Pagan Themes in Modern Children's Fiction: Green Man, Shamanism, Earth Mysteries

by Peter Bramwell

Applying a range of critical approaches to works by authors including Susan Cooper, Catherine Fisher, Geraldine McCaughrean, Anthony Horowitz and Philip Pullman, this book looks at the formative and interrogative relationship between recent children's literature and fashionable but controversial aspects of modern Paganism.

Genres: Paganism, Nonfiction

235 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2009

Reviews

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only had time to read the one chapter so far before having to return it to the library, but i can say it is very much a librarians lit crit book. It does suggest many different titles to explore if you are looking for a certain theme you would like to read more of. On the subject of the green man, i will say it had some interesting points i didnt expect.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read one chapter of this book for my MA dissertation and have nearly bought it on the back of that despite it being £67! Thank goodness I didn’t! Basically the chapter I read, Herne the Hunter and the Green Man, was the best one.

Unfortunately I think the premise of the book makes for rather depressing reading. It feels as though the author was interested in Herne and the Green man but needed to write more. I felt he pulled apart Paganism, by missing much of the point. Shamanism he was very respectful of but didn’t seem to understand ‘connection’, as in their are many different Shamanic practices throughout the world, which to my mind connects the world. Witchcraft and Earth Mysteries had all the mystery taken from them.

Children’s fiction has always been (for me) a treasure trove of wonderful ideas and stories to get lost in. Personally I believe they are not necessarily meant to to be logical or fit preconceived ideas, they are meant to transport the reader into something magical where anything can happen.

The next best thing is the Reference section, a resource for Pagan Themed reading both Children’s and Adult non-fiction.

[Sem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly burdened with theory and showing evidence of having begun life as a dissertation. If I weren't a stolid reader of literary criticism I'd have grown impatient with the author's continual reiteration of themes and the tiresome summaries -- at the beginnings and ends of chapters and often in the middles as well -- of what he was about to say or had said. However, a useful guide to the subject and avoids the more obvious pitfalls.

[Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given me a very long list of other books to read.