Jane Sunderland is at the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University, UK.

This book presents current and older research into how fe/male characters and gender relations are represented in novels for child readers. From the perspective of a critical feminist approach, combined with insights from stylistics,this volume investigates a variety of children’s books from the last 50 years...it also addresses the limitations of earlier studies and thus points to areas for further research and theoretical improvement. These chapters may thus serve as a broad overview for students familiarizing themselves with the history of research of gender and children’s fiction.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Language and gender: issues and applications; 3. Linguistic analysis: studies of language and gender in fiction'; 4. Happily ever after?: fairytale protagonists and feminist fairytales; 5. Content analyses and non-sexist guidelines: the early days; 6. Fifty years of reading schemes; 7. Two-mum and two-dad picture books; 8. 'Achronological intertextuality' and Louis Sachar's Holes; 9. Harry, Hermione and gender relations at Hogwarts; 10. Conclusion and suggestions for further research; Bibliography; Index.

Jane Sunderland is at the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University, UK.

This book presents current and older research into how fe/male characters and gender relations are represented in novels for child readers. From the perspective of a critical feminist approach, combined with insights from stylistics,this volume investigates a variety of children’s books from the last 50 years...it also addresses the limitations of earlier studies and thus points to areas for further research and theoretical improvement. These chapters may thus serve as a broad overview for students familiarizing themselves with the history of research of gender and children’s fiction.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Language and gender: issues and applications; 3. Linguistic analysis: studies of language and gender in fiction'; 4. Happily ever after?: fairytale protagonists and feminist fairytales; 5. Content analyses and non-sexist guidelines: the early days; 6. Fifty years of reading schemes; 7. Two-mum and two-dad picture books; 8. 'Achronological intertextuality' and Louis Sachar's Holes; 9. Harry, Hermione and gender relations at Hogwarts; 10. Conclusion and suggestions for further research; Bibliography; Index.