Peter Hunt

Peter Hunt

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  

 

Living Toys in Children's Literature:  Image removed.Image removed.Image removed.Image removed.Image removed.

Ontology, Narratology, and Downright Theft  

Tuesday, 21 February 2023 | 17.00 |  

AHC. PG11 All Hallow’s Campus, Purcell House, Ground Floor, Room 11  

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.  

Before becoming Adjunt Professor at DCU, Peter Hunt was the first  Image removed.

Professor of Children’s Literature in the UK, at Cardiff University.  

He has published nearly 40 books on the subject, and has lectured at  

over 150 universities and learned societies in 25 countries. And has 9  

grandchildren, who know a lot more about children’s books than he  

does. 

  

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


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

Before becoming Adjunt Professor at DCU, Peter Hunt was the first Professor of Children’s Literature in the UK, at Cardiff University. He has published nearly 40 books on the subject, and has lectured at over 150 universities and learned societies in 25 countries. And has 9 grandchildren, who know a lot more about children’s books than he does.

 

RSVP:  Susan.Byrne@DCU.ie