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Notes
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Contents indexed selectively.
Contents
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Preface to 'The Ape Men of Mobongu',
single work
criticism
(p. 5-9)Xavier Herbert wrote under the name Herbert Astor up until 1933 and McDougall is interested in his captivity narrative The Ape-Men of Mobongu which is one of only two known stories that he wrote for children. McDougall posits that Herbert's representation (or lack there of) regarding Australia's indigenous population is a projection of 'his own unconsious horror of darkness and blind fear of the primitive' (6). Furthermore, he claims this limits Herbert's ability to 'control or transcend animal impulses, lack of civilisation and lack of humanity' and instead, the novel functions as a 'primitivist metaphor' which supports the perceived superiority of white people over indigenous people, the explorer-hero over the idigene (6-7).Note:
Sighted: 29/03/18
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The Ape-Men of Mobongu,
single work
children's fiction
children's
adventure
(p. 10-18)Written in 1927 and set 'in the heart of Dutch New Guinea', The Ape-men of Mobongu tells of two young 'adventurers', Bob and Wally, who meet up with the scientist Dr, Holt and sail along the Sepik river. The trio encounter the legendary ape-men, hybrid beasts purported to be '...spirit giants, the souls of monkeys men have killed, come back to the world for revenge' (11). The ape-men have a colonial explorer, Colin Wills, held captive at their colony who is eventually rescued by the three adventurers, who use science and bush knowledge to escape from the wild, hybrid beasts.Note:
Sighted: 29/03/18
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'A Song in Search of a Voice that is Silent' : Feminist Readings of When She Hollers and Touching Earth Lightly,
single work
criticism
(p. 28-34)McCormack investigates the silence in children's literature regarding sexual abuse, particularly incest, through two novels, American writer Cynthia Voight's When She Hollers and Touching Earth Lightly by Margo Lanagan, both of which focus on what is seen as inappropriate subject matter for children and adolescents. McCormack looks at the novels thematic connection to Red Riding Hood as the archetypal fairytale, which warns that girls who don't excercise control over their sexual desire will be devoured by their own sexuality in the form of a dangerous wolf. Her feminist reading looks at how the texts differ from the original fairystory and what (if any) agency is given to female characters who transgress the boundaries of acceptable sexual behaviour. She concludes however, that both novels uphold the 'gender-based mores of a patriarchal society' whereby uncontrolled female sexuality is seen as dangerous and threatening and any 'femaleness that challenges feminine passivity is to be suppressed' (30-31).Note:
Sighted: 29/03/18
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Fictional Fathers : Gender Representation in Children's Fiction,
single work
criticism
(p. 35-45)
Wendy Michaels and Donna Gibbs analyse several Australian children's texts regarding the 'pattern and trends in relation to the representation of father and father-figures' (37). They believe it is crucial for young adult readers to develop a critical awareness of 'the subtle processes at work in the fiction they are reading' because of the significance textual representation plays in the construction of child-adolescent identity (42-43). The discussion refers to previous studies concerning the construction of masculinity and femininity and the role of children's fiction as a socialising agent regarding appropriate gender roles providing a framework for the interrogation of textual constructions and representations of the father/child relationship. A close reading of Dogs and The Simple Gift precedes a shorter discussion of the novels Touch Me, Thursday's Child, Wolf on the Fold and Fighting Ruben Wolf, and leads Michaels and Gibbs to contend that none of the fathers in the stories are portayed as having a strong relationship with their children and they draw an interesting parallel to the roles ascribed to wicked step-mothers, arguing that currently, young adult readers are presented with models of masculine behaviour that reinforce cultural stereotypes of fathers as essentially ineffectual or morally bankrupt - or both (42). Effective parenting is often directed at surrogate children rather than biological children while it is the serious flaws and shortcomings of the father-child relationship that are of central concern in the novels discussed (40).
Note:Sighted: 29/03/18
