Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature
The Pitfalls and Potential. Book chapter review and discussion.
In a fun community discussion - we open up our discussion topics from the deeply scientific to the humanities. The VeterinaryPsy discussion topic for Sept 27th with focus on the Animals are Us collection and the topic of anthropomorphism in children’s literature.
Throughout this discussion group, we’ve focused on adult-based discussion of how animals and humans connect… how do adults connect with animals and what are adult ideas about animal cognition and their role in our society? Now we ask, what should we be aware of and bring into community discussion about the world that adults create for children via anthropomorphism - the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities.
Why do we tell stories to children through and about animals? Are there reasons why we shouldn’t?
This discussion centers around the exceptional collection Animals Are Us from the Solomon Collection at the Houghton Library Harvard University.
Check out this virtual walkthrough of the exhibit - view the Entire exhibit online.
For our discussion In particular, we’ll focus on The Pitfalls & Potentials of Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature (starting on Page 17). Flip through this beautiful virtual book and bring your thoughts and discussion ideas!
Register
Join our discussion group this Friday for a community think-tank session on this topic. See you there!
September 27th 4-6p MT
$15 USD (sliding scale available on payment page)
Animals Are Us was made possible by the generous donation of Peter J. Solomon and Susan Solomon of their outstanding collection of children's literature to Houghton Library.
Learn more about the Solomon collection in the accompanying exhibition catalog, available to read for free: https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37376075/
The exhibition invites you to engage critically with animal anthropomorphism and delight in the artfulness of this enduring literary genre.