The Campus Queen in Literature and Culture

The Campus Queen in Literature and Culture: Prom Queen Profiles explores the nuanced relationship between femininity and power and provides a scholarly framework for understanding the evolution of the prom queen’s archetypal ubiquity. Semantically, the titles are nearly synonymous—prom queen, homecoming queen, winterfest princess—as all denote the longstanding tradition in the United States of conferring royal status upon teenage popularity. Yet whatever we call it, high school royalty remains one of the most paradoxical realities of youth culture, for as fervently as it gets dismissed and discredited, it is just as frequently revered and respected. A physical manifestation of the student body’s collective hegemonic efforts, the campus queen occupies a significant space in literature and culture, excavating truths both timeless and telling. A signature survey of the genre, this study traces the historical underpinnings and cultural implications of the campus queen, examining the longevity of the archetype and ultimately reimagining the narrative for future generations. Jamie Hammel Culver lives and teaches in Michigan. She earned her undergraduate degree from Alma College and her master’s and doctorate from Western Michigan University. This is her first book, but she knows her work with the campus queen does not end here, that her study of the archetype will continue as a lifelong labor of love. She lives on a peaceful inland lake with her husband and two children.