“I HOPE YOU ARE NOT BEING STUPID ABOUT CHILDREN”: TRANSFORMING LITERATURE PEDAGOGY THROUGH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Abstract

In this dissertation, I assert that children’s literature is particularly productive for making the literature classroom a more engaging space for students in any genre or historical period of literature taught because it 1) fosters equity; 2) creates confidence; 3) garners student engagement; 4) is valuable; and 5) is an effective, productive, and accessible conduit for studies of literary theory. This dissertation argues for a paired-texts methodology, and incorporates pedagogy theory and scholarship, as well as cultural studies and literary analysis to explore the productive intersections of themes, topics, and modes of writing found in children’s literature that align with other genres of literary studies. In the dissertation, I offer case studies in which I make explicit connections between twentieth-century children’s books and medieval modes, themes, and tropes to show how children’s literature can be used as a productive pair in an English literature classroom. I use medieval and early modern literature as my entry into the conversation but invite teachers of all genres to consider how they might adapt these examples in their own classrooms. Finally, I discuss the particularly engaging place that both children’s literature and traditional college-aged students share as bridges: they are both culturally important and have the potential to redirect or support cultural ideologies in a way that is unique and valuable. My conclusion is that children’s literature is an effective conduit for literature pedagogy because of its flexibility.