Choice 评论
Claiming that such texts "can reshape and reclaim a genre" due to their transgressive nature, Clark (Wheaton College) focuses on boys' school stories written by women and girls' school stories written by men. By analyzing what she calls the "crossgendering of school stories," Clark examines how the gender of the authors influenced their work. In particular, she is concerned with what gendered ideologies the writers brought to bear. The author discusses the writings of Charles Lamb, Dorothy Kilner, Mary Martha Sherwood, Louisa May Alcott, and others, looking at how these writers created uniquely gendered stories that combined values commonly ascribed to males or females. This work benefits from the meticulous scholarship that has made Clark a leading expert in children's literature. Her carefully researched study of the school story's beginnings will interest anyone curious about the historical development of children's literature. Her thoughtful analysis of the cross-gendered school story demonstrates the importance of the genre from the early-19th to the mid-20th century. Without a doubt, Clark's book is an important addition to children's literature criticism and should be acquired by all libraries collecting in that area. S. A. Inness Miami University