In A World of Women, Rosemary Auchmuty examines the novels in which the heroines of girls' school stories grow up. To what extent, she asks, do these heroines fulfil their potential as active and independent young women? Why do even their unmarried women creators so often marry them off? Do they then settle down to domesticity and submission to men? Or is there more going on than meets the eye?

With exhilarating style, Rosemary Auchmuty examines the Abbey Girl books by Elsie J. Oxenham, the Chalet School series by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, and Dorita Fairlie Bruce's Nancy, Springdale and Dimsie stories, and utterly overthrows conventional critiques of their work.

Originally published in 1999 by The Women’s Press.