Webb, Jean (2009) Voracious Appetites: The Construction of 'Fatness' in Children's Literature. In: Critical Approaches to Food in Children’s Literature. Children's literature and culture ; 59 . Routledge, London. ISBN 0415963664
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Official URL: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/97804159636...
Abstract
The chapter is a discussion and outline of the literary depiction of physical dimension in English children's literature from an historical perspective. In the nineteenth century, Muscular Christianity was a major influence on the construction of the hero in children's literature establishing the strong athletic heroic image as a desirable role model, for example, Tom in Thomas Hughes' Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857). In parallel, the image of the sedentary obese child developed as an opposition, being the butt of bullying and a figure of fun, e.g. Billy Bunter (Richards, 1908).Such constructions persist to the present day, e.g. Dudley Dursley in J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter stories is overweight, unattractive and represents negative social and moral values. With the problems of obesity in contemporary Western culture, to a certain extent a 'revisionist' approach is being adopted in novels for teenagers to confront this 'disease' of affluence.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | A copy of this title is held at The Hive. External users should check availability with their local library or Interlibrary Requests Sevice. This is an updated version of an earlier record in WRaP. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | children's literature, obesity, childhood, heroism, hero, food, appetites, western culture |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PZ Childrens literature P Language and Literature > PR English literature |
| Divisions: | Academic Departments > Institute of Humanities and Creative Arts |
| ID Code: | 1056 |
| Deposited By: | Jean Webb |
| Deposited On: | 18 Nov 2010 11:34 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Sep 2012 06:01 |
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