ABSTRACT
For contemporary feminist writers of Malaysian youth literature, adolescent marginality serves as a means of revisionist myth-making, enabling the subversive retellings of local folklore or highlighting contemporary works of fiction in which girlhood is depicted as an incipient period of agency, self-assertion, and emotional and psychological growth. Through subversive representations that challenge traditional notions of femininity commonly found in Malay folklore, such writers boldly interrogate the cultural construction of girlhood in Malaysia, using their revisionist narratives to address controversial subjects like polygamy, sibling rivalry, and female desire. This chapter examines two representations of girlhood in Malaysian youth literature in order to demonstrate how these literary texts function as revisionist narratives of female agency and empowerment. These depictions reinforce the significance of contemporary Malaysian youth literature in addressing gender justice issues that affect the lives of girls and young women, providing them with the tools not only to articulate and challenge their experiences of marginalization but also to advocate for their rights in a largely conservative, patriarchal society like Malaysia.
