LITR308

This course will examine the genre of children‘s and young adult literature from a
literary, psychological and historical perspective. Children's literature has a rich tradition which reflects changing perceptions and constructions of childhood and young adulthood. We will examine the history of children‘s literature, including the 1860-1920 "golden age" period. Learning to analyze the illustrations that appear in much of children’s literature will be an integral part of the course. The course will challenge the ideas that strict borders exist among children's, young adult, and adult literature, and that only "adult" books can be great literature. We will read one or more examples from each of these major categories of children‘s literature: fairy tales, picture books, Fantasy, classics, non-fiction, information books, historical fiction and young adult books.