By introducing a wide-ranging set of case studies, from multi-media versions of plays by Shakespeare to cross-cultural reinterpretations of classic tales, this volume places a welcome emphasis on international research into adaptations for children. Transitions from the adult to the children's canon, from one language to another and from page to feature film, animation, comic strip or dance are all examined with scholarly attention to the aesthetic and ideological issues that arise in the course of adaptation. Anja Müller has succeeded in drawing together a lively and informative series of insights into the transcultural reach of adaptation strategies for the child reader or viewer.
Gillian Lathey, Reader in Children's Literature, Roehampton University, UK
Featuring an impressive set of renowned international scholars, this collection combines rigorous theory with fascinating reader-friendly analysis of individual texts, that goes far beyond case studies. Positioned within the rapidly expanding field of adaptation theory, it targets a wide audience and punctures common misconceptions about children's literature and its role in society and education. A timely and welcome volume.
Maria Nikolajeva, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge, UK
<i>Adapting Canonical Texts in Children’s Literature </i>is a benchmark contribution that challenges the reader to reconsider the status of canonicity and adaptation within the realm of children’s literature. Covering a huge historical range and addressing key topics in research and criticism, such as genre-crossing, intermediality, and intercultural studies, the essays combine illuminative close readings with a broad theoretical astuteness.
Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer, Professor of German Literature, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany
The topic of this book, edited by Anja Muller, concerns adaptations for children and young adult readers of adult canonical texts (“The Merchant of Venice”, “Hamlet”, “The Tempest”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Julius Caesar”, “Macbeth”, but also “Beowulf” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”), of children’s classics (“Winnie-the-Pooh”),and of novels (“Oliver Twist”, “Pinocchio” and “The Nutcracker”) that can be regarded as canonical both for adult and child readers. It shows how adaptations can question the very notion of canons and classics of children’s literature and it presents us with a variety of positions with regard to the approach to adaptation. It certainly gives food for thought.
Elena Paruolo, Lecturer in English Literature, University of Salerno, Italy
Introduction
1. Shakespeare for Girls: Victorian vs. Contemporary Prose Versions of Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice, Laura Tosi, Ca' Foscari, Venice, Italy
2. Shylock's Daughter, Nathan and his Children, Golem Silent Brother - Adapting European Classics in the Work of Miriam Pressler, Jana Mikota, Universität Siegen, Germany
3. Shakespeare in Children's Literature: Susan Cooper's King of the Shadows and Tad Williams's Caliban's Hour, Eva Oppermann, Universität Kassel, Germany
4. Shakespeare for Beginners: The Animated Tales from Shakespeare and the Case Study of Julias Ceasar , Maddalena Pennacchia, Roma Tre University
5. Adapting and Parodying Shakespeare for Young Adults: John Marsden's Hamlet and Andy Griffth's Just Macbeth!, Mark MacLeod, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga Campus, Australia
6. Shakespeare Comic Books - Adapting the Bard for a Young Audience, Anja Müller, Universität Siegen, Germany
7. Rosemary Sutcliffe's Beowulf: Dragonslayer Lukascz Neubauer, Technical University of Koszalin, Poland
8. The Kids of the Round Table: Arthurian Traces in Fantasy Fiction for Children and Young Adults Anne Klaus, University of Osnabrück, Germany
9. Downsizing Dickens: Adaptations of Oliver Twist for the Child Reader, Elizabeth Thiel, University of Roehampton, UK
10. Pinocchio in English, Iain Halliday, Universita di Catania
11. The Adaptation of a Children's Story which has Adult Messages: The Nutcracker from E.T.A. Hoffmann to Matthew Bourne, Janice Keane, University of Nottingham, UK
12. To Be Or Not To Be A Canonical Text of Children's Literature: Polish and Italian Translations of Winnie-the-Pooh, Monika Wozniak, Universita La Sapienza di Roma, Italy
13. Disney(Never)land's Tinker Bell, Lisa Rowe Fraustino, Eastern Connecticut State University, USA References
Index