History of Children's Literature (EDU1HCL)
2010

Texts

y separately published work icon Seven Little Australians Ethel Turner , London Melbourne : Ward, Lock and Bowden , 1894 Z863667 1894 single work children's fiction children's (taught in 25 units)

'Without doubt Judy was the worst of the seven, probably because she was the cleverest.'

'Her father, Captain Woolcot, found his vivacious, cheeky daughter impossible – but seven children were really too much for him and most of the time they ran wild at their rambling riverside home, Misrule.

'Step inside and meet them all – dreamy Meg, and Pip, daring Judy, naughty Bunty, Nell, Baby and the youngest, 'the General'. Come and share in their lives, their laughter and their tears.' (From the publisher's website.)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!$!Carroll, Lewis!$! London!$!Walker!$!2001
Treasure Island!$!Stevenson, Robert Louis!$! Somerville, Mass.!$!Candlewick Press!$!2009
A Little Princess!$!Burnett, Frances Hodgson!$! New York!$!Sterling Pub!$!2004
The Sword in the Stone!$!White, T. H.!$! London!$!Collins Children's Books!$!1998
Just So Stories for Little Children !$!Kipling, Rudyard!$! New York !$!Weathervane Books !$!1978
Beauty : a retelling of the story of Beauty and​ the Beast!$!McKinley, Robin!$! London!$!Corgi Books!$!2004
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!$!Baum, L. Frank!$! Philadelphia, Penn. !$!Courage Books!$!2003
Peter Pan !$!Barrie, J.M.!$! New York!$!Henry Holt and Company!$!2003
What Katy Did!$!Coolidge, Susan!$! Woodbridge!$!ACC Children's Classics!$!1999
Arthur: The Seeing Stone!$!Crossley-Holland, Kevin!$! London!$!Orion Children's!$!2000
Beowulf : Dragonslayer !$!Sutcliff, Rosemary!$! London!$!Red Fox!$!2001
The Folk Keeper !$!Billingsley, Franny!$! London!$!Bloomsbury!$!2003

Description

History of Children’s Literature is the second unit in the Children’s Literature discipline sequence. This unit builds on EDU1GCL - Genres in Children’s Literature - taking students back to the roots of story telling and examining the beginnings of children’s literature. It examines the forms and themes of traditional literatures and their influence on the development of texts for children, especially in the ‘Golden Age’ of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The unit investigates the origins and generic features of traditional literatures such as myths and legends, folk and fairy tales, and hero tales, and their influence on the emergence of genres like fantasy and realism in modern children’s literature. The unit also examines the emergence of a social construct of childhood through the growing awareness, over time, of children as a distinct social group, as a publishing market, and as a responsibility of ‘adult carers’.

Course Aims:

This subject is intended to:

• Examine the forms and structures of traditional literatures, and how they

are influenced by the cultural and social constructs of the society and time in which they developed.

• Explore the dynamism of stories from historical to modern times.

• Continue to develop students' awareness of current schema for

interpreting and responding to children’s literature

• Consider the social, historical and cultural construction of the concept

of childhood.

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

• Recognize and interpret current and future trends and developments in

various genres of literature for children;

• Evaluate critically the derivative nature of stories and story-telling;

• Be able to identify retellings and revisions of traditional and

‘classic’ stories;

• Discern archetypes, symbols, structures and motifs from traditional

literatures present in current children’s and young adult literature;

• Critique specific texts in terms of theoretical perspectives and

historical contexts.

Assessment

Assessment name: Annotated bibliography

Description: Students will choose a topic relevant to this unit, and research to build a collection of materials that would support scholarship on that topic. They will present it as an annotated list, giving the full bibliographic details and noting the content, relevance, and academic authority of each item.

Weight: 40%

Due Date: Week 5

Assessment name: Web site

Description: Students will develop a multi-page website on the same topic as considered in the bibliography exercise. Key focus will be the presentation of engaging, accurate and well analysed information on a topic, supported by efficient and extensive research.

Weight: 30%

Due Date: Week 9

Assessment name: Examination

Description: A formal examination based upon course material, texts and themes.

Weight: 30%

Due Date: End of semester exam period

Other Details

Levels: Undergraduate
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