This unit tracks the three main traditional genres on which childrens literature in English draws: myth, hero tale and fairy tale. It considers traditional tales and their contemporary reversions as products of the cultures in which they are produced and consumed, thus reflecting societal values and agendas for the socialization of children.
This unit will introduce students to a range of theoretical resources for the interpretation of novel, picture book and film versions of traditional tales in respect to assumptions they encode about gender, race, class and other identity categories.
