the original grrls
now, as far as missing link's grrldom goes (and this does seem to be the theme of this issue), you don't have to be a missing link. you can be an outcast. you can be the black sheep. you can be something without anything to call your own. you can be all of these, as was valancy in _the blue castle_ by l.m. montgomery.
a damn fine book.
yousee, valancy was being raised in the tightnit sterling clan, where every descision was a group descision but the whole group would rather have someone else answer it as they were all sheep and therefore couldn't think for themselves. so the sheep with the most power was the rich uncle type. so he lived their lives for them.
now, in a world as such, you would think that a person with an actual brain would be running things, but, alas poor yourik, she didn't, because you see, she lived in somewhat poverty and the think for herself meant that she wouldn't let her rich uncle think for her and then he'd write her out of his will. simple as that.
so, being restricted to having no life and being surrounded by complete nincompoops, valancy became known as "one of the sterling old maids" and had to constantly look up to her younger, prettier, and richer cousin olive. one of the orginal bitches, and i don't mean that to be a compliment.
eventualy valancy breaks free and does whatever she likes, regardless of what others think. hence the grrl breaks free from the mask that her doldrum family gave to her. and from then on her life took a complete 180.
i won't tell you how or why or any of that, 'cause i expect you to go out and read _the blue castle_ for yerself.
e the author of the article, valanchie
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