Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
ENGL 60113
Annotated Bibliography
Barker, Jani L. Racial Identification and Audience in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and the
In this article, Jani Barker studies two novels written by African-American authors: The
Watsons Go to Birmingham1963 and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The purpose of the
article is to shed light on race and racism as a means of understanding different cultures.
Barker uses critical race theory as a tool to show how the authors of these two novels use
different strategies to help their readers identify with anti-racist positions. They present black
characters in a positive light, helping black audiences identify with them, but at the same
time, making sure they dont alienate their white readers. This is useful for my conference
paper because it gives me a way to frame how multiethnic childrens literature grapples with
diversity.
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.
In his introduction, Bettelheim discusses how the most important task in raising a child is to
help them make meaning and understand the world around them. He applies Freudian
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psychology to fairy tales, claiming that they help transmit cultural heritage to children. They
are also the best form of literature because they convey moral messages to children through
accessible means. Fairytales simplify all situations because they present typical characters,
have a unique subject and form, and stimulate a childs imagination while entertaining
him/her. This connects to my proposal in the sense that fairy tales can be used as a genre to
Campbell, Lori M. Introduction. A Quest of Her Own: Essays on the Female Hero in Modern
female hero. Campbell tries to identify the characteristics of the female hero archetype, who
carves a place for herself alongside male heroes. Up until the 20th century, the female hero
didnt really exist. She was just a figment of the male imagination; she is portrayed as a
heroes, who achieve the hero status after a lot of pain and hard work. They display courage,
assertiveness, and the willingness to self-sacrifice. This is helpful because I am exploring the
Fields. The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 38, no. 3, 2014, pp. 237257.,
doi:10.1353/uni.2014.0032.
Katharine Capshaws article is a keynote speech that she delivered at the Childrens
Literature Associations 2014 conference. Capshaw brings to her audiences attention that
there is a lack of childrens literature relating to people of color, especially considering the
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U.S demographic. She calls for a more inclusive childrens literature and adds that the way to
achieving that is studying race through a lens of ethnic studies. This article will help me give
me more background about how little scholarship there is on ethnic writing in childrens
literature.
Cummins, June. The Still Almost All-White World of Childrens Literature: Theory,
In this chapter, June Cummins talks about the fact that childrens books in America lack
diversity. Additionally, she sheds light on intersectionality to argue that identity cannot be
understood without looking at race, class, gender, ethnicity, etc. (Cummins 98). Cummins
highlights that committees such as the Newbery are part of the problem because they do not
give awards to diverse writers; they need to take the intersectionality approach to assert that
all sorts of identities are important so that change in publishing can occur. This will also be
helpful for my paper because it shows how multiethnic literature is mostly excluded from
Dahlen, Sarah Park. A Step from Heaven: On Being a Woman of Color in Childrens
Literature Studies. The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 41, no. 1, 2017, pp. 82092., doi:
10.1353/uni.2017.0005.
Like many others, Sarah Dahlen never identified with the stories she read as a child in
America because of the scarce number of books about her Korean heritage. Dahlen also
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and she believes that it is mainly because people havent had enough exposure to empathize
with people from different backgrounds. This article is helpful because it shows how
childrens literature is one way to help readers experience what people from different cultures
experience, so that they are able to fully understand what its like to be in their shoes.
Gubar, Marah. Reciprocal Aggression: Un-Romantic Agency in the Art of Lewis Carroll.
Marah Gubar begins her third chapter, entitled Reciprocal Aggression: Un-Romantic
Agency in the Art of Lewis Carroll by sharing with her readers a side that some may have
not known about Carroll. He reproduces the art of Joshua Reynolds The Age of Innocence
perhaps to mock the idea that childhood is associated with innocence. Gubar claims that
Carroll blurs the line between the adult and the child by portraying children in a collaborative
relationship with adults (95). However, his photographs of children display the child as
compelled to cooperate, rather than a willing co-creator. Thus, Carroll subverts the ideal of
innocence in his photographs, as well as in his Alice books. This will help my research
because I want to explore how Alice in Wonderland deals with the theme of diversity.
Jaques, Zoe. This Huntress Who Delights in Arrows: The Female Archer in Childrens
Fiction. A Quest of Her Own: Essays on the Female Hero in Modern Fantasy, edited
by Lori M. Campbell, McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2014, pp. 150-171.
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In her article, Zoe Jaques gives an overview of how the female archer is depicted in modern
childrens fantasy. She uses the character of Katniss from Suzanne Collinss The Hunger
Games as one of three examples of female archers. Katniss, however, does not just take the
role of warrior (which is usually a masculine quality), but also of gatherer, since she is
responsible for collecting food for her community. These conflicting gender roles that
Katniss exhibits by conflating masculine and feminine characteristics contribute to the unique
yet changing role of the female archer. This article will be helpful in examining the different
Keeling, Kara, and Scott Pollard. Privilege and Exploitation: Food as Dual Signifier in
Pamela Muoz Ryans Esperanza Rising. The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 40, no. 3,
The two authors analyze Muoz Ryans Esperanza Rising from the perspective of food and
how it signifies Esperanzas fall from the upper-class life. The authors trace how Esperanzas
relationship with food parallels changes to her social status. For instance, the chapter of the
papayas signals a loss of family and estate since the food changes from a consumable object
to one of produce. The papaya used to be considered a birthday treat, but after her fathers
death, it starts to spoil and can no longer be consumed. Once she gets to California, she will
not have the luxury of wasting food because of her social status. This helps me study the
Childrens Literature in a Global Society. The Reading Teacher, vol. 60, no. 6, 2007,
This article discusses how multicultural literature is an essential field to consider because we
have become a global society, and it is important for cultures to understand one another and
unite. Livingston and Kurkjian review a plethora of books written by different authors to help
readers challenge assumptions. The authors also shed light on books that represent children
from different backgrounds and cultures around the world in hopes that readers would find
connections to them and perhaps even identify with them, despite their disparate
Lerer, Seth. Good Feeling: Prizes, Libraries, and the Institutions of American Literature.
In this chapter, Seth Lerer claims that the canon of American childrens literature has been
shaped by prize culture. He supports this claim by giving a brief history of how prizes such as
the Newbery and Caldecott Medals were awarded in childrens literature since the 1920s. He
also discusses the key role that public libraries played at that timethey contributed to the
rise of American childrens literature in the late 19th century. Librarians (usually women)
held the power in terms of choosing what books children should be reading, but they also
played a part in making the library a place of imagination. This is an important work for my
research because it addresses how American Childrens literature was shaped in the 19th
century.
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Introduction, by Levy and Mendhlesohn. Cambridge University Press, 2016, pp. 1-9.
Levy, Michael, and Farah Mendlesohn. Harry Potter and Childrens Fantasy since the
These two authors wrote this comprehensive book, which tackles childrens fantasy literature
from the 16th till the 21st century. Specifically, it examines how fantasy literature evolved to
become childrens literature. Levy and Mendlesohn trace a variety of works throughout the
centuries, using historical, political, and ideological critical lenses. In chapter 8 of their book,
they address the emergence of a teen market which was primarily shaped around teens
concerns. They separate literature written for children from literature written for teens in
terms of how one recognizes puberty and coming of age and how one doesnt (Levy and
Mendlesohn 161). This book examines another theme related to my research, the
bildungsroman.
Nodelman, Perry. Childrens Literature as a Genre. The Hidden Adult: Defining Childrens
Perry Nodelman wrote this comprehensive book to describe the field and genre of childrens
literature. His third chapter gives readers an overview and even engages them in the debate
between Nodelman and his peers regarding the changing definitions of childrens literature
since its inception. Nodelman provides this definition as an attempt to make sense of the
conflicting viewpoints and combines what he has concluded from his investigation into the
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field and his discussions with writers, publishers, and critics. This is a valuable book for my
Park, Linda Sue. Newbery Medal Acceptance. Horn Book Magazine, vol. 78, no.4,
lib.tcu.edu/PURL/EZproxy_link.asp?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.tcu.edu
/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,uid&db=lfh&AN=6882238&site=ehost
-live.
In this article Park describes how she received a call from the Newbery committee informing
her that she had won the award for her novel, A Single Shard. Like child readers, Park had a
desire to learn more about the world, and she wanted to share that knowledge through her
writing. She came to the realization that she connected with the plight of the outsider after
noticing that her most memorable books of her childhood featured black protagonists. She
believes that connecting people is one of the most significant elements of story. This is an
important book that highlights the importance of embracing people from different ethnic
backgrounds.
Spufford, Francis. The Town. The Child That Books Built: A Life in Reading, Metropolitan
In this book, Francis Spufford, shows the huge impact that books have on children and how
they mold them into adults (hence the title). This specific chapter, The Town, explores
how societies interact; Spufford learns about community from the way people treat each other
in the books he read. One of the most important and memorable quotations in the chapter is
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when Spufford says: But understanding someone in the towns entailed you recognizing first
of all, that their skin was full. There was somebody else already there, whose personality had
a different grain from yours as you read about them (Spufford 130). This quote plays a
Walker, Jeanne Murray. Critical Issues and Approaches: High Fantasy, Rites of Passage,
edited by Glenn Edward Sadler, Modern Language Association of America, 1992, pp.
109-120.
Jeanne Murray Walkers article is part of a bigger book which deals with the issues and
pedagogy of teaching childrens literature. Walker rejects the idea that people read fantasy
out of a desire to escape their surroundings. She adds that since the American society doesnt
seem to have any definitive rites of passage that help them transition to and comprehend the
adult state, fantasy helps them make this transition. Readers can experience this move from
childhood to adulthood when they identify with characters in fantasy who undergo these
diversity.