Abstract
How is academia portrayed in children’s literature? This Element ambitiously surveys fictional professors in texts marketed towards children. Professors are overwhelmingly white and male, tending to be elderly scientists who fall into three stereotypes: the vehicle to explain scientific facts, the baffled genius, and the evil madman. By the late twentieth century, the stereotype of the male, mad, muddlehead, called Professor SomethingDumb, is formed in humorous yet pejorative fashion. This Element provides a publishing history of the role of academics in children’s literature, questioning the book culture which promotes the enforcement of stereotypes regarding intellectual expertise in children’s media.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Cambridge, UK |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Number of pages | 304 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781108529501 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 22 Oct 2018 |
Publication series
Name | Elements in Publishing and Book Culture |
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Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- children's literature
- literary studies
- literature
- feminism
- representation
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Dive into the research topics of 'Picture-Book Professors: Academia and Children's Literature'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Profiles
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Melissa Terras
- Edinburgh College of Art - Professor of Digital Cultural Heritage
- Edinburgh Futures Institute
- Design
- Design Informatics
Person: Academic: Research Active