The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Summer 8-2018 The Role of Critical Literacy in Challenging the Status Quo in Twentieth Century English Children’s Literature Rene Fleischbein University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Fleischbein, Rene, "The Role of Critical Literacy in Challenging the Status Quo in Twentieth Century English Children’s Literature" (2018). Dissertations. 1556. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1556 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ROLE OF CRITICAL LITERACY IN CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO IN TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE by René Elizabeth Fleischbein A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Letters and the Department of English at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by: Dr. Jameela Lares, Committee Chair Dr. Eric Tribunella Dr. Katherine Cochran Dr. Damon Franke Dr. Farah Mendlesohn ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Dr. Jameela Lares Dr. Luis Iglesias Dr. Karen S. Coats Committee Chair Department Chair Dean of the Graduate School August 2018 COPYRIGHT BY René Elizabeth Fleischbein 2018 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT Although many children’s literature critics focus on the two divides between instruction and delight and between the fantastic and the realist, this dissertation focuses on the occurrences in twentieth century English children’s fantasy of critical literacy, a mode of reading that challenges the status quo of society and gives voice to underrepresented and marginalized groups. Twentieth century English children’s literature is especially concerned with narrative structure and good storytelling rather than with what lessons might be learned from the texts, but lessons are there nonetheless. I examine the works of four authors, E. Nesbit, C. S. Lewis, Diana Wynne Jones, and J. K. Rowling, and how their works portray instances of critical literacy as a means of empowering young characters that can then serve as a role model for readers. Using methodologies of critical literacy and rhetoric, I examine these texts for their portrayal of critical literacy through the rhetorical choices that the characters make and what consequences these choices may have not only for the characters but also for readers. In each author chapter, I focus on topics such as expanding the empowerment of young characters, achieving literacy, creating the ideal Self, and making value judgments about texts. Children’s fantasy literature is an ideal vehicle for critical literacy because, as it is an imaginative genre meant for children, it is therefore often regarded as unthreatening and lighthearted. However, these seemingly benign texts afford the opportunity to mold or change the way people think of society in general, as well as giving voice to individuals and groups of people who are muted or silenced by society. Thus, critical literacy, through the low-stakes genre of children’s fantasy, can effect changes in society ii through individual readers who, like the characters they read, are voiced, active, and thinking. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Academic achievements, like all other accomplishments, require assistance from others. I am particularly indebted to the following individuals: Jameela Lares, my committee chair, continues to be an amazing role model and example. Dr. Lares has given me immeasurable knowledge and guidance, which I will never be able to pay back, so I will pay forward. My committee members, Eric Tribunella, Kate Cochran, Damon Franke, and Farah Mendlesohn, provided invaluable insight throughout this journey. Ken Watson, originally a member of my committee, provided unwavering moral support and sound advice. Jackie Stallcup started my on this journey, for which I will always be grateful. And Tanja Nathanael, my friend and colleague, has generously provided time and patience in proofreading and editing, visits to cafés, and the occasional road trip. Though this dissertation was created with the guidance of others, any mistakes are my own. iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family. My parents have always given their unwavering love and continuous support while instilling in me the value of knowledge. My mother, Mary, has been an inspiration to me in her life-long quest for equality, justice, and learning. Though my father, Robert, was a complicated person, he was always passionate about fairness, justice, and the pursuit of knowledge. My daughter, Savana, inspires me with her amazing intellect and insight. My beautiful, brilliant sister, Shae, was always a calming influence, especially in times of stress and frustration. My brother, Paul, who shares my passion for languages, generously takes care of our family. Thank you all for trudging along with me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 Argument ........................................................................................................................ 4 Situating Children’s Fantasy Literature in Time and Space ....................................... 6 Changes in English Children’s Literature in the Twentieth Century ...................... 6 Historic Intersections between Fantasy, Children’s Literature, and Critical Literacy ................................................................................................................. 16 The Critical Literacy Benefits of Fantasy Literature ................................................ 25 Chapter Summaries ................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER II - CRITICAL LITERACY IN ENGLISH CHILDREN’S FANTASY LITERATURE .................................................................................................................. 34 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 34 Literacy ..................................................................................................................... 38 Fantasy in Context .................................................................................................... 41 Literature for Children (Or Not) ............................................................................... 47 The “Reader” ............................................................................................................ 52 The Rise of Literacy and Literature for Children ..................................................... 54 vi The Multiple Literacies of Fantasy ........................................................................... 60 Literacy in Britain ................................................................................................. 60 CHAPTER III - EDITH NESBIT: THE THRESHOLD OF TWENTIETH CENTURY ENGLISH CHILDREN’S FANTASY ............................................................................. 65 The Story of the Amulet ........................................................................................... 76 “The Cat-hood of Maurice” ...................................................................................... 81 Wet Magic ................................................................................................................. 86 CHAPTER IV – C. S. LEWIS AND THE CRITICAL LITERACY OF FANTASY AND IMAGINATION ............................................................................................................... 94 CHAPTER V DIANA WYNNE JONES AND LATENT LEARNING IN FIRE AND HEMLOCK ..................................................................................................................... 124 CHAPTER VI J. K. ROWLING AND TEXTUAL VALUE JUDGMENTS ................. 155 CHAPTER VII – CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 175 APPENDIX A - Actual Books and Authors Mentioned in Diana Wynne Jones’s Fire and Hemlock .......................................................................................................................... 179 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................. 180 vii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION The literature that makes the most impact on society and culture is that which questions common assumptions and challenges the status quo. Works such as Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (1961) and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) are both critical of war, in general, and of some of the United States’s military actions in World War II, in particular. Literature for children also often questions common assumptions and challenges the status quo, though instances of questioning and