When Princesses Become Dragons

Critical Literacy, Damsel, and Confronting Rape Culture in English Classrooms

in Girlhood Studies
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Shelby Boehm Doctoral Student, University of Florida, USA sboehm@ufl.edu

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Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko SUNY Brockport, USA kyurko@brockport.edu

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Kathleen Olmstead SUNY Brockport, USA kolmstea@brockport.edu

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Henry “Cody” Miller SUNY Brockport, USA hmiller@brockport.edu

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Abstract

In this article we offer curricular suggestions for teaching Elana K. Arnold's young adult title Damsel, a subverted fairytale rewrite, using a critical literacy framework. In doing so, we outline how English curriculum has often upheld oppressive systems that harm women, and how our teaching can challenge such systems. We situate this work through the retelling of a fairytale trope given the ubiquity of such stories in secondary students’ lives. Our writings have teaching implications for both secondary English language arts classrooms and higher education fields such as English, folklore, mythology, and gender studies. We end by noting the limitations of such teaching.

Contributor Notes

Shelby Boehm (ORCID: 0000-0002-6671-6197) is a doctoral student at the University of Florida where she studies English education and literacy. Prior to doctoral studies, she taught high school English in Florida. Email: sboehm@ufl.edu

Kathleen Colantonio-Yurko (ORCID: 0000-0002-3205-2871) is an assistant professor of literacy education at SUNY Brockport. Before becoming a teacher educator, she taught high school English in Florida. Email: kyurko@brockport.edu

Kathleen Olmstead (ORCID: 0000-0002-0559-9003) is an assistant professor of literacy education at SUNY Brockport. Before becoming a teacher educator, she was an elementary school teacher/literacy specialist in New York. Email: kolmstea@brockport.edu

Henry “Cody” Miller (ORCID: 0000-0003-1172-3733) is an assistant professor of English education at SUNY Brockport. He taught high school English in Florida before transitioning into higher education. Email: hmiller@brockport.edu

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