Agency in Children’s Literature and Culture: the Transformation of the Representation of the Child and Forms Of Subjectivity
Özet
This chapter examines the historical and theoretical transformation of the concepts of subjectivity and agency in children’s literature and children’s culture. It emphasizes that the child figure has long been represented as passive, in need of protection, and shaped by adult ideologies; however, this representation has been increasingly questioned, particularly following shifts in the understanding of childhood after 1990. The study reveals that the position of the child within narrative is not merely an aesthetic choice but also the result of an ideological and pedagogical construction process. In this context, the concept of aetonormativity provides a key framework for explaining how adulthood is positioned as the norm, while childhood is defined through notions of lack and incompleteness. The chapter demonstrates that the agency of the child character is often limited, temporary, and negotiated within adult norms. Even when the child appears to occupy a central role, narratives frequently conclude with the reassertion of adult authority. At the same time, the study highlights contemporary texts in which these norms are suspended, fractured, or made visible, allowing the child’s subjective experience to emerge as a legitimate center of meaning. Furthermore, the representation of the child is shown to evolve historically “from hero to character”, ultimately becoming a multilayered subject with emotional depth, contradictions, and the capacity to produce meaning. In conclusion, the study positions children’s literature not as a fixed field of representation but as a dynamic and critical space that enables the rethinking of childhood.
Referanslar
Bakhtin, M. (2001). Karnavaldan romana. Ayrıntı Yayınları.
Beckett, S. L. (2009). Crossover fiction: Global and historical perspectives. Routledge.
Blackford, H. (2011). Consuming agency in fairy tales, childlore, and folkliterature [Review of the book Consuming Agency in Fairy Tales, Childlore, and Folkliterature, by S. Honeyman]. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 36(3), 343–346.
Bishop, R. S. (1994). Review of language and ideology in children’s fiction (J. Stephens). Language in Society, 23(4), 615–618.
Coats, K. (2011). Review of power, voice and subjectivity in literature for young readers, by M. Nikolajeva. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 36(3), 338–341. https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.2011.0028
Enciso, P., Wolf, S. A., Coats, K., & Jenkins, C. (2010). Children's literature: Standing in the shadow of adults. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 252–263.
Faeth, E.M. (2021). Agency, power, and disability: A textual analysis of the silence between us. Child Lit Educ 52, 433–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-021-09453-w
Flynn, R. (2016). Introduction: Disputing the role of agency in children’s literature and culture. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 8(1), 248–253. 10.1353/jeu.2016.0011
Gutierrez, A. K. (2012). Metamorphosis: The emergence of glocal subjectivities. In J. Stephens (Ed.), Subjectivity in Asian children’s literature and film: Global theories and implications (pp. 21–38). Routledge.
James, A., & Prout, A. (1997). Re-presenting childhood: Time and transition in the study of childhood. In A. James & A, Prout. (Eds), Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Study of Childhood (pp. 227-246). Falmer Press.
Kidd, K. B. (2004). Looking Glasses and Neverlands: Lacan, desire, and subjectivity in children’s literature [Review of the book Looking Glasses and Neverlands: Lacan, Desire, and Subjectivity in Children’s Literature, by K. Coats]. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 29(3), 280–283. https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.0.1568
Kornfeld, J., & Prothro, L. (2005). Envisioning possibility: Schooling and student agency in children’s and young adult literature. Children’s Literature in Education, 36, 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-005-5971-2
Mills, A. (2010). Harry Potter: Agency or addiction? Children’s Literature in Education, 41, 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-010-9115-y
Newland, J. (2009). Toward a zeroth voice: Theorizing voice in children’s literature with Deleuze. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 1(2), 10–34. https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2010.0025
Nikolajeva, M., & Scott, C. (2000). The dynamics of picturebook communication. Children’s Literature in Education, 31(4), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026426902123
Nikolajeva, M. (2002). From hero to character. In The rhetoric of character in children’s literature (pp. 26–48). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Nikolajeva, M. (2003). Fairy tale and fantasy: From archaic to postmodern. Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies, 17(1), 138–156
Nikolajeva, Maria. (2009). Theory, post-theory, and aetonormative theory. Neohelicon, 36(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-009-1002-4
Nikolajeva, M. (2010). Power, voice and subjectivity in literature for young readers. New York & London: Routledge.
Rowe, R. (2020). Review of Representing agency in popular culture: Children and youth on page, screen, and in between, edited by I. E. Castro & J. Clark. Children’s Literature, 48(1), 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1353/chl.2020.0019
Savsar, L. (2018). “Mother Tells Me to Forget”: Nostalgic re-presentations, re-membering, and re-telling the child migrant’s identity and agency. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 43(4), 395–411.10.1353/chq.2018.0046
Stephens, J. (2012). Introduction. In J. Stephens (Ed.), Subjectivity in Asian children’s literature and film: Global theories and implications (pp. 1–20). Routledge.
Wolosky, S. (2013). Foucault at school: Discipline, education and agency in Harry Potter. Children’s Literature in Education, 45, 285-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-013-9215-6
Zipes, J. (2002). Seven brooms. Marvels & Tales, 16(2), 283–289.
Zipes, J. (2013). Sticks and stones: The troublesome success of children's literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter. Routledge.
Referanslar
Bakhtin, M. (2001). Karnavaldan romana. Ayrıntı Yayınları.
Beckett, S. L. (2009). Crossover fiction: Global and historical perspectives. Routledge.
Blackford, H. (2011). Consuming agency in fairy tales, childlore, and folkliterature [Review of the book Consuming Agency in Fairy Tales, Childlore, and Folkliterature, by S. Honeyman]. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 36(3), 343–346.
Bishop, R. S. (1994). Review of language and ideology in children’s fiction (J. Stephens). Language in Society, 23(4), 615–618.
Coats, K. (2011). Review of power, voice and subjectivity in literature for young readers, by M. Nikolajeva. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 36(3), 338–341. https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.2011.0028
Enciso, P., Wolf, S. A., Coats, K., & Jenkins, C. (2010). Children's literature: Standing in the shadow of adults. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(2), 252–263.
Faeth, E.M. (2021). Agency, power, and disability: A textual analysis of the silence between us. Child Lit Educ 52, 433–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-021-09453-w
Flynn, R. (2016). Introduction: Disputing the role of agency in children’s literature and culture. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 8(1), 248–253. 10.1353/jeu.2016.0011
Gutierrez, A. K. (2012). Metamorphosis: The emergence of glocal subjectivities. In J. Stephens (Ed.), Subjectivity in Asian children’s literature and film: Global theories and implications (pp. 21–38). Routledge.
James, A., & Prout, A. (1997). Re-presenting childhood: Time and transition in the study of childhood. In A. James & A, Prout. (Eds), Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Study of Childhood (pp. 227-246). Falmer Press.
Kidd, K. B. (2004). Looking Glasses and Neverlands: Lacan, desire, and subjectivity in children’s literature [Review of the book Looking Glasses and Neverlands: Lacan, Desire, and Subjectivity in Children’s Literature, by K. Coats]. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 29(3), 280–283. https://doi.org/10.1353/chq.0.1568
Kornfeld, J., & Prothro, L. (2005). Envisioning possibility: Schooling and student agency in children’s and young adult literature. Children’s Literature in Education, 36, 217–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-005-5971-2
Mills, A. (2010). Harry Potter: Agency or addiction? Children’s Literature in Education, 41, 291-301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-010-9115-y
Newland, J. (2009). Toward a zeroth voice: Theorizing voice in children’s literature with Deleuze. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 1(2), 10–34. https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2010.0025
Nikolajeva, M., & Scott, C. (2000). The dynamics of picturebook communication. Children’s Literature in Education, 31(4), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026426902123
Nikolajeva, M. (2002). From hero to character. In The rhetoric of character in children’s literature (pp. 26–48). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Nikolajeva, M. (2003). Fairy tale and fantasy: From archaic to postmodern. Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies, 17(1), 138–156
Nikolajeva, Maria. (2009). Theory, post-theory, and aetonormative theory. Neohelicon, 36(1), 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-009-1002-4
Nikolajeva, M. (2010). Power, voice and subjectivity in literature for young readers. New York & London: Routledge.
Rowe, R. (2020). Review of Representing agency in popular culture: Children and youth on page, screen, and in between, edited by I. E. Castro & J. Clark. Children’s Literature, 48(1), 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1353/chl.2020.0019
Savsar, L. (2018). “Mother Tells Me to Forget”: Nostalgic re-presentations, re-membering, and re-telling the child migrant’s identity and agency. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 43(4), 395–411.10.1353/chq.2018.0046
Stephens, J. (2012). Introduction. In J. Stephens (Ed.), Subjectivity in Asian children’s literature and film: Global theories and implications (pp. 1–20). Routledge.
Wolosky, S. (2013). Foucault at school: Discipline, education and agency in Harry Potter. Children’s Literature in Education, 45, 285-297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-013-9215-6
Zipes, J. (2002). Seven brooms. Marvels & Tales, 16(2), 283–289.
Zipes, J. (2013). Sticks and stones: The troublesome success of children's literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter. Routledge.
