Why Are They So Afraid of Children’s Books? The Subversive Power of Imagination (Part 1)
Abstract
The article discusses the subversive power of children’s books as it is expressed in many classical and contemporary works for young readers. Starting with a brief psychological explanation of the source of creativity and playfulness in children’s literature, the author uses a Bakhtinian approach in analysing the carnivalesque quality of these books in their ability to create a topsy-turvy world, to use ‘a festive laughter,’ to present grotesque bodily transformations, and to discuss the lower stratum bodily functions such as food consumption and excretion. Many adults often underestimate the power of children’s literature, and at the same time, some books are considered dangerous; therefore, they need to be protected from various attempts to censor or to ban them as unappropriated for children.
Keywords
banned books; carnivalesque; censorship; children’s and young adult literature; Mikhail Bakhtin; subversiveness
References
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independent scholar United States
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6187-8074
Olga Bukhina – MA, is a translator, writer, and independent scholar. Her research interests include American and Russian children’s literature, the images of orphans and death in children’s books, and the history of translation of children’s literature. Contact: bukhina.olga@gmail.com.
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