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Notes
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Book 1 of the Central Secondary College Trilogy.
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Prequel to Mr Enigmatic (1994).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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If Truth is Stranger than Fiction, How Strange is Fiction?
2002
single work
column
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Winter vol. 10 no. 2 2002; (p. 37-39) -
Constructions of Female Selves in Adolescent Fiction: Makeovers as Metonym
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 9 no. 1 1999; (p. 5-13)In this article, Stephens examines the makeover as a 'specialized form of feminine discourse' (5) by looking at how it is represented in adolescent fictions. Stephens' comparative approach discusses several novels by Australian authors of children's literature in conjunction with discourses from popular culture and explores the links between teenage magazines and adolescent fiction. He uses Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity to highlight the dialogic relationship between identity as 'performance' and identity as 'expression' (5) pointing out that the former is often equated with nihilism, while (neo)humanist conceptualisations of the subject usually privilege 'expression' in narratives of adolescent identity formation: 'By realizing the physical or exterior body...the makeover metonymically expresses a character's unfolding inferiority...But when the fictions represent a character whose subjectivity is 'merely' performative...that character is apt to be radically alienated and possibly tragic' (5). For Stephens, the implicit function of makeover narratives is either transformative or cautionary based upon the notion that the 'transformed body' acts semiotically as a 'metonym of growth' (6). Stephens conludes that makeover narratives in teenage adolescent fiction for girls generally adhere to the dominant humanist paradigm of subjectivity in which 'self identity is defined by how an individual is valued by others' (5) and as the 'expression of a substantial self' which acts as a stable and innate ground for choice and agency' (12)
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Untitled
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 9 no. 1 1995; (p. 57)
— Review of What Are Ya? 1987 single work novel -
The Battleground Between Old and New Ideas
1995
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Autumn vol. 3 no. 1 1995; (p. 8-9) -
'Hide-and-Seek in a Huge Space' : Cultural Schemata, Selfhood and Voice in Jenny Pausacker's What Are Ya?
1993
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Children's Literature : Finding a Voice 1993; (p. 138-148) Stephens discusses the voices society seeks to stifle, and provides an analysis of the silent voices in Jenny Pausacker's What Are Ya?
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Untitled
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Fiction Focus : New Titles for Teenagers , vol. 9 no. 1 1995; (p. 57)
— Review of What Are Ya? 1987 single work novel -
Recognising a Readership : Holden Caulfield and After
1987
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 96 1987; (p. 22-23)
— Review of What Are Ya? 1987 single work novel -
A Teenage Romance, Sort of
1987
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 29 August 1987; (p. B4 )
— Review of What Are Ya? 1987 single work novel -
'Hide-and-Seek in a Huge Space' : Cultural Schemata, Selfhood and Voice in Jenny Pausacker's What Are Ya?
1993
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Children's Literature : Finding a Voice 1993; (p. 138-148) Stephens discusses the voices society seeks to stifle, and provides an analysis of the silent voices in Jenny Pausacker's What Are Ya? -
The Battleground Between Old and New Ideas
1995
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Autumn vol. 3 no. 1 1995; (p. 8-9) -
If Truth is Stranger than Fiction, How Strange is Fiction?
2002
single work
column
— Appears in: Viewpoint : On Books for Young Adults , Winter vol. 10 no. 2 2002; (p. 37-39) -
Constructions of Female Selves in Adolescent Fiction: Makeovers as Metonym
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Papers : Explorations into Children's Literature , April vol. 9 no. 1 1999; (p. 5-13)In this article, Stephens examines the makeover as a 'specialized form of feminine discourse' (5) by looking at how it is represented in adolescent fictions. Stephens' comparative approach discusses several novels by Australian authors of children's literature in conjunction with discourses from popular culture and explores the links between teenage magazines and adolescent fiction. He uses Judith Butler's concept of gender performativity to highlight the dialogic relationship between identity as 'performance' and identity as 'expression' (5) pointing out that the former is often equated with nihilism, while (neo)humanist conceptualisations of the subject usually privilege 'expression' in narratives of adolescent identity formation: 'By realizing the physical or exterior body...the makeover metonymically expresses a character's unfolding inferiority...But when the fictions represent a character whose subjectivity is 'merely' performative...that character is apt to be radically alienated and possibly tragic' (5). For Stephens, the implicit function of makeover narratives is either transformative or cautionary based upon the notion that the 'transformed body' acts semiotically as a 'metonym of growth' (6). Stephens conludes that makeover narratives in teenage adolescent fiction for girls generally adhere to the dominant humanist paradigm of subjectivity in which 'self identity is defined by how an individual is valued by others' (5) and as the 'expression of a substantial self' which acts as a stable and innate ground for choice and agency' (12)
Awards
- 1988 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Alan Marshall Award for Children's Literature
- 1985 winner The Angus & Robertson Writer's Fellowship — For the Young - Section A