Hamer, Naomi Elana; (2010) Reading tween franchises : cross-media practices and the discourses of tween girlhood. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

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Abstract

THESIS ABSTRACT The 'tween' age group, particularly preadolescent females between the ages of 8 and 12, constitutes a heavily targeted niche for the branding and cross marketing of products. Consequently, books aimed at tween readers are often part of cross-media franchises that may include film and television adaptations, affiliated music albums, online fan clubs, video games, clothing, and cosmetics. In this context, representations may be adapted across a number of media forms, and conversely, responses to texts may be facilitated by engagement with diverse media. In light of these trends, this research explores how intersecting discourses of tween girlhood are negotiated through crossmedia practices by both producers and consumers of tween franchises. The thesis begins with a review of research from the fields of children's literature criticism, cultural and media studies, girlhood studies, and New Literacies. Building on this review, I outline a theoretical and methodological frame rooted in theories of discourse as articulated through multimodal design and cross-media play. The analysis traces a cultural history of key discourses in Anglo-American texts for and about preadolescent girls. In the following chapters, two tween-oriented cross-media worlds, The Chronicles ofNarnia and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, are used as case studies to examine the roles of multi modal design and cross-media play in the articulation of these discourses of tween girlhood. Each case study addresses the design of franchise texts (i.e. books, DVDs, tie-in texts); fan cultures related to these texts; and the responses of eightyear- old participants during fieldwork in Toronto, Canada. The conclusion of this thesis discusses the potential application of this doctoral study in future research on crossmedia texts and practices.

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