Language and Ideology in Children’s Fiction (1992) reveals how books shape young minds by embedding societal beliefs within stories. It examines how fiction socializes readers through invisible ideological processes, exploring picture books, historical tales, and fantasy narratives while offering fresh perspectives on realism.
When children read fiction, they are exposed to the beliefs which inform and structure their society. Books encourage child readers to internalize particular ways of seeing the world and help shape their development as individuals. Although this process forms a key part of their education, it remains largely invisible. As well as a story, fictions impart a significance to readers – often without revealing its presence or ground – and therefore have considerable potential to socialize their audience.
First published in 1992, Language and Ideology in Children’s Fiction analyzes this process and shows how fictions can work to constrain or liberate audience responses. He explores picture books as well as historical, realistic, and fantastic fictions to show how both a character within the narrative and the implied reader are positioned within ideology. The author considers areas of ideology not previously examined and offers new perspectives on realism and fantasy. The book will be of interest to linguists and teachers as well as to the general reader.
Introduction: Examining ideology in childrens fiction
1. Ideology,
discourse and narrative fiction
2. Readers and subject positions in
childrens fiction
3. Not by words alone: language, intertextuality, society
4. Ideology, carnival and interrogative texts
5. Primary scenes: the family
and picture books
6. Contemplating otherness: ideology and historical fiction
7. Words of power: fantasy and realism as linguistically constituted modes
John Stephens is Emeritus Professor in the Department of English, Macquarie University, Australia. He has taught and researched childrens literature for almost 30 years but continues to maintain interests in other fields of literary, film and cultural studies, under the conviction that childrens literature studies should maintain an active dialogue with other areas of research. In recognition of his contribution to research in childrens literature, John was recipient of the International Brothers Grimm Award in 2007 and the Anne Devereaux Jordan Award in 2014. He was elected a Life Fellow of IRSCL in August 2015.
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