Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Since I am going to talk about children and since I am probably going to say many unwise things with which some children might disagree,..." (more)
Key Phrases: genuine storytelling, junk opera, classical fairy tales, Harry Potter, New York, Snow White (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Is the success of children's literature troublesome? Is it phenomenal? How do we judge the value of children's literature within the current culture that fosters the commercialization of childhood itself? In a series of essays mostly based on speeches given at various conferences, a scholar and social critic examines these and other provocative questions. Describing his passionate essays as "active talk," Zipes is nevertheless sometimes dense and arcane especially when he ventures into the political arena. He is most interesting when he writes directly about children's literature-the fairy tales retold by Wanda G g, the checkered history of the Grimm tales and their retellers, the history of storytelling and the appeal of Struwwelpeter. The phenomenon of Harry Potter is the subject of his final essay, and as he moves from literary to social critic, he finds Harry "part of the eternal return to the same-and, at the same time, part of the success and process by which we homogenize our children." Though the book is sometimes tedious, Zipes is always thought-provoking in his arguments.-Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

If [Zipes'] scholarship could be spread over several curricule vitae, the breadth and quality of it could certainly bring tenure to three or four scholars.
–Donald R. Hettinga

If [Zipes] scholarship could be spread over several curricule vitae, the breadth and quality of it could certainly bring tenure to three or four scholars.
–Donald R. Hettinga

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415938805
• ISBN-13: 978-0415938808
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #741,323 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is there really such a thing as "children's literature"?, April 22, 2002

By	Wiltrud Goldschmidt (Pennsylvania, United States) - See all my reviews

In this collection of essays based on speeches and lectures, the author - an admirer of Adorno - poses questions that should concern parents and teachers everywhere: Who decides what is "appropriate" literature for children? How are children introduced to this literature, and what do they make of it?

The first four chapters of the book, peppered with the somewhat off-putting jargon of literary theory, deplore the vertical integration of publishing empires, the marketing of books in association with toys, games, gadgets, T-shirts, etc., which results in "cultural homogenization" of the children. Adults decide "what's good for children" and use literature, among other tools, to manipulate and control them.

In chapters 5-9, the discussion gains momentum by using concrete examples of literature written for children. Changing attitudes toward Grimms' Fairy Tales and the "Struwwelpeter" stories of Heinrich Hoffmann have spawned multiple translations, bowdlerizations, dramatizations and parodies. The author shows how the "sexist" content of most fairy tales (the hero is almost always a male) has triggered feminist re-interpretations. Finally, there is no "authentic" version of fairy tales; all of them, including the ones collected by the Brothers Grimm, have been "contaminated", i.e. adapted and collated from multiple sources.

The final chapter on the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter books seems to be the one most American readers have focused on. It stresses the stereotypical aspects of the stories and the commercial hype that attended their release, and, again, their sexist nature - one of the author's pet peeves.

While some of these arguments seem excessively gloomy, all of them deserve our thoughtful consideration.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Snobby Jack, July 24, 2005

By	Vivian Unger (Montreal, QC Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to confess to being biased, since I enjoy the Harry Potter series, but I think Jack Zipes is a literary snob. He makes the excellent and overlooked point that children's literature is written for children but not by children, in contrast to adult's literature which is written by adults for adults. And yes, this opens the door to all sorts of manipulation of children through literature. And yes, children are not adequately respected in our culture. Unfortunately, Zipes doesn't respect them either. While trashing books such as the Harry Potter series, he utterly fails to listen to the children's protests of, "But we *like* it!" as though that simply isn't relevant. Rather, he has an attitude of, "I know what's best for you, much better than you do." Much the same attitude that an overmoralising children's writer might have. In other words, Zipes himself is guilty of what he criticizes.

It would be an interesting experiment to get children to write their own books, see how well they do, and see if other children would be interested in reading those books. It could open up a whole new vista in children's publishing, though I doubt it. I think it would instead show that children's books are written by adults rather than children because small children can't write well enough.

Zipes makes some interesting points and tackles an underdiscussed topic. It is too bad he is such a snob. Otherwise, he might have listened to children a bit more, and the book itself would be a better read.

49 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 5, 2001

By	G. P. Winkler "Peter" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter (Hardcover)

I read the final chapter, on Harry Potter, as part of a class on Rowling's work. Zipes has a few good points to make, but they suffocate under needless jargon and tedious, evidence-free assertions about "cultural commodities" and the like.

Zipes's point, so far as I could make it out, is that Harry Potter became a "phenomenon" only because the books are incredibly conventional (a "hodgepodge" of pop-culture motifs) and formulaic. I agree that each novel follows a recurring pattern, even a formula, but Zipes never says why that's bad. (Perhaps it's obvious to lit-crit folk.) And the pop-culture ties, IMHO, lend texture to Rowling's parallel universe--which, I increasingly think, is not fantasy but satire.

Actually, Zipes goes further, seemingly asserting that ONLY a conventional work could become a phenomenon, given the "hegemonic groups" that run our culture. That's a big, interesting assertion, and I wish Zipes had fleshed it out with reasoning, details, and examples. It would help too to know more about these nameless hegemons. Who are they? How do they enforce their cultural supremacy? (In fairness to Zipes, he may address these points earlier in the book.)

Several readings of the Harry Potter chapter--and a thumbs-down from the prof, who read the whole volume--have left me thinking this is a book to skip.