Living Toys in Children's Literature: Ontology, Narratology, and Downright Theft

The Centre for Research in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

in conjunction with the

MA in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Degree Programme

cordially invite you to a talk by Professor Peter Hunt - Adjunct Professor, DCU

on Tuesday 21st February at 5pm in AHC.PG11

Why should a group of intelligent adults spend an hour talking about fictional animated toys? Simple: texts for children are vitally important to world culture, and this highly influential genre (who has not had favourite book of this sort?) pivots on the very centre of the power imbalance that lies at the heart of all children’s literature. A child’s private relationship with a favourite toy (and who has not had one?) is both universal and intimate, and writers over the centuries have appropriated this relationship, adulterated it, and sold it back to children. The complexity of this process is reflected in the technical complexity of the narrative strategies that writers and illustrators have had to use, and raises some basic questions about authenticity in writing for children. 

RSVP: Susan Byrne (susan.byrne@dcu.ie)