Unexpected illuminations: how children’s perceptions of the divine are highlighted through their discussion of two toy fantasy novels
2012; Routledge; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/1364436x.2012.752344
ISSN1469-8455
Autores Tópico(s)Media, Religion, Digital Communication
ResumoAbstract This article investigates results from one part of a dissertation on children's literature and children's spirituality, an aspect that focused on children's oral discourse about the Divine. This discourse was articulated through four 10 and 11 year old children's reading and responding to two toy fantasy novels, including Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006) and Russell Hoban's The Mouse and His Child (1962). The interview transcripts of discussions with each child were analysed for themes of the children's lived experience of the texts in spiritual terms, and one theme related to the children's discourse about God or the Divine. Through an exploration of this discourse, I discovered that the children's perceptions of the Divine either reinforced or challenged existing conceptions of God within their religious traditions. Keywords: children's spiritualitychildren's literaturefantasy literaturechildren's perceptions of Godreader-response
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