Feminism and Gender in Galician Children’s Literature

An Analysis Based on Female Characters

Abstract

Feminism was a key element in the transformation of the roles of girls and women as portrayed in children’s and juvenile literature. In this type of literature, which is the first contact point and therefore crucial to the formation of reading habits, the treatment of gender is fundamental to the development of the values of femininity and masculinity in girls and boys. This article offers a panoramic vision through the female characters portrayed in Galician children’s and juvenile literature in order to analyze the type of models presented by these literary works to young readers and to examine the possible lines of evolution associated with each stage.