The Myth of Persephone in Girls' Fantasy Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Science Fiction, Children&, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies
Cover of the book The Myth of Persephone in Girls' Fantasy Literature by Holly Blackford, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Holly Blackford ISBN: 9781136644276
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 23, 2012
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Holly Blackford
ISBN: 9781136644276
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 23, 2012
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In this book, Blackford historicizes the appeal of the Persephone myth in the nineteenth century and traces figurations of Persephone, Demeter, and Hades throughout girls’ literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She illuminates developmental patterns and anxieties in E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker and Mouse King, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. The story of the young goddess’s separation from her mother and abduction into the underworld is, at root, an expression of ambivalence about female development, expressed in the various Neverlands through which female protagonists cycle and negotiate a partial return to earth. The myth conveys the role of female development in the perpetuation and renewal of humankind, coordinating natural and cultural orders through a hieros gamos (fertility coupling) rite. Meanwhile, popular novels such as Twilight and Coraline are paradoxically fresh because they recycle goddesses from myths as old as the seasons. With this book, Blackford offers a consideration of how literature for the young squares with broader canons, how classics flexibly and uniquely speak through novels that enjoy broad appeal, and how female traditions are embedded in novels by both men and women.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In this book, Blackford historicizes the appeal of the Persephone myth in the nineteenth century and traces figurations of Persephone, Demeter, and Hades throughout girls’ literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She illuminates developmental patterns and anxieties in E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Nutcracker and Mouse King, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. The story of the young goddess’s separation from her mother and abduction into the underworld is, at root, an expression of ambivalence about female development, expressed in the various Neverlands through which female protagonists cycle and negotiate a partial return to earth. The myth conveys the role of female development in the perpetuation and renewal of humankind, coordinating natural and cultural orders through a hieros gamos (fertility coupling) rite. Meanwhile, popular novels such as Twilight and Coraline are paradoxically fresh because they recycle goddesses from myths as old as the seasons. With this book, Blackford offers a consideration of how literature for the young squares with broader canons, how classics flexibly and uniquely speak through novels that enjoy broad appeal, and how female traditions are embedded in novels by both men and women.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Late Stone Age Hunters of the British Isles by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book A Long Walk To Church by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Calling All Foreign Language Teachers by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book The Routledge Concise History of Latino/a Literature by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Design Criteria for Mosques and Islamic Centres by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Alienation or Integration of Arab Youth by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Coaching Children in Sport by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Learner-Centered Leadership by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Mathematical Models of Perception and Cognition Volume II by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book The Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Yeniseian Peoples and Languages by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book Global Efforts to Combat Smoking by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book The Dialectic of Self and Story by Holly Blackford
Cover of the book China on the Mind by Holly Blackford
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy