Inhoudsopgave:
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From the villainous beast of âLittle Red Riding Hoodâ and âThe Three Little Pigs,â to the nurturing wolves of Romulus and Remus and Rudyard Kiplingâs The Jungle Book, the wolf has long been a part of the landscape of childrenâs literature. Meanwhile, since the 1960s and the popularization of scientific research on these animals, childrenâs books have begun to feature more nuanced views. In Picturing the Wolf in Childrenâs Literature, Mitts-Smith analyzes visual images of the wolf in childrenâs books published in Western Europe and North America from 1500 to the present. In particular, she considers how wolves are depicted in and across particular works, the values and attitudes that inform these depictions, and how the concept of the wolf has changed over time. What she discovers is that illustrations and photos in works for children impart social, cultural, and scientific information not only about wolves, but also about humans and human behavior. First encountered in childhood, picture books act as a training ground where the young learn both how to decode the âsymbolicâ wolf across various contexts and how to make sense of ârealâ wolves. Mitts-Smith studies sources including myths, legends, fables, folk and fairy tales, fractured tales, fictional stories, and nonfiction, highlighting those instances in which images play a major role, including illustrated anthologies, chapbooks, picture books, and informational books. This book will be of interest to childrenâs literature scholars, as well as those interested in the figure of the wolf and how it has been informed over time. |
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