Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons^™

What About Susan? Gender In Narnia, Emma G. Schilling

Student Publications

Critics of C.S. Lewis argue that his misogyny is present in his portrayal of female characters. While Lewis himself was self-contradictory in his attitudes towards women, his depictions of female characters in The Chronicles of Narnia are both realistic and progressive. Both the male and female characters throughout the series demonstrate individual strengths and weaknesses that are not dependent on their gender. The criticism against Lewis focuses on his treatment of Susan, especially regarding her being the only child not to return to Narnia at the end of the series. Unlike what the critics argue, however, Susan is not excluded …

Harry Potter And The Meaning Of Death, Harrison D. Brown

Student Publications

The paper reviews how J.K. Rowling is able to examine death in the Harry Potter book series. In the first part of the text the author touches on the deaths of Harry's parents and the scarring that Harry receives from that, as well as an examination of how the deaths of others, from close friends to acquaintances, have affected Harry, specifically pertaining to his personal responsibility for them and also his grieving process. The paper also goes into how Voldemort's inability to feel love, paired with his fear of dying, have pushed his quest for immortality (using Horcruxes). Harry's mastery …

Language Of Harry's Wizards: Authentic Vocabulary Instruction, Divonna M. Stebick, Constance N. Nichols

Education Faculty Publications

This study was the result of a year long action research project within a middle school language arts classroom. The students showed improvement in their vocabulary skills due to this instruction using Harry Potter as a context.

"Think Happy Thoughts": Peter Pan As A Tragic Hero, Sarah M. Connelly

Student Publications

Using Aristotle's definition of the "tragic hero," this work will explore J.M. Barrie's novel, Peter and Wendy, and how Peter is a tragic figure. In this paper I argue that Peter Pan is not only a tragic hero whose human frailty— in Peter’s case, his fear of growing old— causes him to make the terrible mistake of rejecting his own development of humanity and the opportunity for redemption through maternal love, but that Barrie uses Peter to emphasize that, contrary to the Romantic conception of childhood, children need the guidance of parents in order to live a fulfilling life.

Crew: Finding Community When Your Dreams Crash, Christin N. Taylor

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

Most young adults at some point experience a personal "shipwreck"—missing out on the job you wanted, the unexpected end of a relationship, a crisis of faith—that threatens to rip apart the fabric of your identity. What helps navigate a personal shipwreck is to have a crew of reliable people who walk with you through it.

In Crew: Finding Community When Your Dreams Crash, Christin Taylor explores how young adults can both find good company during a time of personal shipwreck and be good company for others who might be experiencing their own shipwreck. In the process, you will learn …

Ms-154: Eileen Spinelli Papers, Jenna E. Fleming

All Finding Aids

The collection consists mainly of materials used by Spinelli in the writing and publication processes of her books. Handwritten, typed, and word processed drafts from various stages of the books’ development are included. E-mail and written correspondence between Spinelli, publishers, and editors is also part of the collection. Several of the books were turned down by multiple publishing houses before being sold, and some manuscripts were never accepted at all. The electronic communication between the author and her editors provides insight into the complicated and lengthy process of revising childrens’ books for printing, as well as the task of choosing …

Ms-007: The Papers Of Jerry Spinelli, Class Of 1963, Christine M. Ameduri, Molly Thomas, Sidney Dreese

All Finding Aids

The Jerry Spinelli collection traces the writing career of the children’s author from 1961- 2003. The papers consist mainly of various versions of manuscripts including his original handwritten manuscripts, several editions of his books and some promotional material. The researcher will not find materials about life at Gettysburg College or Temple University, or his work at Chilton Publishing; genealogical data, diaries, memorabilia or photographs.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. …