TET Notes - Critical Analysis of Children's Literature

 

          Knowledge and Curriculum

Critical Analysis of Children’s literature

INTRODUCTION

        The term children's literature criticism includes both generalist discussions of the relationship between children's literature and literacy theory, and literacy analysis of specific works of children's literature. Some academics consider young adult literature to be included under the children's literature.

Approaches to Children's Literary Criticism:

        i.            Child focused.

      ii.            Construction of the child.

    iii.            Textual focused and,

   iv.            Cultural studies focused.

CHILD FOCUSED:

     Early children's literature critics aimed to learn how children read literature specifically so that they could recommend "good books" for children. The early critics are still child-centric; the discipline has expanded to include other modes of analysis.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHILD:

      Many children's literature critics now point out that children are not one group, but differ according to gender, ethnicity, religious background, and so on. Feminist children's literature therefore tries to work out now boys and girls differently.

TEXTUAL FOCUSED:

      Many scholars approach children's literature from the perspective of literary studies, examining the text as text without focus on audience.

CULTURAL STUDIES FOCUSED:

        Cultural studies scholars investigate children's literature as an aspect of culture. Children's literature, in this light, is a product consumed like other aspects of children's culture. Thus we can describe the children's literature criticism.