Date of Project
4-6-2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
School Name
Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education
Department
Education
Major Advisor
Dr. Jess Smith
Second Advisor
Dr. Elizabeth Dinkins
Abstract
This study uses a critical content analysis methodology to examine four Judy Blume novels (Johnson et al). Using a lens of gynocriticsm (Showalter) and mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors (Bishop), power and representation of female puberty are analyzed in Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Deenie, Forever, and Just As Long As We’re Together to understand how Judy Blume pushes the bounds of content in young adult literature through depictions of thelarche, menarche, and sexarche. Through the critical content analysis, the role of group interactions and individual experiences are shown as the conductors for power, learning, and emotions related to female puberty. Blume uses a combination of colloquial and physiological terminology to discuss puberty and illustrate the nuances of puberty experiences. Blume’s novels represent female puberty as complex, exciting, confusing, and turbulent through her use of realism and her honest protagonists.
Recommended Citation
Gilbert, Audrey E., "Are You There Judy?: A Critical Content Analysis of Judy Blume's Representation of Female Puberty" (2026). Undergraduate Theses. 205.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/ugrad_theses/205