Intro

Hello everybody. My name is Molly, and I am a Masters student at TCU. I am taking Children's Literature as a graduate directed study. This semester I am looking towards researching for my thesis, and I am planning on writing in some capacity on children's literature. My other academic interests include women's studies and 19th century British novels, but I am not sure exactly how those interests may be incorporated into my thesis.

I would love to write my thesis on my favorite children's author, Maud Hart Lovlace. She wrote the Betsy-Tacy series, which is set in the hills and valleys of Minnesota at the beginning of the 20th century. My favorite book in the series is Betsy and Joe. The first four books of the series are set during Betsy's and Tacy's elementary school years, the next four cover the four years of high school, and the last two revolve around Betsy's travels in Europe and her marriage to Joe. Yes, I just gave a way a major plot point, but by looking at the titles you probably could have guessed that Betsy ends up with Joe. I really love the books that cover Betsy's years in high school the most because I think Lovelace does a wonderful job of developing a smart, interesting, funny, and strong-willed woman. Betsy is a leader amongst her friends, and questions the role she is expected to play sometimes as a woman. She is also a writer. The books are fairly highly autobiographical, and Lovelace shows her own early inclinations to be a writer through Betsy. I was a pretty imaginative child and loved to make up stories and to write, so I very much identified with Betsy. I hoped that I could have the friendships, fun, and success that Betsy had while she was in high school. Betsy and Joe, which chronicles Betsy's senior year, shows all the pangs and triumphs of growing up and preparing to say goodbye to home and childhood friends.