Poetry and gender in Secondary schools: theoretical review and analysis of manuals

Abstract

Poetry written by women in Spanish has not been given the space it deserves in the curriculum or in secondary school textbooks. To verify the validity of the problem, we analysed the presence of male and female poets in nine current fourth-year textbooks from various publishers, differentiating between the mere mention of these poets and the contribution of a brief biography and/or some poetry. In the theoretical framework, we review the factors leading to the relegation of poetry in secondary schools, recommended practices for successful poetic education, the historical exclusion of women from the canon and the importance of their inclusion, and the recent boom in poetry written by women in Spanish, as well as best-selling poets and the educational implications. Finally, we present the most relevant conclusions for literary education derived from the theoretical review and the analysis of manuals.