Something that all the best Mid Grade or Junior Fiction does, is portray an authentic child's experience of the world, whilst still couching the more difficult aspects in terms that a child can process. This is never more true than in the case of various types of abuse that children may unfortunately be subjected too. However, many adults find such portrayals difficult to access because they are 'cartoonish' and don't deal factually with what's happening. There is also the child censorship issue as to what it is appropriate to include in a children's book.
This week the dragons take a look at why difficult topics are presented the way they are in children's fiction. Why is it that children need that different portrayal that doesn't grip most adults in the same way? Why are portrayals of abuse and bullying so often paired with fantasy elements? How is it that some books contain a subtext accessible only for people who can look with a child's perspective? And why is it important that these unpleasant realities are reflected in children's literature at all? After all, isn't reading about escapism? On the slab this week Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian, The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine, Telling the Sea by Pauline Fisk, the Harry Potter series (naturally) and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 43: Standalones to Series - the pros and cons of one-offs and neverending series
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 41: Let us make Men - From Golems to Androids
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 41: Balancing the Real and the Fantastical - Writing Relatable Epic Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 40: Strange, Horrible and Who - the Egotism of Genius
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 39: Saints, Souls and Samhain - the Celtic Day of the Dead
Dissecting Dragons:Episode 38: Monsters and Men - Gothic Classics and the Origin of Horror - A Halloween Special
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 37:Breaking Out the F-jar - Our Favourite Swears in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 36: Horcruxs and Heartbreak - of Books, Souls and Killing your Darlings
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 35: Three Goblins Walk into a Bar - Writing Humour in Speculative Fiction and How to Avoid the Accidental Funny.
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 34: The Unveiled Series Reborn - Books, Judgement, Heaven & Hell, and PTSD
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 33: Not so Charming - Male Stereotypes in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 32: Escape to the Country - of Editing and Writing Weekends
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 31: The Devil in the Details - Lucifer on Modern Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 30: Bucky Barnes to the Winter Soldier - the Evolution of the Side-kick
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 29: The Frankenstein Complex - Why is 'Fan Fiction' such a dirty word?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 28: Gobblefunk and Glyphs - creating words in Children's Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 27: Harnessing Demons - How Writers use their own faults and insecurities in Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 26: A Touch of Faust - Changing Goals on your Protagonist and when this works
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 25: Death and All His Friends - Themes of Death, Dying and Grief in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 24: Cognoggins and Clockwork - What makes good Steampunk?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voice of Mushfik
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Gulliver’s Travels
The Count of Monte Cristo
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends