CHL 424 Nonsense Literature for Children: Structured Absurdity, Subversion, & Certain Creatures of the Sea
Looks to the historical, political, and cultural contexts for the development of literary nonsense for children, primarily in England and America, but also around the world. Considers Bakhtin's concept of the carnivalesque across the origins of nonsense, stemming from folklore such as nursery rhymes, and the sophisticated and silly satires of the eighteenth century. Attends to the Victorian period and moves forward to consider the myriad paths nonsense has since taken, up to the present day, with writers such as Laura Richardson, Carl Sandburg, Mervyn Peake, Edward Gorey, and Dave Eggers, in addition to writers and artists from eastern and western Europe, India, and Africa.
Prerequisite
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