This collection argues that the romanticized conflation of “childhood” and “innocence” in American culture has been on a steady decline at least since the 1960s--largely due to postmodern critiques of overarching narratives involving both “the child” and the “innocence” of childhood. Additionally, this collection highlights and analyzes examples of children’s literature and culture throughout the 20th century (and into the 21st) which pointedly defy traditional, idealized notions of “childhood”. Such an analysis serves to reiterate the idea that the romanticized notion of “childhood” which has pervaded American culture for over two centuries is little more than a cultural construction that bears little to no resemblance to the actual, lived experience of American children.
Introduction: “The Death of Childhood”, James M. Curtis Part One: Deconstructing 20th Century Childhood Chapter One: “The Domesticated Adventuress: Dorothy Gale, Ozma of Oz, and the Pitfalls of Princess-hood”, Rodney Marcel Fierce Chapter Two: “‘A Place for You’: Subjectivity and Representation in The Brownies Book”, James M. Curtis Chapter Three: “Homecoming: Finding (and Losing) the American Child”, Rebecca Long Part Two: Towards a More Postmodern Childhood: Challenging Childhood “Innocence” in the Late 20th and Early 21st Century Chapter Four: ‘Growing Up Too Fast, Too Soon’: The Child Prodigy in Late Postmodernist Literature”, Oliver J. Hancock Chapter Five: “In Support of Idyllic Childhood: How Book Challenges Reveal American Views on Childhood and Adolescent Innocence in the 1980s and into the 21st Century”, Sarah K. Mazur Chapter Six: “Fear of Science in the Cold War and the Unknown Childhood: The It’s Alive Trilogy”, Erika Tiburcio Moreno Chapter Seven: “Four Little Activists: The Death of Black Childhood Innocence in Spike Lee’s 4 Little Girls”, Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr. Chapter Eight: “Technically I’m 112: Youth and Darkness in Avatar: the Last Airbender”, Colleen Etman
James M. Curtis is instructor of English at Louisiana State University Shreveport.
Reviews for Childhood and Innocence in American Culture: Heartaches and Nightmares
"Childhood and Innocence in American Culture examines the problematic concept of ""innocence"" as it has too frequently been linked to Romantic notions of childhood. Deconstructing ""innocence"" in terms of race, gender, social class, and historical (mis)representations, this volume examines the transgressive potentiality of childhood as it is depicted in literary mediums created for children and adult audiences alike. --Roberta Seelinger Trites, Illinois State University"
