Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


osu1306352172.pdf (63.54 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Meeting Gods: The re-presentation and inclusion of figures of myth in early twenty-first century young adult and middle grade children’s novels

Castleman, Michele Daniele
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306352172

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
The creatures and gods of ancient and traditional myth have been included in young adult and middle grade children’s literature for as long as those literary designations have existed. Often allusions and metaphors draw a reader’s attention to think of a Greek god, a Norse myth or a monster from Homer’s Odyssey. Within the last several years, particularly between 2005 and 2010, a significant number of young adult and middle grade children’s novels have presented the gods and creatures of various cultures’ traditional myths in modern realistic settings, raising the question of how myth and its characters are presented in these novels. These mythic figures interact with young protagonists and exist within a reality that is familiar to the reader, taking on ideological present-day meanings. This study is a description of the analysis of the resulting ways and positions characters of traditional or new myth and mythic tensions are presented within this publishing trend. Content analysis of the shared motifs and themes within a sample of 40 young adult and middle grade children’s novels, the inclusions and re-presentations of these mythic figures extends the realms within which myth is traditionally understood. Myth is expanded in terms of these novels’ use of time and place and its categorizations as fantasy or reality. The realms of myth are also broadened by the ideological implications the novels are steeped in; whether they include messages about nationalism, environmental conservation, the privileging of the myths of one culture or the interaction among myths of multiple cultures. The realm of myth is also extended in terms of the varied relationships explored among the mythic figures and human characters and whether the gods are positioned as absentee parents to the young protagonists, as friends or as antagonists. Although few young adult and middle grade novels within my sample depict the mythic figures of popular contemporary religions, the inclusion of angels in young adult paranormal romance novels does explore the myth and tensions of heterosexual romantic love. Myth and children’s novels are weighted in ideology that offer paradigms and interpretations of how the reader may choose to perceive the world. Young readers’ discussions and contemplations of the themes and motifs within early twenty-first century young adult and middle grade novels that include characters of traditional or new myth in modern settings may encourage examinations of the expanded realms of myth; to see the way that understandings of time, reality, nationalism, other cultures, etc. shape perceptions of the world and of what myth is. Whether within the realm of belief, fantasy, science or reality, myth thrives; with new myths being created and traditional ones being acquired and given new weight and meaning, helping readers to make sense of their worlds, their experiences and their potential positions in society.
Barbara Kiefer, PhD (Advisor)
Linda Parsons, PhD (Committee Member)
Amy Shuman, PhD (Committee Member)
Anna Soter, PhD (Committee Member)
440 p.
Literature
Myth; Young Adult; Children's Literature; Folklore; Gods; Legend; Fantasy; Young Adult Literature; Content Analysis; Mythic Figure; Retelling; Adaptation; Positioning; Reader Response Theory;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Castleman, M. D. (2011). Meeting Gods: The re-presentation and inclusion of figures of myth in early twenty-first century young adult and middle grade children’s novels [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306352172

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Castleman, Michele. Meeting Gods: The re-presentation and inclusion of figures of myth in early twenty-first century young adult and middle grade children’s novels. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306352172.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Castleman, Michele. "Meeting Gods: The re-presentation and inclusion of figures of myth in early twenty-first century young adult and middle grade children’s novels." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306352172

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1306352172
691
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.