From Queens to Rebel Girls? Biographies about Women within Italian Children’s Literature

Abstract

Abstract: The article explores Italian biography for young readers focusing on the representation of women’s lives that have been overshadowed in the history of the literary genre. The analysis addresses both pedagogical and literary aspects, investigating which female role models are portrayed and the evolution of biographical writing style. In tracing the development of biographies about women within Italian children’s literature and its pedagogical and cultural background, five historical shifts are outlined: (1) the persistence of women’s moralistic portrayals in the 1960s, (2) the conflicting impact of feminist movements on the biographies of the 1970s, (3) the emergence of biographical picturebooks and a psychologically nuanced writing style in the 1980s, (4) the emphasis on rediscovering marginalized female figures at the beginning of the new century, and (5) contemporary trends of celebrating diverse female role models and the critical debate around gender representation. The analysis points out today’s challenges for biographies as hybrid nonfiction— not only interweaving different role models and styles, but also questioning their anthropocentric perspective.