CCBC-Net Archives
Re: The Summer Prince -- lots of thoughts (a few on sex, most on location)
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Ebony Elizabeth Thomas <ebonyt_at_gse.upenn.edu>
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 19:36:47 -0400 (EDT)
For example – are there identifiable differences in the sci-fi/fantasy literatures of Black Americans, Black Brazilians, White Americans, White Brazilians, British, Germans, Poles, small eastern European cultures, etc. And if so, why? And more to the point, what are the differences, if any, between conceptualized utopias in each of those traditions?
These are excellent questions, Charles. There are probably many similarities between traditions, which is why certain stories resonate around the world.
So I am suggesting two topics for future discussion. 1) What is the prevalence and dynamic of truth-seeking and myth-making in children’s literature. 2) What influence do historical myths, whether still subscribed to or not, have upon contemporary children’s literature and contemporary belief systems. There's a new book by Brian Attebery that I'm in the middle of reading right now, *Stories about Stories: Fantasy and the Remaking of Myth.* I'd love to see an upcoming discussion on mythology and folklore, and time permitting, would enthusiastically participate.
You raise some great points about the ephemeral nature of hegemony. We've done such a great job with the Millennials that I have yet to meet a class who accepts Rifkin's empathic civilization thesis -- that we are becoming less violent as a species, and that we now live in the least violent era in all of human history. None of them believe it at all, whereas I think the nerds of my own Generation X, children and teens during the spike in crack-fueled inner city violence in the United States, were much more outwardly cynical but inwardly utopian.
Bringing this back to The Summer Prince, I did like that Alaya Dawn Johnson is providing commentary on what we think might be utopia -- but the villains of the tale are largely the disenfranchised of our own day: queer Black women in the "Third" world. I'd never read anything like it before. It was many things, but ultimately, I think it's an incredibly brave and bold narrative... at least, from my own position as a cishet Black woman sitting at the desk in the office of my "first" world apartment. The Summer Prince stretched my imagination. I only wish I could have shared it with my students in Detroit a decade ago.
Ebony
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 19:36:47 -0400 (EDT)
For example – are there identifiable differences in the sci-fi/fantasy literatures of Black Americans, Black Brazilians, White Americans, White Brazilians, British, Germans, Poles, small eastern European cultures, etc. And if so, why? And more to the point, what are the differences, if any, between conceptualized utopias in each of those traditions?
These are excellent questions, Charles. There are probably many similarities between traditions, which is why certain stories resonate around the world.
So I am suggesting two topics for future discussion. 1) What is the prevalence and dynamic of truth-seeking and myth-making in children’s literature. 2) What influence do historical myths, whether still subscribed to or not, have upon contemporary children’s literature and contemporary belief systems. There's a new book by Brian Attebery that I'm in the middle of reading right now, *Stories about Stories: Fantasy and the Remaking of Myth.* I'd love to see an upcoming discussion on mythology and folklore, and time permitting, would enthusiastically participate.
You raise some great points about the ephemeral nature of hegemony. We've done such a great job with the Millennials that I have yet to meet a class who accepts Rifkin's empathic civilization thesis -- that we are becoming less violent as a species, and that we now live in the least violent era in all of human history. None of them believe it at all, whereas I think the nerds of my own Generation X, children and teens during the spike in crack-fueled inner city violence in the United States, were much more outwardly cynical but inwardly utopian.
Bringing this back to The Summer Prince, I did like that Alaya Dawn Johnson is providing commentary on what we think might be utopia -- but the villains of the tale are largely the disenfranchised of our own day: queer Black women in the "Third" world. I'd never read anything like it before. It was many things, but ultimately, I think it's an incredibly brave and bold narrative... at least, from my own position as a cishet Black woman sitting at the desk in the office of my "first" world apartment. The Summer Prince stretched my imagination. I only wish I could have shared it with my students in Detroit a decade ago.
Ebony
--
Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Reading/Writing/Literacy Division
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6216
Office: (215) 898-9309
Email: ebonyt_at_gse.upenn.edu
==== CCBC-Net Use ====
You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: ccbc-archive_at_post.education.wisc.edu.
To post to the list, send message to...
ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
To receive messages in digest format, send a blank message to...
digest-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to...
leave-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
==== CCBC-Net Archives ====
The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members.
The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion
topics (including month/year) is available at...
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/archives.asp
To access the archives, go to...
http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net
...and enter the following when prompted...
username: ccbc-net
password: Look4Posts
Received on Sun 23 Mar 2014 06:37:10 PM CDT
