The Blue Sword

Girls Who Do Things: The Protagonists of Robin McKinley's Fantasy Fiction
Sanders, Lynn Moss. "Girls Who Do Things: The Protagonists of Robin McKinley's Fantasy Fiction." ALAN Review. V24 n3. 143-56. September 1996.
McKinley's fiction emphasizes noble values and balances gender roles by "portraying female characters who are physically strong, smart and courageous."

The Realm of Fairy Story: J.R.R. Tolkien and Robin McKinley's Beauty
Woolsey, Daniel P. "The Realm of Fairy Story: J.R.R. Tolkien and Robin McKinley's Beauty" Children's Literature in Education. V22 n2. June 1991. 126-136.
A comparison of McKinley to Tolkien in their narrative approaches and fantasy style.

Welding Brass Tits on the Armor: The Quest Metaphor in Robin McKinley's The Hero and The Crown
Altmann, Anna E. "c." Children's Literature in Education. V23 n3. Sept 1992. 143-56.
Analyzes notion of woman as hero along with the basic quest imagery used by Robin McKinley. Compares this quest story with others involving women."

Like the Back of My Hand
Howard, Barbara. "Like the Back of My Hand." AskERIC. (October 25, 2000) http://ericir.syr.edu/virutal/lessons/lang_arts/writing_comp/WCP0022.html.
An exercise in creative descriptive ability.

Prepare Me for the Horror: The Feminist Way
Arias, Julie. "Prepare Me for the Horror: The Feminist Way." AskERIC. (October 25, 2000) http://ericir.syr.edu/virutal/lessons/lang_arts/writing_comp/WCP003l.
Introduction to feminist literary criticism.

Descriptive Character Analysis
Vitali, Frances. "Descriptive Character Analysis." AskERIC. (October 25, 2000) http://ericir.syr.edu/virutal/lessons/lang_arts/literature/LIT0006.html
A creative and artistic approach to understanding and analyzing fictional characters.

Inferring Character Traits
Calder, Donna. "Inferring Character Traits" AskERIC. (October 25, 2000) http://ericir.syr.edu/virutal/lessons/lang_arts/READING/RDG0002.html
An exercise in identifying and organizing character traits, incorporates creative writing.

The Blue Sword Background

Timeline of Damarian Events
"Timeline of Damarian Events" http://ofb.net/~damien/mckinley/timeline.html (October 25, 2000)
A very cool timeline and history of Damar and related information. Includes other Damarian Info:
· Damar and India
· Northerners
· On Damarian Religion and On Mages
· Unanswered Questions
· Acclaim

KidView
Eapan. "KidView." http://www.eduplace.com/kids/rdg/kidviews/grade8/hero.html
A kid's review of The Blue Sword.