Keywords for Children's Literature

by Philip Nel (Editor), Lissa Paul (Editor)

Overview

The study of children’s literature and culture has been experiencing a renaissance, with vital new work proliferating across many areas of interest. Mapping this vibrant scholarship, Keywords for Children’s Literature presents 49 original essays on the essential terms and concepts of the field. From Aesthetics to Young Adult, an impressive, multidisciplinary cast of scholars explores the vocabulary central to the study of children's literature.
Following the growth of his or her word, each author traces its branching uses and meanings, often into unfamiliar disciplinary territories: Award-winning novelist Philip Pullman writes about Intentionality, Education expert Margaret Meek Spencer addresses Reading, literary scholar Peter Hunt historicizes Children’s Literature, Psychologist Hugh Crago examines Story, librarian and founder of the influential Child_Lit litserv Michael Joseph investigates Liminality. The scope, clarity, and interdisciplinary play between concepts make this collection essential reading for all scholars in the field. In the spirit of Raymond Williams’ seminal Keywords, this book is a snapshot of a vocabulary of children’s literature that is changing, expanding, and ever unfinished.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814758557
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	06/13/2011
Series:	Keywords , #2
Pages:	293
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.73(d)

About the Author

Philip Nel (Editor)
Philip Nel is University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is the author or co-editor of eleven books, the most recent of which is Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.

Lissa Paul (Editor)
Lissa Paul, Professor at Brock University in the Niagra Region of Canada, has authored or edited seven books, has chapters in nineteen and publishes widely in international journals. Her most recent book is Eliza Fenwick: Early Modern Feminist. She is currently working on an edition of Fenwick's letters.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Aesthetics
2 African American
3 Audience
4 Body
5 Boyhood
6 Censorship
7 Character
8 Childhood
9 Children’s Literature
10 Class
11 Classic
12 Crossover Literature
13 Culture
14 Domestic
15 Education
16 Empire
17 Fantasy
18 Gender
19 Girlhood
20 Golden Age
21 Graphic Novel
22 Home
23 Identity
24 Ideology
25 Image
26 Innocence
27 Intention
28 Latino/a
29 Liminality
30 Literacy
31 Marketing
32 Modernism
33 Multicultural
34 Nature
35 Nonsense
36 Picture Book
37 Popular
38 Postcolonial
39 Postmodernism
40 Queer
41 Race
42 Reading
43 Realism
44 Science Fiction
45 Story
46 Theory
47 Tomboy
48 Voice
49 Young Adult
Works Cited
About the Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“By distilling the complex uses of its core terms, the contributors to Keywords for Children's Literature have produced an indispensable handbook for scholars in this dynamic field.”-Donald E. Pease,author of Theodor SEUSS Geisel

"Overall, this volume succeeds quite well in focusing attention on how we discuss children's literature. The 49 essays are models of thoughtful inquiry into words we frequently use, often without considering how they have been transformed over time." -Myra Zarnowski,Teachers College Record

“Keywords for Children's Literature demonstrates how sophisticated the critical approaches to the burgeoning field of children's literature have become. Not only do the essays on keywords, written by some of the most capable professors in the field, elaborate important concepts in the history of children's literature, but they cover significant cultural debates and discussions. This superb volume of scholarship demonstrates—definitively—that adult literature cannot be understood without grasping its roots in children's literature.” -Jack Zipes,University of Minnesota

"Even the most sophisticated scholars will enjoy seeing how their colleagues achieve the feat of crafting such delicious distillations within the given space constraints. This book is a monumental achievement."-Claudia Mills,Children's Literature Association

"This book presents 49 thoughtful essays based on various concepts pertaining to children's literature, including genres, literary theories, and the history of children's literature...This volume will be very useful, especially for colleges and universities with children's literature programs. Highly recommended." -J. Stevens,Choice

Editorial Reviews

"Keywords for Children's Literature demonstrates how sophisticated the critical approaches to the burgeoning field of children's literature have become. Not only do the essays on keywords, written by some of the most capable professors in the field, elaborate important concepts in the history of children's literature, but they cover significant cultural debates and discussions. This superb volume of scholarship demonstratesdefinitivelythat adult literature cannot be understood without grasping its roots in children's literature"

Jack Zipes

"By distilling the complex uses of its core terms, the contributors to Keywords for Children's Literature have produced an indispensable handbook for scholars in this dynamic field."

Donald E. Pease

"Overall, this volume succeeds quite well in focusing attention on how we discuss children's literature. The 49 essays are models of thoughtful inquiry into words we frequently use, often without considering how they have been transformed over time"

Teachers College Record - Myra Zarnowski

"This book presents 49 thoughtful essays based on various concepts pertaining to children's literature, including genres, literary theories, and the history of children's literature...This volume will be very useful, especially for colleges and universities with children's literature programs. Highly recommended."

Choice - J. Stevens

"Even the most sophisticated scholars will enjoy seeing how their colleagues achieve the feat of crafting such delicious distillations within the given space constraints. This book is a monumental achievement."

Children's Literature Association - Claudia Mills

Keywords for Children's Literature demonstrates how sophisticated the critical approaches to the burgeoning field of children's literature have become. Not only do the essays on keywords, written by some of the most capable professors in the field, elaborate important concepts in the history of children's literature, but they cover significant cultural debates and discussions. This superb volume of scholarship demonstrates—definitively—that adult literature cannot be understood without grasping its roots in children's literature.” -Jack Zipes, University of Minnesota

From the Publisher

Drawing on the expertise of scholars in many fields, this important book attempts to pull from various disciplines a shared vocabulary of children's literature. Selecting 49 keywords deemed crucial to the field, each essay maps the history of the entry and explains how it came to be used. The editors maintain that the book is a snapshot of a vocabulary that is changing, expanding, and ever evolving. The essays are thought-provoking and are meant to spark further debate and conversation. Organized alphabetically, the volume is best read by selecting a keyword and then allowing the associations suggested by it to lead you to a related idea. For instance, "Innocence" might guide readers to "Audience," which may steer them to "Young Adult." This scholarly work will find the most use and value at institutions where the study of children's literature and culture are supported. An extensive "Works Cited" section, an index, and brief information about each contributor are included.—Renee McGrath, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY

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