"Trust them to Figure it Out"Toni Morrison's Books for Children

  1. López Ropero, María Lourdes
Revista:
Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos

ISSN: 0210-6124

Año de publicación: 2008

Volumen: 30

Número: 2

Páginas: 43-58

Tipo: Artículo

Otras publicaciones en: Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos

Resumen

Toni Morrison has joined the ranks of those writers whose work includes texts for both adults and children. This paper examines this less known side to Morrison's work in an attempt to define its characteristic features and its place within ethnic and African-American children's literature. The texts will be read in the light of the ideas of such thinkers as John Dewey and Martha Nussbaum, among others, who advocate a liberal model of education that fosters autonomy and critical thinking. Depictions of children in Morrison's adult fiction, for the author has shown a life-long interest in childhood, will also be engaged.