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.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Peter Lang
ISBN-13
9783631614235
eBay Product ID (ePID)
116030438
Product Key Features
Author
Franziska Burstyn
Publication Name
The Myth of Cokaygne in Children's Literature: the Consuming and the Consumed Child
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Subject
Psychology
Publication Year
2011
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
122 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
210mm
Item Width
148mm
Volume
6
Item Weight
170g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Franziska Burstyn
Series Title
Alph: Arbeiten Zur Literarischen Phantastik / Alph: Approaches to Literary Phantasy