English Honors Papers
Document Type
Honors Paper
Advisor
Julie Rivkin
Publication Date
2014
Abstract
In this thesis, I look closely at four particular children’s books as representative of a genre within children’s literature, one that I call “ordinary magic.” Whereas most children’s literature can be categorized either as realistic fiction or as fantasy, I examine a group of books that resists such classification. Drawing on the psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott’s theory of transitional phenomena, I discuss the ways in which the novels within this genre navigate the boundaries between fantasy and realism, exploring related oppositions such as home and away, childhood and adulthood, reading and real life, and rebellion and compliance. I argue that a frank and playful exploration of these boundaries creates an environment in which deep and authentic enlivenment and enchantment can be felt.
Recommended Citation
Pincus, Sarah, "Ordinary Magic: D.W. Winnicott and the E. Nesbit Tradition in Children’s Literature" (2014). English Honors Papers. 15.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/enghp/15
Included in
Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.