Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends

NICOLA J. WATSON is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at The Open University. Her research over the last fifteen years has focussed upon the reception, adaptation, transformation, and consumption of historical and literary narratives. Her publications include Revolution and the Form of the British Novel, 1790-1825, England's Elizabeth: An Afterlife in Fame and Fantasy (with Michael Dobson) and The Literary Tourist.HEATHER MONTGOMERY is Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at The Open University. Her research interests are in the anthropology of childhood, children's rights and gender and sexuality. She is the author of Modern Babylon: Prostituting Children in Thailand and An Introduction to Childhood: Anthropological Perspectives on Children's Lives.

'Anyone wanting to trace the development of children's literature from the 1860s to the first decade of the 21st century will find an immensely rich source of insights in the meticulously researched text Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends.' - NATE Journal English Drama Media

• List of FiguresList of PlatesAcknowledgementsIntroduction; H.Montgomery& N.WatsonPART I: CLASSIC TEXTSLOUISA MAY ALCOTT, LITTLE WOMEN (1868-9)Introduction; N.WatsonLittle Women: Alcott's Civil War; J.Fetterley'Wake up and be a man': Little Women, Laurie, and the Ethic of Submission; K.ParilleLouisa May Alcott and the Rise of Gender-Specific Series Books; S.A.WadsworthR.L.STEVENSON, TREASURE ISLAND (1881-2; 1883)Introduction; S.HaslamMy First Book: Treasure Island; R.L.StevensonSlaves to Adventure: the Pure Story of Treasure Island; D.LoxleyTreasure Island and the Romance of the British Civil Service; C.ParkesBEATRIX POTTER, THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT (1902)Introduction; S.GoodmanPeter Rabbit: Potter's Story; M.MackeyAesop in the Shadows; P.HollindalePerspective and Point of View in The Tale of Peter Rabbit; C.ScottTWO CLASSIC POETRY COLLECTIONS, R. L. STEVENSON: A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES (1885) AND A.A.MILNE: WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG (1924)Introduction; N.WatsonThe Contexts of A Child's Garden of Verses; M.RosenA.A.Milne: When We Were Very Young; J.WullschlagerJ.M.BARRIE, PETER PAN (1904)Introduction; N.WatsonPeter Pan and the Spectacle of the Child; J.RoseA Hundred Years of Peter Pan; P.HollindalePeter Pan and the Pantomime Tradition; D. White andC.TarrARTHUR RANSOME, SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS (1930)Introduction; S.HaslamThe Lake District Novels; P.HuntArthur Ransome and Problems of Literary Assessment; N.TuckerPeter Pan, Wild Cat Island, and the Lure of the Real; A.BogenPHILIPPA PEARCE, TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN (1958)Introduction; H.MontgomeryLoneliness, Dreaming and Discovery: Tom's Midnight Garden; M.Rustin& M.RustinMidnight Gardens, MagicWells; M.NikolajevaTom's Midnight Garden; R.NatovMILDRED TAYLOR, ROLL OF THUNDER HEAR MY CRY (1976)Introduction; J.MaybinA Search for Law and Justice in a Racist Society; H. BosmajianThe Role of Education in Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder; C.Denean CobbChild Agency in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; K.McDowellPHILIP PULLMAN, NORTHERN LIGHTS (1995)Introduction; H.MontgomeryDust as Metaphor in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials; M.A.BirdObedience, Disobedience, and Storytelling in C. S. Lewis and Philip Pullman; N.WoodIntertextuality;C.SquiresJ. K. ROWLING, HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (1997)Introduction; N.WatsonThe Phenomenon of Harry Potter, or Why All the Talk?; J.ZipesThe Unthinkingness of Harry Potter; S.GuptaHarry Potter and the Reinvention of the Past; A.BlakePART II: CONTEMPORARY TRENDSFICTION FOR ADOLESCENTS: MELVIN BURGESS, JUNK (1996)Introduction; A.Hewings & N.WatsonSympathy for the Devil; M.Burgess'And It's So Real': Versions of Reality in Melvin Burgess's Junk; J.StephensRADICAL AGENDAS: BEVERLEY NAIDOO, THE OTHER SIDE OF TRUTH(2000)A Writer's Journey: RetracingThe Other Side of Truth; B.NaidooWhat is The Other Side of Truth; J.GilesPAST WORLDS: JAMILA GAVIN, CORAM BOY (20)