Keywords for Children’s Literature

Philip Nel, Lissa Paul

NYU Press, Jun 13, 2011 - Literary Criticism - 293 pages

A new vocabulary for Children's Literature

The study of children’s literature and culture has been experiencing a renaissance, with vital new work proliferating across many areas of interest. Mapping this vibrant scholarship, Keywords for Children’s Literature presents 49 original essays on the essential terms and concepts of the field. From Aesthetics to Young Adult, an impressive, multidisciplinary cast of scholars explores the vocabulary central to the study of children's literature.

Following the growth of his or her word, each author traces its branching uses and meanings, often into unfamiliar disciplinary territories: award-winning novelist Philip Pullman writes about Intentionality, education expert Margaret Meek Spencer addresses reading, literary scholar Peter Hunt historicizes Children’s Literature, Psychologist Hugh Crago examines story, librarian and founder of the influential Child_Lit litserv Michael Joseph investigates liminality. The scope, clarity, and interdisciplinary play between concepts make this collection essential reading for all scholars in the field. In the spirit of Raymond Williams’ seminal Keywords, this book is a snapshot of a vocabulary of children’s literature that is changing, expanding, and ever unfinished.


Visit keywords.nyupress.org for online essays, teaching resources, and more.

About the author

Philip Nel (Editor)
Philip Nel is University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is the author or co-editor of eleven books, the most recent of which is Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.

Lissa Paul (Editor)
Lissa Paul, Professor at Brock University in the Niagra Region of Canada, has authored or edited seven books, has chapters in nineteen and publishes widely in international journals. Her most recent book is Eliza Fenwick: Early Modern Feminist. She is currently working on an edition of Fenwick's letters.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Keywords for Children’s Literature
• Editors: Philip Nel, Lissa Paul
• Publisher: NYU Press, 2011
• ISBN: 081475855X, 9780814758557
• Length: 293 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / Children's & Young Adult Literature