CHL 429A Rereading Race in Classic Children's Literature
This course will examine a set of classic 19th/20th century texts that have attracted controversy first as historical artifacts, examining their cultural importance at the time they were written. What messages were they disseminating and how did these novels reflect the times in which they were penned? How do we relate to children's literature that was once widely popular, when the viewpoints it espouses become outdated. We will also discuss what role these same works have in 21st century society. When some of the beliefs and messages are outdated, what is left of value in the texts to make them worthy not just of preservation, but of study? On one hand, children are in the process of forming their own identities and thus, might be more impressionable. However, while it might be simpler to ban books whose messages we now find offensive, that also cuts children off from characters whose adventures, problems, and narratives have enriched readers lives for well over a century. We will not focus on the idea of rehabilitating the texts; rather, we will concentrate on discovering ways to bring them into a modern literary conversation about race, gender, and the history of colonialism.
Prerequisite
None