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Interesting article: The hidden meanings in Kids' lit

10 years ago

A friend send this provocative article from the BBC about the argument for (and against) hidden meanings in children's literature...

What do you think?

(It's not a long article - just a few parags.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Hidden Meanings in Kid Lit... (BBC)

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Comments (9)

yoyobon_gw
10 years ago
I think it is all perspective.

An adult with a life of experience and exposure to the unsavory might easily see things in children's lit.

Children, as innocents, see what a child untainted by the world would see.
veer
10 years ago
Liz, re your link above. I cannot get onto it as a BBC message appears saying 'Sorry this site is not accessible from the UK.' I tried writing your link-title in to G**gle using children rather than kids (as the BBC speaks 'English' rather than 'American') but got the same reply. :-) !
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"I didnt say she posted the positive side, I said she posted a biased view, and the entire article had some other points. For example, where the article said SM was a bit of a misnomer, and it might be better for a SM to forget the mother in the name, and be more like an aunt." It did have other points you are right, but what is wrong with putting the ones on there that will lift the group. Also, I completely disagree with the act as an aunt role idea. I do not pretend to be the BM of my son, but at my home I AM the mom and I refuse to go back and forth between roles. This is easier in my family since my SS was young and excepting of me when DH and I got together. The aunt role would work better (IMO) for someone coming in later in the child's life. IMO I am a parent to my SS regardless of step or bio and I will act as such. "I do regard my DD as a victim of divorce. I am not aware of any study that doesnt put children of divorce at a disadvantage to children in intact families. And she certainly didnt cause the divorce". I did not say they are not victims. However, it is not a good idea, IMO, to go around considering yourself or your kids as victims, at least not to them, or they will always pitty themselves instead of learning from the situation that they have been put in. I agree that it is not fair to them and is definitely not an ideal situation to be in. I did say that with the way you and others act about second marriages it is almost like you are disregarding the fact that other children are born out of these second marriages and that they could be put in this situation to. Do you not understand that by constantly telling everyone that statistically they are more likely to fail than succeed in a second marriage it comes off as you almost hope we do, our kids bedamned. Also, I completely agree that kids of divorce are at a disadvantage to kids in a intact family. Unless, that intact family is an unhappy one in which they are better of in a divorce situation. "I think the point about second marriages failing is taken out of context. Its more about Dad should have more a role, as child may end up with serial SMs." You are generalizing here. Dads are not the only ones who do this. In fact, in my own person experience my DH and I have been together for quite a while and I was the first and only serious relationship he had after his divorce. His ex wife has been involved in a serious relationship off and on since right after they seperated. Between her and her long-time bf's fall outs she has had many bfs who my son has had to stay with, be babysat by, and all sorts of other situations where there were serial SDs.
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annpan
10 years ago
Vee, could it be your browser blocking this? I am on Firefox and accessed it.
veer
10 years ago
Ann, I tried unblocking everything and the site wont come up. A message says (in part) "BBC Worldwide is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee . . .", meaning because we in the UK pay we cannot access the 'worldwide' stuff.

Perhaps some RP'ers are unaware that to watch TV in the UK we have to obtain a licence which at the moment is over ÃÂ£145 pa. It is a criminal offence not to have one and will lead to prosecution if you are 'found out' . . .claiming to watch only commercial TV is not considered an excuse! There has been talk of making it a civil rather than a criminal offence though, as yet, nothing has come of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: UK TV Licences
yoyobon_gw
10 years ago
I had no problem opening the link.
annpan
10 years ago
I was lucky with the licence fee when in the UK as I lived in a local council owned block for seniors and disabled people. We shared the TV licence fee and I paid five pounds a year in 2002. My sister in a similar place run by a different council pays in full!
I was phoned by a research company once and asked what I thought was a fair price. I said "Nothing" and when the person asked why, I explained that I came from Australia and we don't pay a fee. We used to and then it was abandoned. I don't recall why.
woodnymph2_gw
10 years ago
I think on some level, most children, despite being naive and innocent, can pick up hidden underlying subtexts and themes in some kid's lit. I, for one, picked up quite a lot from reading Grimm's fairy tales. It was only later, as an adult, that I realized the deeper symbolism and meanings which were only hinted at, on the surface. Certain fairy tales moved me far more than others, with good reason, but it was only when I was grown up that I understood this.

As a child,I always found something profoundly disturbing about L. Carroll's "Alice" tales. I suspect the subtext was drugs.
janalyn
10 years ago
As a child,I always found something profoundly disturbing about L. Carroll's "Alice" tales. I suspect the subtext was drugs.

I felt the same way.
annpan
10 years ago
This is a bit OT but regarding subtexts....I have been reading about Georgette Heyer's books on a website, first a description and then commentaries. I was surprised at the "takes" that readers had on the characters. Vidal (Devils's Cub) and others were potential rapists, Freddie (Cotillion) and others had homosexual tendencies...my goodness!
I read these books many years ago and never had any thoughts in these directions. Are readers now more perceptive or seeing things that aren't there?

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