Myth of Cokaygne in Children’s Literature
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A01=Franziska Burstyn
Alexandra
Author_Franziska Burstyn
Category=DSBB
Category=DSY
Category=JM
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eq_biography-true-stories
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eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
Product details
- ISBN 9783631614235
- Weight: 170g
- Dimensions: 148 x 210mm
- Publication Date: 10 Oct 2011
- Publisher: Peter Lang AG
- Publication City/Country: CH
- Product Form: Paperback
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In the English-speaking world, the medieval concept of Cokaygne as a paradisiac landscape made of food is merely preserved as a part of American folklore, the «Big Rock Candy Mountain». This motif of food in abundance is recurrent in children’s literature, which is discussed here first of all from a psychoanalytic angle, arguing that the infant’s first contact with the world is established through food intake. In addition, a scarce diet as part of child-rearing in the 19th century and the rationing system during World War II triggered the fantasy in children and adults alike. Accordingly, the medieval land of plenty found a new place in the imagination of the Victorian and post-war child. Apart from the predominant theme of the consuming child, this book also links the notion of cannibalism to the imagined cornucopia of food in children’s literature, which is a frequent motif in many children’s books up to the 21st century.
Franziska Burstyn studied English and Theatre Studies at the University of Leipzig and Roehampton University (UK). Her academic interests are centered on children’s and young adult literature, Shakespearean theatre, folklore culture and food in the context of literature.
