Maria Nikolajeva è una studiosa internazionale di primo piano, il cui focus principale è la teoria letteraria, con particolare attenzione alla letteratura per l'infanzia e al cognitivismo letterario. Il suo lavoro indaga le intricate modalità con cui la letteratura plasma la nostra comprensione e cognizione. Attraverso ampi contributi accademici e il suo impegno a livello globale, ha notevolmente avanzato lo studio della letteratura per l'infanzia e la sua più ampia rilevanza letteraria.
Focusing on characterization, the author explores the distinctions between story and discourse, analyzing their application in children's literature versus general fiction. By employing various critical perspectives, the book delves into how these narrative elements shape storytelling, offering insights into the unique techniques used in children's fiction.
Focusing on significant works from the eighteenth century to today, the author examines themes like genre, gender, and visual elements in children's literature. By analyzing these aspects, the book reveals how children's literature strives to balance its dual objectives of empowering and educating young readers.
Focusing on the art of characterization, the book explores the distinctions between story and discourse, emphasizing their unique applications in children's literature versus general fiction. Through diverse critical perspectives, it delves into how these elements shape narrative and character development, offering insights into the techniques that define storytelling in different genres.
Focusing on analytical approaches, this work equips students of children's literature with practical tools to explore aesthetic dimensions rather than educational ones. It presents contemporary literary theories, such as semiotics, hermeneutics, and feminist theory, tailored specifically for children's literature. Through concrete examples, the book demonstrates how these theories can be effectively applied, making complex concepts accessible for deeper literary analysis.
Originally published in 1996. A detailed analysis of the art of children's literature covering world literature for children, children's literature as a canonical art form, the history of children's literature from a semiotic perspective, and epic, polyphony, chronotope, intertextuality, and metafiction in children's literature.