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[CCBC-Net] Post 9-11 literature
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From: Connie Rockman <connie.rock>
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:36:15 -0400
Monica's post is right on target. In the CCBC discussion 5 years ago this month, I suggested that fantasy may be the best way for some children (and adults) to cope with the tragedy. That post eventually turned into a piece published in School Library Journal in the Up for Discussion column (December 2001). I'll attach the article for any of you who would like to read it in full-- it seems almost more appropriate today than it did 5 years ago, and the boy I mentioned is now a senior in high school.
It will no doubt be years before we know what the "literature of 9/11" will be. Some of it may come in the form of fantasy:
"One of the most effective ways for children to tackle the question of evil is through allegory and metaphor. Concepts that are too scary to contemplate in real life can be understood - or at least considered - through fantasy. In her Newbery Award acceptance speech in 1976 for The Grey King, Susan Cooper made a direct connection between her literary vision in writing the fantasy series The Dark is Rising and her experiences as a child growing up in wartime Britain. She was subjected to bombings, anti-aircraft fire, and gas masks in her daily life at home and school during World War II. Her descriptions of the Dark and the evil consciousness behind its actions come directly from the very real menace of her own youth - Hitler?s threatened invasion of Britain. Reading Will Stanton?s coming-of-age story and his eventual triumph over those dark forces in this five volume series can be highly effective in helping children cope with our present world of terror. In each of the books in Cooper?s The Dark is Rising sequence, young people eventually overcome the forces of evil through courage, resourcefulness, friendship, and help from trusted elders." School Library Journal "Up for Discussion" column (December 2001)
Connie Rockman Children's Literature Consultant
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On Sep 11, 2006, at 4:56 AM, Monica Edinger wrote:
> I've always credited the current popularity of fantasy to Harry
> Potter, but am now wondering if 9/11 isn't a factor too. The best
> fantasy novels deal with the most significant issues of life --- what
> is good, what is evil, and what to do about it.
Received on Mon 11 Sep 2006 02:36:15 PM CDT
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:36:15 -0400
Monica's post is right on target. In the CCBC discussion 5 years ago this month, I suggested that fantasy may be the best way for some children (and adults) to cope with the tragedy. That post eventually turned into a piece published in School Library Journal in the Up for Discussion column (December 2001). I'll attach the article for any of you who would like to read it in full-- it seems almost more appropriate today than it did 5 years ago, and the boy I mentioned is now a senior in high school.
It will no doubt be years before we know what the "literature of 9/11" will be. Some of it may come in the form of fantasy:
"One of the most effective ways for children to tackle the question of evil is through allegory and metaphor. Concepts that are too scary to contemplate in real life can be understood - or at least considered - through fantasy. In her Newbery Award acceptance speech in 1976 for The Grey King, Susan Cooper made a direct connection between her literary vision in writing the fantasy series The Dark is Rising and her experiences as a child growing up in wartime Britain. She was subjected to bombings, anti-aircraft fire, and gas masks in her daily life at home and school during World War II. Her descriptions of the Dark and the evil consciousness behind its actions come directly from the very real menace of her own youth - Hitler?s threatened invasion of Britain. Reading Will Stanton?s coming-of-age story and his eventual triumph over those dark forces in this five volume series can be highly effective in helping children cope with our present world of terror. In each of the books in Cooper?s The Dark is Rising sequence, young people eventually overcome the forces of evil through courage, resourcefulness, friendship, and help from trusted elders." School Library Journal "Up for Discussion" column (December 2001)
Connie Rockman Children's Literature Consultant
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On Sep 11, 2006, at 4:56 AM, Monica Edinger wrote:
> I've always credited the current popularity of fantasy to Harry
> Potter, but am now wondering if 9/11 isn't a factor too. The best
> fantasy novels deal with the most significant issues of life --- what
> is good, what is evil, and what to do about it.
Received on Mon 11 Sep 2006 02:36:15 PM CDT
