Department of English Literature
Trent University
ENGL 2810Y: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE (WEB)
2013 SU
Distance Education/Online
Instructor: Joanne Findon
Email: jfindon@trentu.ca
Campus: Peterborough
Office Location: Wallis Hall
116
Telephone: (705) 7481011 ext. 6023
Office Hours:
Secretary: Patricia Heffernan
Email: pheffernan@trentu.ca
Office Location: Wallis Hall 134
Telephone: (705) 748-1011 ext.
7733
Course Description:
This course explores children’s literature (British, American and Canadian) from the 18th century to
the present, addressing such topics as the transition from oral to literate culture, folk and fairy tales, the
18th-century popular press, the late 19th-century cult of the child, the art of illustration, the “Golden
Age,” and cultural contexts.
This is not a teaching methods course. It is instead an English literature course with the complicating
difference that its subject, “children’s literature” is a problematic category for several reasons. First,
“children’s literature” is not defined by period or genre but rather by its audience: children. Moreover,
it is the only literary genre which is not produced by members of its own audience: it is instead
produced BY adults FOR ‘children’ – a category that is in many ways ‘constructed’ by the adults who
control it. As a result, the history of children’s literature is deeply rooted in evolving adult perceptions
of what children SHOULD be reading, and of how this material will shape those children into
acceptable social beings. Consequently, the history of children’s literature is marked by the tensions
between the impulse toward imaginative play on the one hand and the dictates of moralism and
‘proper’ socialization on the other. Complicating matters are the newly literate child’s position on the
boundary between oral narrative and written literature, and the ways in which the oral/aural and visual
elements of the child’s pre-literate world intersect with and influence the production of books for that
child.
While we will not always move chronologically, the course begins with an exploration of the early
sources of children’s literature in folk and fairy tales, in the 18th-century popular press, and in the late19th-century cult of the child which spurred the ‘Golden Age’ of children’s literature in Britain and
North America. We will then move on to 20th- and 21st-century children’s literature, paying particular
attention to the role of gender in rites of passage and coming of age stories as well as other worlds and
narratives of survival. We will note the ways in which contemporary picture books and novels engage
with the tension between didacticism and the imagination, and the strategies they use to deploy, resist,
and rewrite conventional assumptions about children and their needs.
Course Pre-requisites: 60% in ENGL 1000Y or any two of ENGL 1001H, ENGL 1003H, ENGL
1005H.
Learning Outcomes:
Students taking this course can expect
● to be introduced to a representative sample of British, American and Canadian children’s literature
from the eighteenth century to the present
● to become familiar with the development of the folk and fairy tale in children’s literature
● to approach the picture book with an awareness of the conversation between text and illustration
● to become aware of the historical development and nature of the genre of “children’s literature”
● to be introduced to the culture and concept of “the child”
● to develop knowledge and opinions about the position of children’s literature in literary studies
● to be introduced in a preliminary way to relevant theoretical and critical approaches to children’s
literature
● to discuss issues of identity, gender, class, age, race, colonialism, survival and disability as prompted
by the texts
● to identify and explore the tension between instruction and delight in the literature
● to acquire skills and familiarity with close reading techniques and literary analysis
● to express and share thoughtful and well supported ideas and views about the genre of children’s
literature and the individual texts
Online Course Structure
The course is structured around reading the assigned texts and the online modules each week. You will
also participate in our online discussions.
The general aim of the modules is to provide a context for the works being studied and to present
various models of how to read them analytically. While they will provide some historical background
for the works, one of their main functions will be to relate the works to each other and to their broader
literary and cultural context. The modules will also focus on the works themselves and will be
illustrated by analyses of specific passages. The contexts provided by the modules are essential to
the course. Students are expected to become familiar with these contexts and to show evidence of
familiarity with them in online discussions, in essays and in the midterm and the final examinations.
Course Format:
Online Lectures (modules) and online discussion. There will be one short essay (1000 words), one
major essay (2500 words), a midterm (2 hours, online) and a final exam (3 hours, on campus.)
Required Course Material
Barrie, James, Peter Pan (Broadview) 978-1-55111-793-5
Brown, Margaret Wise, Good Night Moon (Harper Collins) 0064430170
Burnett, Frances Hodgson, The Secret Garden (Puffin) 0-14-036666-0
Carroll, Lewis, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Broadview) 1-55111-223-X
Cooper, Susan, King of Shadows (Simon & Shuster) 978-0-689-84445-4
Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte) 0-440-41328-1
Brian Doyle, Pure Spring (Groundwood) 0888997752
Joanne Findon, When Night Eats the Moon (Red Deer) 0-88995-212-4
Alan Garner, The Owl Service (Collins) 0-00-675401-5
Phoebe Gilman, Something from Nothing (Scholastic Canada) 0590745573
Hallett, Martin, and Barbara Karasek, eds. Folk and Fairy Tales (Broadview) 1-55111-495-X
Eileen Kernaghan, The Snow Queen (Thistledown) 1894345142
Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea (Houghton Mifflin) 978-0547773742
Loris Lesynski, Night School (Annick) 978-1550375848
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (HarperTrophy) 0-06-447104-7
L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (Broadview)
Robert Munsch, The Paper Bag Princess (Annick) 0920236162
Kenneth Oppel, Silverwing (Harper Collins) 0006481795
Jon Scieszka, The Frog Prince, Continued (Puffin) 014054285X
Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are (Harper Collins) 0-06-443178-9
Uri Shulevitz, Snow (Farrar Straus & Giroux) 0374468621
R.L. Stevenson, Treasure Island (Puffin) 0-14-036672-5
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit (HarperCollins) 978-0-261-10221-7
Teresa Toten, The Game (Red Deer) 0889952329
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Broadview)
Tim Wynne Jones, The Maestro (Groundwood) 0-88899-263-73
Recommended Texts:
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 8th ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
Academic Skills online publications.
Course Schedule
Unit One: Introduction to Children’s Literature
Module 1: Historical roots, development, and continuing motivations.
Module 2: Fear, Pleasure and Moral Teaching: from Instruction to Delight
Unit Two: Folk and Fairy Tales
Module 3: The roots of folk and fairy tales: international folk motifs and their influence.
Readings from Folk and Fairy Tales (FFT): “Little Red Riding Hood” (pp. 27-40),
“Hansel and Gretel” (pp. 142-47), “Cinderella” (pp. 97-113), “Vasilisa the Beautiful” (pp.
102-08), “Puss in Boots” (pp. 214-17), “The Frog King or Iron Heinrich” (pp. 189-91).
Criticism: Dundes, “Fairy Tales from a Folkloristic Perspective” (pp. 335-42); Hearne,
“Disney Revisited, Or, Jiminy Cricket, It’s Musty down Here” (pp. 386-93). Online
reading: the Grimms’ version of Cinderella:
http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/grimm-brothers/546/
Module 4: Fairy Tales, continued: Issues of voice, action, and gender; socio-historical and
psychoanalytic approaches
Readings from Folk and Fairy Tales (FFT): Seibles, “What Bugs Bunny Said to Red
Riding Hood” (pp. 61-62), “The Tinder-box” (pp.271-76), Andersen, “The Ugly Duckling”
(pp. 161-68). Criticism: Bettelheim, “The Struggle for Meaning” (pp. 323-35); Karen
Rowe, “Feminism and Fairy Tales” (pp. 342-58.)
Online Readings: “The Little Mermaid” http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html; Wilde,
“The Nightingale and the Rose”
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/NigRos.shtml
Unit Three:
“The Golden Age” of Children’s Literature”
Module 5:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the birth of fantasy (and illustration)
Module 6:
Peter Pan DUE: Fairy Tale essay
Unit Four:
The contemporary picture book
Readings: Night School, Good Night Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, Something
from Nothing, The Paper Bag Princess, The Frog Prince Continued, Snow.
Module 7:
Words and pictures together: the rise of the ‘picture book’
Unit Five:
Male heroes and anti-heroes: rites of passage, journey and adventure
Module 8:
Treasure Island
Module 9:
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mid-term examination June 13: 2 hours (online)
Module 10:
Pure Spring
Unit Six:
Female Coming-of-Age stories
Module 11:
The Secret Garden
Readings from FFT: Carter, “The Company of Wolves” (pp. 47-55), “East of the Sun,
West of the Moon” (pp. 181-88); “Beauty and the Beast” (pp. 171-81) “The Frog King
or Iron Heinrich” (pp. 189-91.
Criticism: Rowe, “Feminism and Fairy Tales” (pp. 342-58)
Module 12:
Anne of Green Gables
Module 13:
The Snow Queen by Eileen Kernaghan. Read Andersen’s original story here:
http://www.online-literature.com/hans_christian_andersen/972/
Unit Seven: Other Worlds
Module 14:
Introduction to Fantasy: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Module 15:
Closed Secondary World Fantasy: The Hobbit
Module 16:
Closed Secondary World Fantasy: A Wizard of Earthsea
Module 17:
Time-travel fantasy: When Night Eats the Moon
Module 18:
Historical fiction and fantasy: King of Shadows
Module 19:
Interpenetrating worlds: The Owl Service
Unit Eight: Survival
Module 20:
Surviving by your wits: Tricksters
Bud, Not Buddy
Readings from FFT: “The Brave Little Taylor” (pp. 206-10), “Puss in Boots” (pp.
214-17), “The Tinderbox” (pp. 271-76); “The Death of Brer Wolf” (218-19).
Module 21:
Physical survival: The Maestro
Module 22:
Psychological Survival in the Young Adult novel: The Game
Module 23:
Species survival and animal stories: Silverwing
DUE: Major Essay
Module 24
Course conclusion and discussion of exam strategies.
Course Evaluation:
Assignment (e.g., test, essay, lab report, etc.)
Essay: Analysis of a Fairy Tale
Midterm examination (2 hours, online)
Major Essay
Final Exam
Online discussion
Value
10%
25%
20%
30%
15%
Due Date
May 30 (Module 6)
June 13 (Module 9)
Aug. 1 (Module 23)
Aug. 6 or 7
ongoing
Brief Description of Assignments:
Essays
1. Analysis of a Fairy Tale: 10% approx. 1000 words
In this short essay, an analysis of a fairy tale included in the course syllabus (from Folk and Fairy
Tales, and those posted for the course online), you will respond to a primary text. You may refer to two
different versions of the fairy tale if more than one version is provided. You may also refer briefly to
the material included in Folk and Fairy Tales 4th edition - for instance, the Introduction (pp. 15-25) and
the articles at the end of the book (pp. 311-97). However, your focus should be an analysis of the fairy
tale itself. Your essay will incorporate a close reading of the text and argue for your interpretation of it.
2. Major Essay: 20%. approx. 2500 words.
In this essay you will engage in a comparative analysis of TWO of the novels studied in this course.
You must choose one of the topics provided. The questions included are there to start you thinking.
Each topic must be narrowed and developed into a focused argument. Your argument must deal with
the TWO works together and not divide itself into separate and independent discussions of the two
works. As the writer of the essay, you shape and control the thesis and the scope of the argument. Do
not make your focus too general.
NOTE: each essay must have a “Works Consulted” page at the end which includes the
bibliographical information of the primary source(s) – the text(s) you are analyzing – in proper MLA
format.
Academic Integrity Module: All students are required to complete an online module on academic
integrity, which can be found on MyLearning System: Academic Integrity at Trent. This module will
inform you of the major academic integrity regulations and the consequences for academic dishonesty.
It will also provide you with instruction on how to avoid academic dishonesty when completing
assignments, tests, group-projects, and papers. At the conclusion of each of the three sections, you will
be required to take a multiple choice quiz. You must earn 100% on each quiz, and you may take each
quiz as many times as you need to in order to do this.
The module will provide you with instructions on how to print-out proof of your quiz scores. Because
in this course you submit your assignments online, you do NOT need to print proof of completing
the Academic Integrity at Trent Module. Your instructor will be given access to your marks and will be
able to determine that you have successfully completed it. Please make sure that you complete the
module by the due date for the first essay, the Analysis of a Fairy Tale (May 30). You must
achieve a score of 100% before you hand in this assignment. No assignments will be accepted
without this proof. You may be in other courses that require completion of this module. If so, you
only need to complete this module successfully once.
Online discussion: 15%
Discussions are a crucial component of the course. The two basic functions of the discussions are to
explore the works more closely than is possible in the lectures, and to give students the opportunity to
express, test and refine their own interpretations of the works. After reading each module and the
text(s) it addresses, you will post a response to one of the discussion questions listed at the end of the
module.
Your participation is essential to your success in the course. To participate successfully you will have
completed the reading for that module and you have read the assigned readings or the novel for that
module before entering the discussion. The preparation of short written notes and questions before you
enter the discussion is often helpful.
Mid-term Examination: 25%. The midterm is based on course readings, lecture material and discussions
from the first 8 modules of the course. It will include a substantial section on picture book illustration.
Final Examination: 30%. The final exam will cover material drawn from the whole course, with an
emphasis on material covered after the midterm.
Contacting Your Instructor:
I am available by email. Please use your Trent e-mail account to ensure that you message is not spamfiltered accidentally. Remember that class discussion boards are also available for your general questions.
Technology:
This is an online course. It is the responsibility of you, the student, to ensure that you have the
appropriate technology to access the course.
 It is your responsibility to ensure you are able to submit assignments online in the appropriate
format (usually, .doc, .docx, .odt or .pdf, but see the instructions for each assignment for the
accepted formats)
 It is your responsibility to ensure all of your assignments have been submitted properly.
Submission areas permit you to verify your documents once they have been submitted.
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Material submitted incorrectly, or in an unreadable format, will receive the standard penalty for
lateness until submitted correctly.
If you are experiencing technological difficulties accessing any of the content in this course,
you should contact the Information Technology Service Desk as soon as possible
(http://www.trentu.ca/it/, phone 705-748-1010, or visit the IT Support Desk in the basement of
the Bata Library.
Participation in Course Discussion Boards:
In this course you are required to participate in the class online discussion boards. You should make
at least one, and not more than four postings per week. This will allow all students to participate,
and will guide you to choose your responses carefully and thoughtfully.
 Please limit each posting to the size of a single message board window ( < 250 words).
 When posting a response, reply initially to the instructor's discussion question by using the
"Reply" button.
 Do not start a new discussion thread using "Create New Thread" unless your posting is
unrelated to anything else that's already been said. Reply directly to other students' postings.
Discussion Netiquette (Etiquette while on the Internet)
 Discussion Threads: The idea of the discussion list is to have an ongoing chain or "thread" of
discussions with the members of your class. The discussion board works best when you
respond to one another's comments and ideas. Please check the discussion board regularly for
new postings and make thoughtful responses.
 Lurking: Don't "lurk"-- which means reading messages without posting any comments or
replies. Remember that you are expected to participate in the discussions.
 Capital letters: Typing in all UPPER CASE LETTERS means that you are shouting in your
message. Don't post messages all in upper case.
 Audience: Remember that depending on the type of Discussion Board, your posting may be
visible to the entire class. Be sensitive not to offend anyone deliberately, but be sure to express
your own opinions as well.
 Flaming: Intellectual disagreement is expected, but gives your classmates the same respect you
would in the classroom. Avoid "flaming" or publicly attacking someone for their point of view.
 Language: Please use good taste in your language. Also try not to use slang or web
abbreviations (e.g. LOL). Since these are classroom discussion boards, they should take on a
more formal tone than public forums on the Net.
Policy on Midterms, Exams and Assignments:
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Midterm Tests & Final Exams: Students should not make any commitments (e.g. vacation,
job-related activities, or other travel plans) during the midterm or final examination period.
Students are required to be available for all examinations during the periods for which they are
scheduled (as published in the course syllabus or university time table).
Assignment and Assessment Instructions: Assignments and Assessments have specific
instructions regarding acceptable online submission formats (e.g. .doc, .docx). Failure to follow
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the instructions outlined in each assignment or assessment will result in a grade of 0 for each
incident.
Valid Submissions: Always check that your assignment was submitted correctly by returning
to the assignment area and re-opening your submission. Assignments in incorrect formats, or
assignments that are left un-submitted in the assignments area past the date due, will not be
accepted.
Deferral of Midterm or Final Examinations and Extensions for Assignments: Extension of
due dates for completion of assignments or writing of midterms or final examinations may be
granted to students on the basis of illness, accident or other extreme and unanticipated
legitimate circumstances beyond the student’s control, with supporting documentation.
Supporting Documentation: Supporting documentation will be required and must be
submitted before deferrals are approved. For illness or accident, supporting documentation will
take the form of:
o The Trent University Medical Certificate from Health Services
http://www.trentu.ca/healthservices/medical.html
o A certificate or letter from the attending physician clearly indicating the start and end
dates of the illness and the student’s inability to write an examination, complete an
assignment, or participate in group activities or,
o For other circumstances, students should consult the instructor about acceptable forms
of documentation.
Independent work: Unless you are specifically directed to work collaboratively with your
classmates, all of the work that you hand in for assessment must be your own.
Penalties:
 Assignments are to be submitted by the time and date they are due.
 Any assignment submitted after this time and date will be considered late and assigned a penalty of
2% per day. Example: one day late would bring a grade of 76% down to 74%.
 Assignments will not be accepted more than 3 days after the due date, and will automatically
receive a grade of 0 at that point.
 Any assignment that is plagiarized automatically receives a grade of 0.
Special Circumstances
If there are exceptional circumstances that affect a student’s ability to complete allocated course work,
these should be brought to the attention of the instructor, with the appropriate supporting documents, as
soon as possible. Extensions arranged after an assignment is due will normally not be granted. Each
situation with regard to extensions or potential penalties will be judged on a case-by-case basis
University Policies
Academic Integrity:
Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic
offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the
University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out
in Trent University’s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself –
unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent’s Academic
Integrity website to learn more: www.trentu.ca/academicintegrity.
Access to Instruction:
It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability or
health consideration and feels that he or she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the
student should contact the Disability Services Office (BH Suite 132, 748-1281,
disabilityservices@trentu.ca) as soon as possible. Complete text can be found under Access to
Instruction in the Academic Calendar.
Trent in Oshawa contact the Disability Services Office, Kristina Murray kristinamurray@trentu.ca
(Room 111, 905-435-5102 ext 5024).
Copyright notice:
The materials presented in the course modules are for the sole purpose of the course and MUST
NOT be duplicated.