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Weathered Girls: A Corpus Study of Girlhood as Exposure in Australian YA Fiction This working paper presents a corpus-based investigation into how contemporary Australian YA fiction constructs girlhood as an exposed, unstable, and environmentally entangled condition. Rather than framing girlhood as a stable identity or predictable developmental stage, many texts depict young female protagonists living within ongoing states of relational, emotional, and ecological volatility. Using a purpose-built corpus of Australian YA novels (2000–2024) featuring girl protagonists, this study applies keyword extraction, collocation mapping, sentiment arcs, and semantic pattern analysis to identify linguistic and narrative patterns associated with girlhood. Early observations suggest that Australian YA fiction persistently links girlhood to vulnerability, care pressures, environmental instability, and sustained forms of affective labour. This working paper outlines the research design and preliminary findings that will be expanded in the full-length article integrating corpus linguistics, girlhood studies, and feminist environmental humanities. Keywords: girlhood studies, Australian YA fiction, corpus linguistics, weathering, exposure, affect, volatility
### Introduction This working paper forms part of a broader examination of how Australian YA fiction narrates girlhood under conditions of social, emotional, and environmental pressure. While traditional models imagine girlhood as a coherent path toward maturity, the preliminary analysis of this corpus suggests a very different narrative mode: one in which girl protagonists remain entangled in instability, care obligations, and ecological uncertainty. This paper outlines the aims, scope, and theoretical rationale for the project in its early stages. ### Methods Overview The corpus includes Australian YA novels published between 2000 and 2024 featuring girl protagonists. Texts are analysed through: • Keyword extraction • Collocation and semantic clustering • Sentiment trajectory mapping • Lexical pattern comparison with general fiction corpora These computational findings are complemented by close reading and theoretical lenses from girlhood studies, affect theory, and feminist environmental humanities. ### Preliminary Observations • Significant lexical clusters emerge around care, responsibility, and emotional labour. • Environmental and atmospheric terminology co-occurs strongly with girlhood-related terms. • Sentiment arcs display volatility and suspended resolution, mirroring themes of ongoingness. These early insights guide the next stage of analysis and theoretical synthesis.
### References (Working Paper) Alaimo, Stacy. *Bodily Natures*. Hamilton, Jennifer Mae, and Astrida Neimanis. Interview (2025). Neimanis, Astrida. *Bodies of Water*. Mitchell, Claudia and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh. *Girlhood Studies*. Sharpe, Christina. *In the Wake*. Additional references will be added upon full drafting.
