Evolution of Children's Literature From Fantasy to Postmodern
[ send me this essay ]
An 8 page paper which examines how children's literature has evolved, with a gradual balance between psychological and imaginative contents to everyday situations and materialism. Specifically considered will be early fantasy literature, in the form of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;" the later fantasy of Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising," Penelope Farmer's "Charlotte Sometimes;" the modernist narrative of Peter Dickinson's "Bone From a Dry Sea," Sue Gough's "Wyrd," and the postmodernist narrative of Francesca Lia Block's "Weetzie Bat," and Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." Bibliography lists 20 sources.
Filename: TGkidlit.wps

Fairy Tale Elements in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “The lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper which examines the fairy tale elements, including morals, seen in the children’s novels Frank L. Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAwizoz.rtf

Feminism and Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper which examines Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” from a feminist perspective. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.
Filename: RAdahl.rtf

Frances Temple/The Ramsay Scallop
[ send me this essay ]
A 6 page book review that discusses and analyzes The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple, a novel set in the year 1299 and written to appeal to young teens. In many ways, it is a well-written tale that has elements that are both instructive and entertaining to young readers. However, there are also problems with this text that comparison with Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy (1995, Harper Trophy) illustrates. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: khramscl.rtf

Freud & Fairytales
[ send me this essay ]
A 6 page paper on the theories of Freud in interpretation of three fairytales, "The Goose Girl", "The White Snake", and "Rapunzel." 6 critical sources used. Conclusions are drawn that while Freud might not have gotten everything right, his theories have a proper place in the history of psychology.
Filename: Fairyfre.wps

Gantos/Hole in My Life
[ send me this essay ]
A 3 page book review of Jack Gantos's memoir Hole in My Life. As reviewer Christine Heppermann points out, while most award-winning children's book authors "will admit to having paid their dues, those dues generally don't include serving time in federal prison" (345). Nevertheless, award-winning author Jack Gantos' tale of prison life for smuggling drugs offers young people an insightful and thoughtfully written narrative. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: khgantos.rtf

Gender Roles in Fairy Tales
[ send me this essay ]
A 5 page paper examining the traditional gender roles presented in the classic fairy tales. Beginning from the observations of psychoanalyst Karen Horney and anthropologist Margaret Mead, the paper is mostly involved with the traditional view of the beautiful princess waiting for the rescue that will come in the person of the handsome prince. The concern with these tales is that they will train young female readers that normal life is that which can be found in the traditional fairy tale, and that they perpetuate traditional gender roles in which women depend on men for their very survival and are unable to think for themselves. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Filename: Gtales.wps

Gold and Bettelheim: Fairy Tales
[ send me this essay ]
This 4 page paper is a reaction to articles by Kari Gold and Bruno Bettelheim, in which the authors discuss fairy tales. The paper argues that Gold's approach is more accessible than Bettelheim's, who tends to go deeper into psychological examination of the stories than is supported by the text. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: HVGolBet.rtf

Gulliver Adaptations
[ send me this essay ]
A 10 page research paper that examines how Jonathan Swift's classic Gulliver's Travels, which is a biting adult satire was transformed into a staple of children's literature. The writer summarizes Jackie Stallcup's insightful history and analysis of Gulliver's myriad children's adaptations. This review establishes the fact that adaptations of classics into children's books says a great deal about adult agendas, and provides backdrop for an investigation into current adaptations of Swift's work. In this regard, several reviews of contemporary adaptations of Gulliver, which are intended for children, are analyzed in order to determine the current editorial agenda for how this classic of English satire is perceived and presented to children. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Filename: khgulad.rtf