Winifred Darch (1884-1960), taught at Loughton County High School for Girls 1906-1935 (now Roding Valley High School). Of all the twentieth-century school story authors, Winifred Darch is perhaps the one most concerned with the democratic possibilities of schooling for girls. More than many writers in the genre, she wrote about state-funded schools and their role in the continuing democratization of social institutions. She was also interested in school as a workplace for women. Darch's books connect conversations about teachers and education policy with representations of schoolgirls. As a career teacher herself, she was aware that professional "educationists"--librarians and theorists as well as school administrators and teachers -- played a role (or at least attempted to) in the success or failure of school story writers. As with other examples of the genre, her books -- published by Oxford University Press's juvenile division -- targeted girl readers. Some books seem to be pitched to a young teenage or preteen audience. However, equally important is the possibility of an actual readership that included adults.
|
