Children's and young adult literature

In this unit, you will be introduced to major developments in children's literature from the Victorian "Golden Age" to contemporary dystopian fiction. You will examine canonical works by British, American, and Australian authors in a range of genres and forms, including the picture book and young adult fiction. Specific issues examined include changing notions of childhood and the child figure, and the concept of the implied child/adolescent reader. You will consider the ideological implications of the adult interests vested in the production of children's literature, and how the genre works to socialise children into dominant views about gender, race and class.