A PRISM for viewing literary bearsA PRISM for viewing literary bears

ELE 616 Readings and Research in Children’s LiteratureELE 616 Readings and Research in Children’s Literature

Spring 2011Spring 2011

Why analyze literature?Why analyze literature?

To discover the full spectrum of To discover the full spectrum of the contentthe content

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A little Newtonian physicsA little Newtonian physicsIsaac Newton first used the word first used the word

spectrum (spectrum (Latin for “appearance” or for “appearance” or “apparition”) in print in “apparition”) in print in 1671 in in describing his describing his experiments in in optics. . Newton observed that, when a narrow Newton observed that, when a narrow beam of white beam of white sunlight strikes the face of a strikes the face of a glass prism at an at an angle, some is , some is reflected and some of the beam passes into and and some of the beam passes into and through the glass, emerging through the glass, emerging as different colored bands. as different colored bands. – NationMaster Encyclopedia

> Visible light

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Spectrum requires a prismSpectrum requires a prism

Estonian composer Estonian composer Arvo Pärt:Arvo Pärt:– I could compare my music to white

light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.

• about his music: Alina 

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Prism as a filterPrism as a filter

Historian Doris Kearns Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin:Goodwin:– The biographer finds that the

past is not simply the past, but a prism through which the subject filters his own changing self-image.

• Goodwin, Doris Kearns (1979). ‘‘Angles of Vision’’, in: Mark Pachter (Ed.), Telling Lives: the biographer’s art. Washington, DC: New Republic Books. Cited in Debate and Reflection: How to Write Journalism History

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A prism to view the full spectrum of literatureA prism to view the full spectrum of literature

PPersonalersonal

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RRealeal

IInventednvented

SMSMiley faceiley face

PPersonal?ersonal?

Do you feel as if you’re involved; Do you feel as if you’re involved; part of the action?part of the action?

– That these are real people we’re dealing with—who have some identifiable personalities and personalities you can identify with?

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RReal?eal?

Is there something that makes you Is there something that makes you feel that this could have happened? feel that this could have happened? – Even when it couldn’t in real life?

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IInvented?nvented?

Is this story invented, created by Is this story invented, created by one or more authors? one or more authors?

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SMSMiley Face?iley Face?

Does it seem generic, impersonal?Does it seem generic, impersonal?

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Two ContinuumsTwo Continuums

RealReal Invented Invented

PersonalPersonal SMiley Face SMiley Face

Put ‘em together! Put ‘em together!

Personal

SMiley

Real

Invented

Application to Literature???Application to Literature???

. . . and bears????. . . and bears????

Top Left Sector of MatrixTop Left Sector of Matrix1414

Up close and Up close and PPersonal—and ersonal—and RReal!eal! Real

Personal

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. (Wikipedia)

Invented

A Norwegian ursine folktaleA Norwegian ursine folktaleWhite Bear King Valemon

• White-Bear-King-Valemon is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by the artist August Schneider in 1870, after a peasant woman, Thore Aslaksdotter (b. 1832), in Setesdal. The tale was for the first time retold and published in Peter Christen Asbjørnsen’s Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling (1871) [Norwegian Folktales. New Collection].

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Folk costumes from Setesdal—every region of Norway has its own distinctive style!

The tale of the white bearThe tale of the white bear1616

Read the rest of the story here!

White-Bear King Valemon by

Theodor Kittelsen.

Bottom Left Sector of MatrixBottom Left Sector of Matrix1717

IInvented, but nvented, but PPersonal ersonal RealP

ersonal Invented

Quality literature, sometimes Quality literature, sometimes adaptations, or else original adaptations, or else original

writing, with universal appeal and writing, with universal appeal and meaning for everyman and meaning for everyman and

everywomaneverywoman

Quality literature about bearsQuality literature about bears

A Bear Called Paddington

– Almost everyone knows that Paddington is a bear who usually wears a duffle coat, a rather shapeless hat and, on occasions, Wellington boots. Many people also know that his favourite food is marmalade and that he originally comes from Darkest Peru.

• All about Paddington• Read How it all started

back in 1956

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A personal race of bears from another worldA personal race of bears from another world

Panserbjørne– Panserbjørne are Armoured Bears who

live on the far northern island of Svalbard in Lyra’s world. Panserbjørne are innately different than humans even though both have the capacity to reason and speak. They are able to work metals using sharp claws and an opposable thumb. They are known for their strong armour they fashion from sky-iron.

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RReal eal SMSMileys!ileys!

Top Right of the MatrixTop Right of the Matrix2020

Real

Recognizable stories, Recognizable stories, but unoriginal and but unoriginal and shallowshallow

A real, smiley, bear?A real, smiley, bear?Gloomy GusGloomy Gus, Walt Morey (1970, , Walt Morey (1970,

repr. 2000)repr. 2000)– Mr. Morey has done and redone this kind of

thing (Gentle Ben, Home Is the North, Kävik the Wolf Dog, Angry Waters), which makes him something of an expert but makes the set-up something of a cliché. . . .  so much is tangential that it takes forever for the full circle to close -- and then there’s the doubtful plot to down whole with the lump in your throat that the best of boy-cum-bear relations can’t dissolve. 

• Review from Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1970. Reproduced in NoveList.

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Read “The Wild and Wooly Man Who Writes Kids’ Books” by Larry Leonard (original copyright 1986) from Oregon Magazine 

IInvented nvented SMSMileys ileys [perhaps contrived?][perhaps contrived?]

Bottom Right of the MatrixBottom Right of the Matrix2222

Invented

Generic, unoriginal, Generic, unoriginal, impersonal, shallowimpersonal, shallow

An abecedarian searchAn abecedarian search– As a young child is tucked

under her animal quilt, she realizes that one of the animals is missing. So begins an abecedarian search that will have all the animals coming to life and leading her on an adventure. Unfortunately, while the concept is creative, its execution is very poor. The search is so convoluted that young readers will get lost along the way, just as the main character does when she repeatedly loses track of her mission.

• Review from Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2005

A confusing example?A confusing example?2323

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Important to consider!Important to consider!

Evaluation is subjectiveEvaluation is subjective

No absolute positioningNo absolute positioning– There may be some consensus, but people will

likely not all agree about where a book should be placed

– Evaluations can change also, with time and changes in mood, etc.