Annotated Bibliography
Bell, Elizabeth, Lynda Haas, and Laura Sells. "Thirteen; Spinsters in Sensible Shoes Mary Poppins and
Bedknobs and Broomsticks." From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and
Culture. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1995. 212-17. Print.
This article outlines how women were often employed as domestic servants in Edwardian
Britain. These domestic servants were often viewed as second class citizens compared to their
employers, who were of a higher social and economic class. This background in the domestic servitude
of women allows me to give context to Mary Poppins, as she is a member of this working class of
women. Understanding the position that Mary Poppins holds allows me to better see the strong contrast
to social norms she introduces as a feminist character in an under-privileged group.
Benson, John. "One Man and His Women: Domestic Service in Edwardian England." Labour History
Review 72.3 (2007): 203-14. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
This article outlines how women were often employed as domestic servants in Edwardian
Britain. These domestic servants were often viewed as second class citizens compared to their
employers, who were of a higher social and economic class. This background in the domestic servitude
of women allows me to give context to Mary Poppins, as she is a member of this working class of
women. Understanding the position that Mary Poppins holds allows me to better see the strong contrast
to social norms she introduces as a feminist character in an under-privileged group.
Mayhall, Laura E. Nym. "Domesticating Emmeline: Representing the Suffragette, 1930-1993." NWSA
Journal 11.2 (1999): 1-24. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
This article acts as a bridge between feminism of the pertinent time period and the role that Mary
Poppins plays as a feminist character. First, the article outlines the prominent feminist figures in
Edwardian Britain and their impacts. In particular, the article focuses Emmeline Pankhurst and her
effect on feminism. The article then switches to Mary Poppins and how she can be related to Pankhurst.
The article describes the feminist tendencies of Mary Poppins, but most importantly it places the film
and the character into a cultural context, to better understand how they both fit into the feminist
movement of the time period in which it takes place.
Mcleer, Anne. "Practical Perfection? The Nanny Negotiates Gender, Class, and Family Contradictions
in 1960s Popular Culture." NWSA Journal 14.2 (2002): 80-101. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
This article outlines how the nanny was used in both Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music to
modernize gender roles and address the feminist movements of the American 1960s. It addresses how
in both films, the nanny is a strong character that both realigns the family and reinstates the father in
his patriarchal role. It addresses how in both films, the nanny reinstates the father as the head of
household, while redefining the gender roles that caused the feminist movement in the first place. It
addresses the concerns of 1960s Americans and hoe they perceived the feminist movement, and the
apparent loosening of the patriarchal role of household, and showed how men could keep their fatherly
role with modernized gender roles and a respect for women and children.
Oppenheim, Janet. "Victorian and Edwardian Women: The Halves of Modern English Social
History:Women in English Social History, 1800-1914: A Guide to Research in Three Volumes.
Barbara Kanner." The Journal of Modern History 66.1 (1994): 79. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
This article is much more simply an outline of the women’s movements of England during the
time period in which Mary Poppins takes place. The article addresses major figures and events during
the time period that created the feminist culture that Mary Poppins centers around. Though not directly
relating to the film, the article helps strengthen the historical and cultural context that I will build my
paper around.