Children’s Literature University Essay

Length and scope: Write an 8-page essay (or 2000 words) on one of the topics below.  The essay must consider two works from the course as well as at least two secondary scholarly sources. Please follow MLA style (7th edition or newer).
 
Essay Questions
1.     When “They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws,” Max and the reader are struck by how unterrifying these othered wild things are in the dream vision. With reference to a specific theory or definition—such as the shadow figure (Carl Gustav Jung), the other (Emmanuel Levinas or Edward Said), the wild child (Naomi Morgenstern), the Indigenous Other (Ursula Le Guin)—examine the representation of others or the wild child in two works. You may want to consider monsters or the wild child in Where the Wild Things Are, the wild child in Alice in Wonderland, Ursula and/or the sea witch in the The Little Mermaid (Andersen and/or Disney), or Indigenous figures in Peter Pan.
 
2.     James Poniewozik ends his article with the claim that “There’s a kind of surprise and unembarrassed majesty that come from minting original characters and imagery rather than simply riffing on our cartoon patrimony. In the end, that’s how you make magic.” Examine an adaptation together with one of its sources, such as Andersen’s and Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Perrault’s and Disney’s Cinderella, Carroll’s and Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. How does the adaptation change the source material?
 
3.     Using M.H. Abrams’ definition of allegory, examine the use of allegory in two of the following: Alice in Wonderland, Where the Wild Things Are, Peter Pan. You may want to consider how the works use and/or abuse allegory conventions.
 
4.     As the Cheshire-Cat says, “we’re all mad here [emphasis added].” Explore the significance of setting or place in two works we have studied, such as Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, and Peter Pan.
 
5.     Compare and/or contrast the role of the prince and/or princess in two works. You may want examine how the Disney princess has changed or notions that we are in a new era of the fairy tale. Essays may also consider Alison Bechdel’s test of complex female characters or Laura Mulvey’s definition of the “male gaze.”
 
6.     Hastings and Hearne critique Disney’s polarization of good and evil in their film adaptations of fairy tales. Examine two or three works’ representation of good and evil. You do not need to focus on Disney. Works may include Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, and any version(s) of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella.