Alison Laurie's Film 'Where The Wild Things Are'

English, Children’s Literary Essay.

In the debate regarding the didactic implications of Children’s literature and the worry it has caused adults, one must link the popularity and success of subversive literature to the argument. Alison Laurie, in her book ‘Don’t tell the grown ups’ says that the greatest works of juvenile literature are subversive and disregard the ideas and emotions generally approved or recognised at the time they were conceived. The typical subversive text blurs the lines of didacticism and entertainment, despite this; the message in even the most subversive of texts is often ethical in some way. The 2010 film ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ demonstrates the both subversion
Towards its end, the film becomes more moralistic than subversive. The metaphor of travel to and from the imaginary island in the makeshift vessel is significant to this statement. Following a dispute between Max and his mother, he runs away from home, howling and screaming that “It’s not my fault!”
After biting her. This scene itself is exceedingly subversive, but it isn’t until the music changes to a fast tempo and the camera switches viewpoints in time with the running of the protagonist that the children start to really get excited. The concept of running away from home seen as a fun adventure to innocent children viewing the film, which subverts any attitude modern society has on a healthy family. It would be typically assumed that the didactic implications of this scene might worry a parent watching it with their child, furthermore that the child doesn’t consequently develop any ‘bad
emphasized the importance of literacy and education for its youth. Major radical publishers had children's departments and heated debates over expectations and development of socialist character traits raged within parties and in radical newspapers.” http://www.marxists.org/subject/art/literature/children/index.htm

“"The children's book is one of the most powerful weapons of the socialist character-education of the growing generation". Nadezhada K. Krupskaya

Children in subversive texts are wise to the fact that the adult world is far from perfect. Child protagonists often create their own worlds--fantasylands--to be able to live how they want to live. The ones to trust in these worlds are your peers. Your peers are in the same boat you are, and have no power over you.
Another way books show they mistrust the adult world is by subverting "natural" laws adults seem to value. For instance, Jon Scieszka's Math Curse subverts adult knowledge by giving wrong answers to math problems. own decisions.

Alison laurie talks about subversive, blue page.