2016-2017
Popular Literature in English: Children’s Literature
Category: English
Code: IS 058
Level: 5
Credits: 15
Teaching Pattern
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Seminar
2 x 3hrs
2 x 3hrs
2 x 3hrs
2 x 3hrs
*in addition to the above formal teaching sessions you will be expected to do approximately 126 hours of
independent study over the 4 weeks.
*Additional Field Trip fee of £90.00
Outline
From studying work by Kingsley and Carroll to that of Dahl, Rowling and Pullman, you will find that
social anxieties about children have always been pivotal. In this module you trace the development of
British children’s literature, examining the ways in which literary representations of children and for
children correspond to changes in our cultural understanding of childhood. We will also take two field
trips: one to the V and A Museum of Childhood in London and the other to the Warner Bros. Studio
Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
Week 1: Imagining childhood and children’s imagination
In this first week, we consider both the origins of children's literature and what precisely we mean when
we distinguish between books 'about' children and books written 'for' children. In order to familiarise
ourselves with the various ways of defining and analysing children's literature, we take a closer look at
some of the iconic figures from British children's literature - Oliver Twist, Alice and Peter Pan. All three
of these late Victorian literary figures are considered classics today - but how well do we actually know
the original texts? What is it about these early representations of childhood that have given them such
longstanding appeal? And what does the changing face of such characters across time tell us about
changing attitudes to childhood?
 Seminar 1: Charles Dickens – Oliver Twist (1838) and Charles Kingsley – The Water Babies (1862)
– section to be handed out in class

Seminar 2: Lewis Carroll – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

Seminar 3: J.M. Barrie – Peter Pan (1911)
Week 2: Enchanted spaces and childhood
Dickens' London, Carroll's Wonderland, Barrie's Neverland - the spaces children inhabit are crucial to
the representation of childhood and children's capacity to fantasize. In the second week of the course,
we focus in on the significance of space and environment in children's fiction. Starting with Burnett's
pre-World War texts and finishing with Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in a very
different Europe, we explore the tension set up between the 'real' world of grown-ups and the physical
yet fantastical spaces children have access to.
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SUMMER Session 1

Seminar 4: Frances Hodgson Burnett – The Secret Garden (1911)

Seminar 5: Enid Blyton – The Enchanted Wood (1939) – section to be handed out in class

Seminar 6: C.S. Lewis – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Week 3: Living with grown-ups
From the exploitative Fagin through to the self-involved Archibald Craven, adults and parents are not
necessarily portrayed favourably in children's literature. In week three, we bring the relationship
between childhood and adulthood to the fore. How do we distinguish between children and grown-ups?
From Smith's portrayal of a mad-capped family through to Dahl's depiction of abusive and neglectful
adults, we arguably see a distinct recognition in the mid-to-late twentieth century that even the adults
we are supposed to trust as children are flawed, dangerous and often infantile. What does this tell us
about shifting attitudes to childhood, parenting and adulthood? How has the relationship between
author and child changed from Dickens to Dahl? And why do we tell these stories to our children?

Seminar 7: Dodie Smith – I Capture the Castle (1948)

Seminar 8: Phillippa Pearce – Tom’s Midnight Garden (1958)

Seminar 9: Roald Dahl – Matilda (1988)
Week 4: Children’s literature and cinema
It is perhaps on the silver screen that the distinctions between child and adult literature have become
increasingly blurred. Cinematic adaptations of Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Narnia
and TV adaptions of The Secret Garden and Tom's Midnight Garden are considered 'classics' and
continue to attract audiences of all ages. As such adaptations bring in big money, we consider the
impact cinema has had on both the form and definition of children's literature. How has the relationship
between adult author and child reader changed from Dickens' and Kingsley's moment to the present
day? Are authors actually able to write simply for children in the 21st century? Does the outrageous
success of Rowling's Harry Potter in print and on-screen tell us something about contemporary
adulthood? And what does poignant work such as Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tell us about
contemporary ideals of childhood?

Seminar 10: Film showing and discussion – film TBC

Seminar 11: J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)

Seminar 12: John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between contemporary cultural contexts
and children’s literature.
Participate in seminar discussions on themes addressed by the module.
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SUMMER Session 1
Display an ability to discuss relationships between texts studied during the module.
Develop and demonstrate original written and spoken analysis of texts studied during the
module.
Contacts
Joseph Ronan
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SUMMER Session 1
E-mail: [email protected]
Indicative Reading List
Core reading :
As far as possible, you should obtain copies of these texts before arrival. While we aren’t recommending
specific editions of a text, where possible you may find it useful to purchase a scholarly edition with notes if
one is available. Electronic versions of the text are also acceptable.
Charles Kingsley, The Water Babies (1862) - PLEASE READ BEFORE ARRIVAL
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island (1883)
Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1901)
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden (1911)
AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh (1926) (excerpts will be provided)
CS Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Phillipa Pearce, Tom’s Midnight Garden (1958)
Janet and Alan Ahlberg, Peepo! (1981)
Roald Dahl, Matilda (1988)
JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
Philip Pullman, Northern Lights (1997)
Two film screenings will be selected from the following:
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Peter Pan (1953)
Oliver! (1968)
Hook (1991)
Matilda (1996)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
University Library
The Library,
University of Sussex,
Brighton
BN1 9QL
Phone: 01273 678163
[email protected]
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SUMMER Session 1