Emily Corbett – författare

Fairytales form a cornerstone of children’s and YA literature studies, and the tale of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ has been translated, adapted and retold across the years. Reading Children’s Fairytales: Inside the Gingerbread House brings together leading and emerging researchers and practitioners to showcase how interdisciplinary approaches enable diverse responses to texts. This edited collection opens up possibilities for cross-pollination between critical, multimodal and creative approaches. It celebrates multiple forms of knowledge and meaning-making within and beyond academic discourse, and engages young people in the conversation. The authors explore a wide range of retellings of ‘Hansel and Gretel’, from children’s picturebooks, graphic novels, poetry and young adult fiction to sculpture and Hip-Hop, to offer a comprehensive investigation of the tale. The volume also benefits from the voices of acclaimed creative writers who create and reflect on retellings that cross cultural and international boundaries. In engaging with such a range of popular retellings, the chapters bring a renewed attention to the need to disrupt hierarchical and canonical perspectives on children’s and YA literature.

The first book-length work of its kind, In Transition: Young Adult Literature and Transgender Representation examines the shift in the young adult book market towards increased representation of transgender characters and authors. Through a comprehensive exploration of historical conventions, genres, character diversity, and ideologies of trans representation, Emily Corbett traces the roots of trans literature from its beginnings in a cisgender-dominated publishing world to the recent rise in trans creators, characters, and implied readers. Corbett describes how trans-ness was initially perceived as an issue to be overcome by cisgender authors and highlights the ways in which the market has changed.Through careful analysis of texts that have until now received little scholarly attention, Corbett weaves together different theoretical approaches and fields of study to provide a map of the textual and cultural histories of this twenty-first-century publishing phenomenon. Focusing on trans authorship, authentic storytelling, and intersectional diversity, this book charts changing public attitudes, the YA book market, and the unique sociocultural moment in which these books are published. In Transition contributes new perspectives on the intersections of adolescence and trans-ness and sheds light on a dynamic subset of YA literature that has yet to receive sustained analysis.