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FINAL Current Developments at the Intersection of British Children ONLINE VERSION
in English
. Internationale Studien zu Literatur, Musik und Theater/ International Studies in Literature, Music and Theatre. Vol. 3. Kamen, Vilnius, Thessaloniki et al.: Karthause-Schmülling, 2000, pp. 90-116, p. 90. 43 Cf. Wall, The Narrator’s Voice, pp. 22, 36. 217 6.4 Crossover literature Together with allalderslitteratur, single and dual address, crossover literature belongs to the current styles employed in British fantasy novels for children. A direct result from the blurring and even dissolving of borders in modern society, crossover literature reflects the current developments and changes in the genre. As securities, constants such as fixed parameters blur or disappear and are no longer reliable, insecurity and disorientation increase not only in reality but also in literature, which digests reality. Whereas such a marked lack of reliability usually causes uneasiness, crossover literature profits from the new openness on account of an increased permeability, transparency and curtness of borders. This way, crossover literature has access to the entire spectrum of genres, styles and subjects without having to having to make allowances for congruencies. Specific affiliations and features can be united and combined – a fact which intact and impermeable borders would not have permitted easily. However, despite the fact that all genres are open to crossover literature and it can mix them at will, the single elements can still be traced back to their respective origin. Once this is no longer possible, crossover literature may even form new, open categories. It remains to be seen whether those categories will be classed as genres or whether the concept of the genre will eventually peter out. 44 Therefore, at present and for the time being crossover literature can be defined as exactly that: A cross, i.e. mix, of various genres, styles and contents, according to the respective aim and intention of the author on the one side and the demands of the reader on the other. 45 Not only does crossover literature bridge the gap between adult and children’s literature 46 but also between genres. By definition, crossover literature makes a point of combining that which so far has been set apart, as in the case of literature for adults and that for children. With the combination of established, typical elements of literature for children (child protagonist, process of learning, maturation and initiation, the establishing of an individual social network and one’s place in it etc.) and adult demands and expectations of complexity, intertextuality and depth, crossover literature manages to link both. 44 Where this development leads exactly and whether the single elements will or should be able to be recognisable at an advanced stage of crossover will have to be examined by future studies. 45 The demands and expectations on the part of the reader belong to the field of reader-response criticism, where an analysis in respect to crossover literature in British children’s fantasy would provide interesting new aspects and approaches. 46 Petzold in: Bimberg, Perspektiven der englischsprachigen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, p. 90. 218 In Perspektiven der englischsprachigen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur Petzold acknowledges the phenomenon of crossover literature and traces it back to a shift of interest in the discussion. 47 According to him, the main objective is no longer to achieve exact definitions as it used to be the case in the past. Nowadays, he notes that in literature in general the main focus has shifted away from the result, i.e. the problem of definition, towards the cause, i.e. the reasons for the difficulty of definition. 48 Under the new viewpoint of hybridity and liberalism, crossover literature fits in well with the topical general globalisation. The dissolving of strict demarcations between literature for children and literature for adults does not necessarily mean that children’s literature itself disintegrates and becomes one with adult literature. 49 This is only one possibility. Crossover literature playfully tests the waters by introducing adult criteria and topics and adapting them to plots and characters of interest to children. This way, the spectrum of children’s literature is broadened by subjects such as environmentalist concerns, politics or philosophy. As far as crossover literature is concerned, Petzold states that the term cross-writing tends to be used according to Ewers’ definition of the “doppelsinnigen Kinderbuch” or Wall’s definition of dual address. He claims that sometimes cross-writing is used as an umbrella term for the various ways and forms writing across genre and convention borders can take. 50 Crossover literature being the result of cross-writing, albeit not a new but a strong current trend in British fantasy novels for children, it has become an important feature. Especially in children’s fantasy crossing borders is becoming more and more natural and establishes itself as an accepted way of varying the genre and its parameters. The more frequently fantasy literature crosses once-established borders, the easier it gets to shrug off limitations of its readership. By definition fantasy actually encourages liberalism more than other genres, as its core consists of imagination and play with possibilities. With its conscious, playful mix of form and content of many different genres, Rowling’s Harry Potter series is exemplary for this development of border crossing in literature. As umbrella terms, cross-writing and crossover literature are interpreted individually by authors and critics in respect to how far the crossing may go. Whereas in this study, the term crossover literature encompasses both reader 47 Ibd., p. 91. 48 Ibd., p. 91. 49 The thesis of a possible end of children’s literature through its merging with adult literature can for example be found in Nikolajeva, Children’s Literature Comes of Age and Griswold in: Beckett (Ed.) Reflections of Change, pp. 35-42. 50 Petzold in: Bimberg, Perspektiven der englischsprachigen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur, pp. 93-94. 219 address and genre borders, Kümmerling-Meibauer’s definition focuses on reader address. 51 Centering on canon and canonisation, she makes an interesting discovery when she notes that cross-writing influences canonisation. Depending on the publisher, a novel can be published for children and adults, as is the case with the Harry Potter novels, which are available in an adult edition, or a novel which changes target group when translated into a foreign language, as Kümmerling-Meibauer found to be the case with Jostein Gaarders Sophie’s World. (1991) In Norway, the novel was published as a book for children. 52 These practices of crosswriting, intended by the author or unintended if carried out by a third party such as the translator or the publisher, can thus entail a strong influence on the canonisation of the respective works. According to Kümmerling-Meibauer, three scenarios are possible. Firstly, the author is canonised in either children’s or adult literature only. Secondly, he can be marginalised in both, or thirdly, he can be canonised in both. 53 In the light of the aspect of canonisation, the importance and implications of crossover literature become apparent. As we have seen, this phenomenon of crossing and even dissolving borders is not just limited to literature but, as a contemporary trend of the late 20 th and early 21 st century, comprises many aspects of life, be it fashion, music, art, media etc. Future British fantasy novels for children will demonstrate how far the crossing of borders can be pushed. However, it seems unlikely that crossover literature will remain a temporary trend, since its potential is far too big. Eventually, even an entirely new genre may develop from this. Download 1.22 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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