.

A Brief Syllabus

1. Girls’ Bildungsroman and Kunstlerroman
2. “In a Vortex”
3. The Gothic Phase: Girls and Sexuality
4. “Joy Versus Duty:” Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
5. “You are a Writer:” Girls into Women
6. Looking Ahead: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t

Cost and Registration

6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member. 

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($250), and Sponsor ($290). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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