Students in the English Language Arts classroom have access to more author commentary than ever. While following authors on social media may deepen students' engagement with their assigned reading, it also threatens to subdue students' own interpretations of the authors' texts. This essay explains how educators can introduce basic aspects of…

This article reviews Margaret Meek Spencer's body of work in relation to the various policies that she critiqued from the Bullock Report in 1974 to the National Literacy Strategy in 2004. She analysed increasingly conservative moves to promote a dominant, elitist version of school literacy. A Critical Realist perspective aligns with Margaret Meek…

Literary criticism of children's literature asserts a one-directional view of power with the adult writer constructing the child reader. Using "aetonormativity"-- adult perceptions of normality -- this paper explores what happens when children co-construct publishable fiction. Our analysis of drama and creative writing workshops shows…

This article argues that Harry Potter fan vids can be used in the classroom as works of secondary criticism about J. K. Rowling's primary text. It makes two claims: the first is that vids can be read as criticism of a particular text (in this case Harry Potter) alongside other critical essays on that text; the second is that the practice of…

For at least three reasons, university English faculties should reassess their attitudes toward children's literature, a field of vital importance in children's education. First, specialists in children's literature are sorely needed in English departments, where courses on the subject properly belong (rather than in colleges of education).…

Considers how Carol Kendall's fantasy novel, "The Gammage Cup," can be read as utopian literature for children. Provides a close reading and explication of Kendall's novel. Pronounces Kendall's novel a stimulating success providing hope for young readers. (HB)

Studies the enduring popularity of Christina Rossetti's poem, "Goblin Market," and analyzes its content and structure. Considers the historical moment in which the poem was written and its critical reception at the time of publication. Outlines some of the disputes regarding the poem, including its status as children's literature. (HB)

Identifies in the novel, "The Last of the Mohicans," some of the artistic strategies by which James Fenimore Cooper converted the tale into the novel. Considers why the novel continues to provoke cultural interest in today's milieu. Overviews the historical reception of the work. (HB)

Explores how Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House on the Prairie" book series idealizes the life of settlers in the western American states and intersperses this version with reality. Shows how the cozy family circle provides security in the face of historical and autobiographical opposition. (HB)

Suggests that the English profession should take another look at children's literature as an important area for further study. (RB)

Discusses the exclusion of studies in children's literature from the college English curriculum and suggests benefits to English departments of offering courses on children's literature. (GW)

Describes the literary achievement of Percy F. Westerman, a prolific British writer of boys stories in the early twentieth century. Shows how Westerman's stories, often chauvinistic and ethnocentric, delineated his ideas about the proper British gentleman and his view of decency and fair play. (HB)

Analyzes Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" and offers seven suggestions for classroom activities involving study of the book. (GT)

Suggests that focusing on paradigms of work--the way it is described, together with the thematic implications it embodies--can be useful in teaching literature to young adults. Examines how examples from literature illustrate Erik H. Erikson's paradigm of the psychosocial stages of development in late childhood and adolescence. (MM)