Lingue e Letterature
Euroamericane
Lingua e Traduzione Inglese
Laurea Specialistica
I° anno
Module B
a.a. 2008/2009
Kate Riley
Modulo A: Children's Fiction from the Cradle to the Classroom
The module aims to provide students with the necessary tools to be able to analyse
very young children's literature (ages 0-6) with a view to translating a variety of
texts.
The first part of the course will focus on an analysis of children’s texts (in the broad
sense of the word). In order to understand the different approaches to analysing a
text both from a top down perspective and a bottom up perspective. The bottom up
analysis will focus on lexis, syntax and overall text structure. The top down analysis
will also take into consideration such things as cultural context and gender issues.
A wide variety of texts will be analysed in class, ranging from very first nursery
rhymes to limericks, fairy tales to modern children's fiction, multimedia texts will also
be analysed (films, audiostories and online interactive materials).
A second part of the course will be dedicated to a consideration of various translation
theories and the best approach to adopt when dealing with children's literature.
Exams and Assessment
Continuous Assessment: Students will be expected to carry out tasks set during the
course. Some of these will involve group work and class presentations.
Oral Exam: Students will prepare a series of texts of their own choice which they will
analyse to illustrate that they have understood the concepts covered in the course.
Alternatively students may write a paper in which they analyse a particular
Lectures
Fridays
Office Hours
Fridays
08.00 – 10.00 classrooms vary – check the Faculty timetable
10.30 – 11.30 via S Margarita 10 Tel: 0461 881779 (until end
March)
Appointments by email: Catherine.riley@lett.unitn.it
Bibliography
Set books:
Hunt, P. (Ed.) 2005 Understanding Children’s Literature London: Routledge
Hatim, B and Munday J, 2004, Translation: An advanced resource book London:
Routledge (selected parts)
Parts of the texts listed below will be required reading. Specific details will be given
during the course and posted on the course webpage (http://people.lett.unitn.it/riley).
Cook, Guy, 2000, Language Play, Language Learning, Oxford: OUP
Crystal, David, 1998 Language Play, London: Penguin
Lehr, S., (Ed.). 1995, Battling dragons: Issues and controversy in children's literature.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Gamble, N and Yates, S. 2008, Exploring Children's Literature London: Sage
May, J.P., 1995 Children’s Literature and critical theory: reading and writing for
understanding New York: Oxford University Press
Riley, Catherine, 2004, About English, (Chapters 4-7) Roma: Carocci Editore
Stephens, John (1992). Language and Ideology in Children's Fiction. London:
Longman.
Taylor, C. (1998) Language to Language Cambridge: CUP – Section on Translation
Strategies)
Additional bibliographical details will be provided during the course
Further Reading
Modern children's literature : an introduction / edited by Kimberley Reynolds.
Basingstoke ; New York, N.Y. : Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.
Crosscurrents of children's literature : an anthology of texts and criticism / [edited by]
J. D. Stahl, Tina L. Hanlon, Elizabeth Lennox Keyser . New York, N.Y. : Oxford
university press, 2007.
Comparative children's literature / Emer O'Sullivan ; translation by Anthea Bell .
London ; New York, N.Y. : Routledge, 2005.
The case of Peter Rabbit : changing conditions of literature for children / Margaret
Mackey . New York, N.Y. ; London : Garland, 1998.
Ways of being male : representing masculinities in children's literature and film /
edited by John Stephens . New York, N.Y. ; London : Routledge, 2002.
Sticks and stones : the troublesome success of children's literature from Slovenly
Peter to Harry Potter / Jack Zipes. London ; New York, N.Y. : Routledge, 2002.
Girls, boys, books, toys : gender in children's literature and culture / edited by Beverly
Lyon Clark and Margaret R. Higonnet . Baltimore, Md. ; London : Johns Hopkins
University press, 2000.
Recycling Red Riding Hood / Sandra L. Beckett. New York, N.Y. ; London : Routledge,
2002.
The feminine subject in children's literature / Christine Wilkie-Stibbs. New York, N.Y. ;
London : Routledge, 2002.