1. Read “Historicizing Childhood” from Reading Children’s Literature (see attached file)
2. Read the children’s book called A Little Princess (1905) by Frances Hodgson Burnett
(find the novel here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/146/146-h/146-h.htm)
3. Write paper answering this prompt: Sara can be characterized as a “Romantic child,” defined by Hintz and Tribunella as a child who is “somehow purer and more virtuous than adults, closer to nature and God, and beautified by their naivete” (Reading Children’s Literature 17). However, Sara can also be characterized as a child who is a “miniature adult,” taking on roles and responsibilities typically associated with grown women, not young girls, even from the novel’s earliest pages (Reading Children’s Literature 26). Looking at the entirety of Sara’s story, write an essay that explores her relationship to these contrasting conceptions of childhood. Which of these models is most dominant in Sara’s character, or most impactful on the audience? Does she find a balance between the two or does one type win out over the other? Another option for this topic would be to argue that Sara fulfills one of the other “types’ of child defined by Hintz and Tribunella better than these two.
Purpose: This assignment gives you the opportunity to produce an essay that provides a formal literary analysis of the novel A Little Princess (1905) by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This assignment is intended to help you engage a topic of interest in greater depth and helps sharpen your ability to think and write critically about A Little Princess and about Children’s Literature more broadly. The skills you exercise in writing this essay (close reading of primary texts, historical and cultural analysis, and producing scholarly prose) are essential in the field of literary study, as well as in other professional and public arenas. You are welcome to consult with me about any aspect of the assignment, at any stage.
Due date: Tuesday, June 22 by 11:59 p.m.
Length: 1,250+ words (~4-5 pages typed); 12-point font; 1” margins all around; double-spaced; MLA or APA format for in-text citations and works cited page
Guidelines:
Your paper should begin with a brief introduction and thesis statement in which you state the argument your paper will make and it should end with a brief conclusion; you should also include a works cited page in MLA or APA format listing the novel and any other sources you consult;
You should use paraphrase and brief direct citations from the text/s like this: “References to quoted lines from the novel or other texts, like Reading Children’s Literature, should be indicated in parentheses and cited like this” (Burnett n.p.);
Your body paragraphs should contain analysis that is specific and focused on the assigned text and related course material;
You should assume that your reader has read, but is not an expert on, the assigned texts;
Your role as writer is to persuade the audience that you have read the novel/s and other texts carefully and that your own analysis of the subject is credible;
You are to be the sole author of this assignment; you may use outside sources as long as you cite them (that is a key aspect of being a persuasive writer!);
Grading: Please consult the “Essay 1 Grading Rubric” for detailed information about how your paper will be evaluated.
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