Archetypal Rhythm in Modern Childrens Literature A Study of Ursula K Le Guin Diana Wynne Jones and Trudi Canavan

Abstract

Children s literature refers to materials written for children and young adults, published by children s publishers, stocked, and shelved in the children s/ or young adult (YA) sections of libraries and bookshops. This genre serves as a bridge between childhood and adulthood. An adult is formed by everything that exerts a great deal of influence in their formative years. Therefore, the books that one reads as a child plays a huge role in shaping one s personality. newlineThere have been various approaches that have been used to study children s literature. Relating modern children s literature specifically the works of Ursula K. Le Guin, Diana Wynne Jones, and Trudi Canavan to Northrop Frye s Theory of Archetypes will yield new insights in the field of children s literature and literary theory. newlineThe Archetypal Theory studies the generic recurrence of patterns in connection to literature, art, and popular culture. Frye in his book Anatomy of Criticism published in 1957 established that literature, when viewed holistically and studied inductively, reveals specific repetitive patterns, known as archetypes. newlineThis thesis which is entitled, Archetypal Rhythm in Modern Children s Literature: A Study of Ursula K. Le Guin, Diana Wynne Jones, and Trudi Canavan aims at the application of the Theory of Archetypes as given by Northrop Frye to Modern Children s Literature. Studying the selected writers within the archetypal framework is highly insightful and paves the way for an interdisciplinary perspective. newline newline