ENG 2086 Children's Literature
In "My Heart Leaps Up," William Wordsworth famously contended that, contrary to what biology may tell us, "the Child is the father of Man," insofar as it is the formative experiences of our youth that ultimately shape our identities and how we see the world. This course takes Wordsworth's claim as the starting-point for a rigorous investigation of literature written primarily for children and young adults from the late-sixteenth century through the present. Examining a variety of genres, including fairytales, folktales, and fables, nonsense poetry, didactic literature, adventure stories, picture books, historical fiction, and fantasy novels, we will consider the various ways in which these texts represent childhood and how these representations are informed by various historical, cultural, and psychological contexts. (Spring)