Scapegrace

Abstract

This thesis comprises of an original young adult novel, Scapegrace, and an exegesis exploring the erasure of the female body in young adult cross-dressing narratives. Scapegrace is a feminist fantasy novel that unravels what it means to be a woman in a man’s world. In a setting inspired by the hedonistic Regency period, two worlds clash; the Decadents, in their glittering mansions, and the Grafter gangs in the slums below. Having spent the last four years slipping between the cracks of the city system, Lily Vance’s life is set to change when a burst of power is torn from her – a power that only the male Decadents are supposed to possess. Kidnapped by a group intent on using her newfound abilities to their advantage, she is forced to choose; is she Lily or Lee? The exegesis explores the key tropes of young adult (YA) fantasy fiction that features female-to-male cross-dressing. Twelve novels are analyzed (including the creative work), noting common tropes such as breast binding, masculine imitation, protagonist age and point-of-view. The main essay focusses on the absence of menstruation in cross-dressing novels. This is achieved through exploring current and historical views of menstruation from different cultures, ceremonies around menarche, and an in-depth look at menstruation in YA fantasy novels. The exegesis seeks to unpack the importance of the accurate depiction of menstruation in YA cross-dressing fantasy novels and why academic work around this topic also erases this natural bodily function and, by extension, the female body. The author reflects on her own creative piece and how Scapegrace (despite being self-consciously feminist) does not mention the cross-dressed protagonist’s experience of menstruation while masquerading a boy.