Children's Literature: Ideology and Response
1988; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/03626784.1988.11076036
ISSN1467-873X
Autores Tópico(s)Media, Gender, and Advertising
ResumoMy article, Black Experience in Children's Fiction, argued that the criticism and evaluation of children's literature must attend not only to the aesthetic qualities of literary works, but to their sociohistorical, and cultural values as well. My central thesis held that demands for realistic, nonstereotypical characters, and for historical and cultural accuracy and authenticity in writing about the Black experience for children need not conflict with the demand for literary excellence (Taxel 1986, p. 249). This thesis was made with support from those (MacCann and Woodard 1972; Sims 1982; Thompson and Woodard 1972) who are directly concerned with the ways that Black Americans have been presented in children's literature, from recent research in the sociology of school knowledge, and from an analysis of three award winning novels for young people about Black experience. The first novel, Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976), was selected for discussion because it has been lauded for its literary values as well as its perspective on the Black experience. Ouida Sebestyen's Words By Heart (1979) and Paula Fox's The Slave Dancer (1973) were examined because of the controversy they have engendered. That is, although they received prestigious literary awards, these novels were the subject of harsh criticism for their alleged racism and stereotyping. My analysis of Roll of Thunder led me to conclude that it was indeed deserving of the coveted Newbery Medal. The novel is successful both in terms of its literary values and in its historical, cultural perspective on the events it describes (Taxel 1986, p. 260). My reading of Words by Heart led me to concur with those, like Rudine
Referência(s)