Chick Lit In The Seventies - The Case of What Katy Did And Little Women

Somehow tomboys have disappeared. I’ve no idea why. It’s been ages since I’ve heard anyone describe a woman or girl as a tomboy. Once upon a time, a maternal aunt and my own mother in law were depicted as tomboys. They climbed trees and were somehow not ladylike.

For myself, I don’t think I was considered one and I wonder why. I read more books which were for boys than those dedicated to girls - but can the latter be categorised as chick lit? I did climb trees

Anyhow, our house had some examples of girl stories and this is how I got to read books like What Katy Did

These books surely shaped at least part of a particular generation of Indian girls. We became primed to be guided by sets of morals that were quite alien to our environment, but such compunctions apart, these books were quite enchanting!

It would be interesting to know if such a book still holds attention today, nostalgia apart!

and Little Women.

Both are rather moral in tone and I must have relished the latter book as I was, at that time, also reading The Pilgrim’s Progress in class or by myself for some reason.

I might have seen the film too at some point...

You can read it here if you wish or

I wonder if there are others of the genre that I've missed - please do tell me if you know of any...