Naslov
Subversive Messages Between the Lines

Autori
Narančić Kovač, Smiljana

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Abstracts: The Child and the Book Conference / Fenech, Giuliana ; Joosen, Vanessa - Valletta : University of Malta, 2022, 49-49

ISBN
900-000-000-000-0

Skup
The 16th Child and the Book Conference „The Role of the Child as Citizen: Constructing Childhood through Agency and Activism“

Mjesto i datum
Valletta, Malta, 26.05.2022. - 28.05.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
agency ; child reader ; children’s literature ; initiative ; subversiveness

Sažetak
This study explores the idea of subversiveness, focusing on two representative examples of children’s texts from the early 20th century: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902) and The Strange Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (1912). Subversiveness in children’s literature specifies a quality which promotes values different from those of the conventional adult world ; such literature appeals to the rebellious child and acts as a force for change (Lurie 1990: xi). It requires an active child character and an inquisitive child reader and approaches children as “not just objects but also subjectivities that creatively challenge engrained normative assumptions” (Wall 2019: 12). The dichotomy of the socialising and subversive functions of children’s literature (Flynn 2006: 311) emphasises the difference between passivity and agency. Active children are seen as “involved in the construction of their own social lives, the lives of those around them and of the societies in which they live” (James and Prout 1997: 4). The emphasis on child agency also contradicts the idea of passive children in need of adult protection and offers “possible forms of freedom or even empowerment facilitated by a not-so-protected childhood” (Winkler 2019: 98). On first glance, Peter Rabbit represents a naughty child who is punished for his mischief, and the novel about Hlapić and Gita promotes dominant social values of the time. However, the deeper meanings, intended for a thoughtful reader, reveal rewards obtained through agency. In the novel, the main characters are orphans, and their unprotected status creates space for empowerment. The analysis of the agency of these characters exposes the subversive messages offered to the child reader. These works (and their authors) treat the young readers with respect and invite them to look for substantial meanings between the lines.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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