A lost genre

One of the most painful conversations to overhear when I'm out and about is the debate over what book to get for an adolescent girl (painful because social mores declare that it is odd for me to interject).  You're likely to hear painful suggestions like Twilight or one of its host of derivatives.  You might hear references to the Uglies series, or perhaps something by Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Picoult.  Maybe they'll even throw out something along the lines of Wicked or the Hunger Games series (which is fine as far as books go, except that I personally found Wicked and Nicholas Sparks to be a bit...adult).  Don't misunderstand me, there isn't anything inherently wrong with most of those options (the exception to that being Twilight, my thoughts on which, however, have been documented elsewhere).  But I would like to offer up some alternate suggestions that are sadly forgotten in today's society.  These are the 5 books that I feel every single girl ought to read before she is 20.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
4. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
5. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

These 5 books belong to what was known as "College Girl" books from the early 20th century (published in the mid 19th century, Little Women falls slightly ahead of this era, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn slightly behind, all the way in 1943).  It is a genre, now dead, which featured a female protagonists moving beyond adolescence into the more mature world of college, marriage, and independence.  They were, at the times of their publication, primarily marketed to and aimed at women of that same age, however they are now generally considered more suited for younger readers.  While I absolutely believe that these books are still relevant to their originally targeted audience, I would agree that they have even more to offer a younger, still-developing girl.  

The key to a college girl story is the classic "coming of age" theme. Unfortunately, the very phrase "coming of age" has been so overused in contemporary culture that it has come to mean nothing more than moving out of the house and having an ill-fated fling that teaches you a good "life-lesson" along the lines of "I shouldn't sacrifice my dream for a pretty face"  Indeed, I would suggest that today coming of age means coming to self. Follow your dreams.  Don't settle.  Demand the respect you deserve.  Take time to take care of yourself.  Discover who you really are.  These are all typical themes in contemporary "coming of age" stories.  However, they are all ultimately still the "life lessons" of a child.  Realizations all centered on the self.

There was a time when coming of age meant something more.  To come of age meant to transition from a girl to a woman.  It was the process of taking on the responsibilities of an adult and the concerns of a lady.  The affairs of womanhood are intrinsically different than maidenhood.  To grow up, to become an adult, is to realize that life isn't all about you.  It is the dawn of understanding that there are things in life that require sacrifice, and that you are capable of making those sacrifices on the strength of your own will.  Though it may be considered "un-feminist", these books embraced the idea of the "womanly soul".  This was the idea that a woman, by nature, is intelligent and strong, but also nurturing.  A child is by nature selfish and aware only of those things which relate to it specifically.  A woman must cast of that childhood self-absorption and embrace her responsibilities as an adult.  

What are some of the "life lessons" to be found in my 5 books?  Jo March learns to love serving others.  She learns that integrity is one of the most valuable and simultaneously the most easily lost of virtues.  Elnora Comstock begins the book and remains constant as an incredibly strong and sympathetic character.  She is a dedicated and determined worker, passionate and loving, and is strong as steel.  Francie Nolan learns how to take care of herself, and yet how to forgive, love, and trust those closest to her.  Anne Shirley learns to control and yet embrace an flighty and impulsive nature.  She learns how to apply herself and how to relent in the face of her wounded pride.  And Judy Abbot exemplifies the beauty of a happy, loving soul.  

These are the "strong female characters" girls ought to be looking up to.  Women who exemplify all of the best attributes we are capable of as a sex.  How can such women exist in literature, and yet our daughters, sisters, and friends are told to look to Bella Swan as a "strong heroine"?  She isn't the only example to be found of the current standard of moral [lack of] strength, but she is always the first to come to my mind because she is so very disappointing.  If you would like one from classical literature, I would offer up Becky Sharp from Thackeray's Vanity Fair.  I remember watching the Reese Witherspoon movie adaptation, and being absolutely horrified when, in one of the "making of" features, I heard all of the women on the crew praising Becky for being such a "strong" woman, so "ahead of her time."  Becky Sharp was a character who sold her soul, heart, and body for social advancement, money, and power.  Thackeray never meant her to be a likable character (indeed, the book is subtitled "a novel without a hero").  But the horrifying part was that these women knew that...and thought her the stronger for it!  These women respected the fact that Becky viewed her body as a commodity she could use to get ahead in life.  I suppose, in a society that thinks like this, it is not surprising that we are producing Bella Swans and holding them up to be revered and respected.  But what can such a society expect from the girls who are doing the revering?  What can they possibly grown into?

So, to conclude this overly-long post, I suppose I just want to add my small voice on the side of real womanhood.  If I am ever blessed with a daughter of my own, I will share Anne, Elnora, Judy, Francie, and Jo with her.  If I am lucky, their stories will take root in her soul, as they did in mine, and their strength, knowledge, and beauty will shape her more than the twisted and deformed models society will be offering her.