Female fantasy: identity, politics, & society in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Universe

Worm, Grace Ann Thomas (2026) Female fantasy: identity, politics, & society in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Universe. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis is a close examination of Tamora Pierce’s Young Adult Fantasy literature books set within the world of Tortall and Other Lands. It analyzes how U.S. politics, society, and culture in distinct periods of time are reflected and challenged through Pierce’s Revisionist Feminist work, examining the unique struggles against inequality that her protagonists highlight through their experiences in each succeeding series. Through close readings and thematic analysis, this research explores how Pierce’s evolving treatment of gender, sexuality, race, class, and power constructs a cumulative feminist vision that both reflects and critiques dominant cultural narratives within the American YA literary landscape and society more generally.

The introduction outlines the ideological framework I use to analyze Pierce’s Tortall Universe, situating it within a feminist tradition focused on community, revision, and explicit engagement with women’s and young girls’ issues. Drawing on scholarship on YA literature, I argue that Pierce’s work is intentionally instructive, using narrative to explore diverse political and social structures. Additionally, I examine her Neomedieval Fantasy worldbuilding by relating it to historical shifts in American culture, politics, and society. Chapter 1 deals with romance, gender performativity, and heroism in The Song of the Lioness series, considering Alanna of Trebond. Chapter 2 is focused on posthumanism and ecofeminism in Pierce’s second series, The Immortals, exploring the experiences of its protagonist Daine. Chapter 3 re-engages with depictions of female heroism and covers bullying, allyship, and community in The Protector of the Small series, examining its central character, Kel. Chapter 4 shifts to focus on the intersectionality of race, class, and feminism in two short stories set in Tortall, Pierce’s duology Tricksters and the Provost’s Dog trilogy. Finally, the conclusion introduces further avenues of possible research and traces Pierce’s legacy, exploring what this suggests about wider trends in Female Fantasy, especially in books written for and about young adults.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General); P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Sangster, Professor Matthew and Fimi, Professor Dimitra
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86080
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 25 Jun 2026 15:41
• Last Modified: 25 Jun 2026 15:44
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86080
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86080