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My senior thesis on the Newbery Medal
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From: Henry Bender <benderh>
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 12:33:46 -0400 (EDT)
For all of those who are interested and could possibly help me:
My name is Eric Bender, and I am a senior at Georgetown University. I am an AMerican Studies major writing my thesis on children's literature. I have always had an interest in the field, and I had a wonderful opportunity to study children's literature last year in England.
I have returned from my year abroad and am now writing my thesis on children's literature, focusing on books that have and have not won the Newbery Medal or a Newbery Honorable mention. I am specifically examining the books on the award lists for the years of 1965, 1968, 1975, 1978, and 1984. (If anyone has served on the committee during those years I would be very grateful if you could please contact me.) WHile I am reading the final award-winners and the honor books for those years, I am also looking at books that seem perenially popular and well-written but have not made any of the lists: Harriet the Spy, The Great Brain, Judy Blume texts, and The CHocolate War in particular. I am examining why these books did not win, and if a correlation exists between the winning books and events that occurred during those years in AMerican history, society and culture.
Other questions I have: Does the committee feel pressure to push certain books, themes, topics over others? Where do such pressures originate, if they do exist? Do committee members feel that some books cannot win because they are too serious, too mature, too influential for children to handle? ARe the choices (along with what is published) influenced by or reflections of the times and what can and cannot be read by children as deemed legible by society? (I am thinking in particular of Harriet, and the controversial line, "I'll be damned if I am going to take ballet lessons!") How are books actually agreed upn by the committee as distinguished? If each committee sets its own boundaries, how do they do that? Are certain themes promoted if that issue needs to be addressed in society: AIDS, homosexuality, abandonment, multiculturalism? If the committee does keep with the belief that a work of children's literature must have some sense of hope and redemption at the end, don't many books, often good ones, become ineligible and are ignored? Finally, I am looking at how this award reflects American attitudes: What is best? WHat has the gold seal? and instant gratification by picking up a book with a seal on it and believing we have a great book at hand, no search necessary.
These are my ideas and where I am now in my thesis research. I am to start reading the books themselves, and I am doing analytical/theoretical research as well. I could be very "off center" or on the verge of an interesting study. If anyone has any ideas, responses, or answers for me, PLEASE respond to me. I would appreciate any information and advice, and again, I would love to meet with anyone, especially anyone who served on the NEwbery committee during the years of 1965, 1968, 1975, 1978, and 1984.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
H. Eric Bender
Received on Sat 19 Oct 1996 11:33:46 AM CDT
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 1996 12:33:46 -0400 (EDT)
For all of those who are interested and could possibly help me:
My name is Eric Bender, and I am a senior at Georgetown University. I am an AMerican Studies major writing my thesis on children's literature. I have always had an interest in the field, and I had a wonderful opportunity to study children's literature last year in England.
I have returned from my year abroad and am now writing my thesis on children's literature, focusing on books that have and have not won the Newbery Medal or a Newbery Honorable mention. I am specifically examining the books on the award lists for the years of 1965, 1968, 1975, 1978, and 1984. (If anyone has served on the committee during those years I would be very grateful if you could please contact me.) WHile I am reading the final award-winners and the honor books for those years, I am also looking at books that seem perenially popular and well-written but have not made any of the lists: Harriet the Spy, The Great Brain, Judy Blume texts, and The CHocolate War in particular. I am examining why these books did not win, and if a correlation exists between the winning books and events that occurred during those years in AMerican history, society and culture.
Other questions I have: Does the committee feel pressure to push certain books, themes, topics over others? Where do such pressures originate, if they do exist? Do committee members feel that some books cannot win because they are too serious, too mature, too influential for children to handle? ARe the choices (along with what is published) influenced by or reflections of the times and what can and cannot be read by children as deemed legible by society? (I am thinking in particular of Harriet, and the controversial line, "I'll be damned if I am going to take ballet lessons!") How are books actually agreed upn by the committee as distinguished? If each committee sets its own boundaries, how do they do that? Are certain themes promoted if that issue needs to be addressed in society: AIDS, homosexuality, abandonment, multiculturalism? If the committee does keep with the belief that a work of children's literature must have some sense of hope and redemption at the end, don't many books, often good ones, become ineligible and are ignored? Finally, I am looking at how this award reflects American attitudes: What is best? WHat has the gold seal? and instant gratification by picking up a book with a seal on it and believing we have a great book at hand, no search necessary.
These are my ideas and where I am now in my thesis research. I am to start reading the books themselves, and I am doing analytical/theoretical research as well. I could be very "off center" or on the verge of an interesting study. If anyone has any ideas, responses, or answers for me, PLEASE respond to me. I would appreciate any information and advice, and again, I would love to meet with anyone, especially anyone who served on the NEwbery committee during the years of 1965, 1968, 1975, 1978, and 1984.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
H. Eric Bender
Received on Sat 19 Oct 1996 11:33:46 AM CDT
