Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Joseph Thomas' Review: Adventures Into Otherness


Professor Joseph Thomas reviews Maria Lassen-Seger's book, Adventures into Otherness: Child Metamorphs in Late Twentieth-Century Chidren's Literature for the International Research Society for Children's Literature. Thomas examines Lassen-Seger's exploration of child metamorphs as reactions/repressions against/by the colonizer (adults). Thomas appreciates Lassen-Seger's wide utilization of children's texts not commonly talked about while he also recognizes her ability to enlighten some of the more canonical texts. He criticizes both Lassen-Seger's neglect of the text's social and historical context as well as her dissertation -like structure and "dissertationese" prose style. A full text version of the review is available here.

Monday, May 19, 2008

What's The Word June Cummins?


Hear SDSU Associate Professor June Cummins talk on MLA's radio program What's The Word?  about what is lost when Harry Potter books are magically transformed into Harry Potter films.  

Host: Sally Placksin
Participants: Holly Blackford, June Cummins, Lisa Makman