How Do Authors Negotiate Contemporary Notions of Gender and Historical Accuracy When Creating Female Characters in Middle Grade Historical Fiction?

Anna Trusty considers how notions of gender have been interpreted in children’s historical fiction.

Abstract

Historical fiction provides an accessible and engaging means for children to understand the wider abstract notion of history. However, this capacity to influence children’s understanding of history means that authors have a particular responsibility to their young audience. There is an obligation to accuracy as well as the challenge of balancing potentially conflicting ideologies from the past and present. This essay considers specifically how notions of gender have been interpreted in children’s historical fiction. I examine various approaches to portraying female characters in historical settings, with reference to four recent Middle Grade historical fiction texts: Frost Hollow Hall by Emma Carroll; Wishing for Tomorrow by Hilary McKay; The Skylarks’ War by Hilary McKay and The Misunderstandings of Charity Brown by Elizabeth Laird. In my analysis, I identify how successful I believe these strategies have been and how they might influence my own future writing.