Judith Humphrey

Building upon the work of such scholars as Rosemary Auchmuty, who provides the foreword here, Judith Humphrey examines the subversive potential of the English girls' school story, a genre that has frequently been dismissed as trivial in scope, and of scant literary merit. Although often derided in the world of children's literature scholarship, and described as being akin to "pulp fiction," the girls' school story has been immensely successful, and continues to have its passionate advocates, even today. Humphrey argues that, as examples of texts "written by women for women about women," girls' school stories are inherently subversive, even when they seems to conform outwardly to fairly conservative social values. She draws upon Auchmuty's work, in such titles as A World of Girls: The Appeal of the Girls' School Story, in positing that the creation of an all-female world can be liberatory for the reader, and examines such topics as the validation of intellectual pursuits for women and girls, the importance of school sport as a means of challenging restrictions on female physical activity, the notion of 'playing the game' as a larger construct around which to organize one's entire life, and the headmistress as an example of female authority - even female divinity. Humphrey concludes with the statement that the school story affords women the opportunity to be whole: to value female friendship and love, to see themselves in the Divine, and to reject notions that they are biologically 'diseased,' or distinct from the norm...

I found The English Girls' School Story: Subversion and Challenge in a Traditional Conservative Literary Genre to be an excellent examination of its eponymous topic. I tracked it down for a paper I wrote in my masters course on two girls' school stories - one by Enid Blyton, the other by Dorita Fairlie Bruce - and I found it most useful. As mentioned, Judith Humphrey is building on previous scholarship here, particularly the work of Rosemary Auchmuty, but I liked the way in which she expanded some of Auchmuty's ideas, and the various lens - female friendship, female intellectual pursuits, female physical autonomy, female authority/divinity - she used to examined them. I also appreciated the fact that Humphrey drew in some earlier authors - in particular, late 19th / early 20th-century writer L.T. Meade - in her discussion, as Auchmuty's work focused almost exclusively on four popular 20th-century writers (Enid Blyton, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Dorita Fairlie Bruce, and Elsie J. Oxenham). Humphrey also discusses Bruce and Blyton in her book, which was quite useful to me, in writing my paper. If I had any criticism to make of the book, it would be the fact that it doesn't stretch back far enough, in its analysis of the genre, giving scant attention to the earlier examples of the girls' school story, which predate Meade. If Victorian school stories opened up subversive spaces for girl and women readers, how much more so would earlier works, such as Sarah Fielding's 1749 The Governess, or, The Little Female Academy, which is widely considered the first English-language novel written explicitly for children. Given that this genre, which Humphrey (rightly) considers so subversive, it tied to the dawn of children's fiction in general, in the English-speaking world, that might have been something to explore.

Leaving that issue aside - and I confess to some bias, as I have also done research on Fielding's book, and its influence on girls' educational narratives from 1750-1820 - this is an excellent work, and one I would particularly recommend to scholars interested in the British girls' school story specifically, or in British children's fiction for girls. It was published in 2009, so I'm not sure how accurate its portrayal of the current state of children's literature scholarship is - I suspect that girls' fiction is not derided like it once was, given the explosion of studies and work done in the field - but it is still a relevant and important work, as it concerns its analysis of its source material.… (altro)

As a professor of management communication and leadership/communications coach and consultant, I immediately sought out this book based on its title. By highlighting the prevalence of impromptu speaking opportunities, the author has identified a critical change and with it has mapped out concomitant skills and aptitudes individuals must master to thrive. The book overall offers a quick read with short chapters designed to serve as an ongoing reference. Humphrey covers a lot of ground here and that's a strength. That said, some chapters covered territory (e.g., the scripting template on pg. 98, how to handle questions and answers) that undoubtedly will be familiar to experienced communicators, Toastmasters, and others who've spent time looking at other books in the field. I wish Humphrey had mentioned some of these books (I'm thinking specifically of Roger Ailes' You are the Message and Thomas Montalbo's The Power of Eloquence) which would benefit the reader seeking additional insight. Her argument overall is sound, although the dichotomy between prepared and impromptu speeches is often fuzzier than the reader might conclude. To that point, many of her main points could just as well apply to occasions when formal presentations are required. These latter points aside, Humphrey has delivered a worthwhile book bound to be helpful to professionals seeking further insight into the complexities of communicating in our times.… (altro)