American Frontier Myths
Some of you may be familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books. These mostly biographical stories tell of the author’s childhood and her family’s journey from Wisconsin to various parts of the West during a period of covered wagons and homesteading. These books have had an enormous cultural impact.
For a sense of some of the ways that these books have their own culture, you may wish to take a look at this site which also includes links to some of the historical and recreated sites from the book.
Like Anne of Green Gables, these books featured a strong heroine. They were also made into a long-running successful television series.
Read
Fellman, Anita Clair. “Introduction” from Little House, Long Shadow : Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Impact on American Culture, University of Missouri Press, 2008.
Nostalgic Uproar
In 2018, the American Library Association renamed one of its most prestigious awards for children’s literature. For years it had been the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Here is the New York Times article about it which details some of the ALA’s reasoning as well as the outcry about it.
There are similarities with the recent uproar about a handful of Dr. Seuss books no longer being published caused uproar, discussions, and opinions. Many of these reactions are clearly underpinned by intense nostalgia for these books.
Were you familiar with the Little House on the Prairie books? What are your thoughts about the arguments that are being made throughout this introductory material by Anita Fellmann?
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