British Children’s Literature and Young Adult Fiction from Winnie the Pooh to Heartstopper

In this seminar, students will be introduced to key concepts in children’s literature and young adult fiction (YAF) and both learn about major genres of children’s literature (such as illustrated children’s literature and fantasy literature) and the treatment of inclusivity and LGBTQ* topics in YAF.

In each session there will be introductory input from the lecturer followed by in-depth engagement with the selected primary texts by the students. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that students obtain the selected texts and read them in advance of our sessions.

The primary and secondary reading for the first two sessions will be provided on OLAT, but beginning with session three, we will focus on the selected literary examples (and, in several cases, their adaptations into movies and a Netflix series, respectively).

Regarding primary texts, please obtain the following editions.

• Dahl, Roald. Matilda. London: Puffin Books, 2018. ISBN: 978 0 141 36546 6.
• Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. London: Vintage, 2004. ISBN-10: 0099470438.

• Jaigirdar, Adiba. The Henna Wars. London: Hodder Children’s Books, 2021. ISBN-10: 1444962205.
• Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh. London: Egmont, 2016. ISBN (Paperback): 978 1 4052 8131 7
• Oseman, Alice. Heartstopper. Volume 1. London: Hachette, 2019. ISBN: 978-1-4449-5138-7
• Travers, P. L. Mary Poppins. London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2018. ISBN: 978 0 00 728641 6.