Description
Book Synopsis What happens when the classroom and the fantastic meet? When lessons cover spells and potions alongside science and language arts? Through fantastic school stories--fiction involving the intersection of fantasy and school--the cycle of lessons, homework, exams, and graduation becomes new again, inviting us to consider what schools are teaching, who can be a student, and how knowledge is developed.
Introducing a new framework for analyzing texts in the fantastic school story subgenre, this book examines texts including the Harry Potter series, Lev Grossman''s Magicians trilogy, Terry Pratchett''s Discworld, and Patrick Rothfuss''s Kingkiller Chronicle, along with works by Jane Yolen, Nnedi Okorafor, and Tracy Deonn. This holistic framework combines the methods of fantasy literature scholarship, the focus of school story analyses, and an awareness of hidden lessons taught alongside official subjects, allowing for nuanced examinations of topics s
Trade Review
The exploration of the hidden curricula in the fantastic tales explored makes for an original combination of educational and literary analysis...particularly subtle and persuasive."—Elisabeth Gruner, professor of English and president of the Children's Literature Assocation (2021-2022)
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- List of Abbreviations viii
- Preface
- Introduction: A Framework for Analyzing Fantastic School Stories
- 1. Ordinary Wizarding Levels: High-Stakes Standardized Testing in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series
- 2. Not a Bent Penny More: Capital in Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle
- 3. Imperial Institutes: Portal Fantasies and Education in Lev Grossman's Magicians Trilogy
- 4. Nothing Exactly Like a Lesson: Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Terry Pratchett's "Tiffany Aching" Quintet
- Conclusion
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
