New Book: The Gothic Fairy Tale in Young Adult Literature: Essays on Stories from Grimm to Gaiman

The Gothic Fairy Tale in Young Adult Literature: Essays on Stories from Grimm to Gaiman by Joseph Abbruscato (Author, Editor), Tanya Jones (Author, Editor) was released a few days ago by McFarland. I haven't seen a copy yet, but I always appreciate a book that has an essay on Robin McKinley's Deerskin. And I don't think I've ever seen an essay on Merrie Haskell's The Princess Curse. Then there's Neil Gaiman, Holly Black and more, too. Score!


Book description:

Rooted in the oral traditions of cultures worldwide, fairy tales have long played an integral part in children’s upbringing. Filled with gothic and fantastical elements like monsters, dragons, evil step-parents and fairy godmothers, fairy tales remain important tools for teaching children about themselves, and the dangers and joys of the world around them.

In this collection of new essays, literary scholars examine gothic elements in more recent entries into the fairy tale genre—for instance, David Almond’s Skellig, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and Coraline and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events—exploring such themes as surviving incest, and the capture and consumption of children. Although children’s literature has seen an increase in reality-based stories that allow children no room for escape from their everyday lives, these essays demonstrate the continuing importance of fairy tales in helping them live well-rounded lives.

About the Authors

High school English teacher Joe Abbruscato specializes in the study of young adult literature, fairy tales and mythologies, within his research interests in comic books, pop culture, and science fiction. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona Tanya Jones, of Charlotte, North Carolina, has written for multiple academic collections in the areas of fantasy, Gothicism and pop culture.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The State of Modern Fairy Tales (Joseph Abbruscato) 1

"Something like you, something like a beast": Gothic Convention and Fairy Tale Elements in David Almond’s Skellig (Carys Crossen) 11

"Baby and I were baked in a pie": Cannibalism and the Consumption of Children in Young Adult Literature (Tanya Jones) 30

Orson Scott Card’s Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet): Authoring Home in Fairyland (Erin Wyble Newcomb) 47

Being Nobody: Identity in Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (Joseph Abbruscato) 66

"She would not think of it": Surviving Incest in Robin McKinley’s Deerskin (Sarah R. Wakefield) 83

"Transform, and twist, and change": Deconstructing Coraline (Lisa K. Perdigao) 102

"Comparatively innocent": The Terrible Search for Nobility in A Series of Unfortunate Events (Tim Sadenwasser) 123

Earning the Right to Wear Midnight: Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching (Eileen Donaldson) 145

"Monstrosity will be called for": Holly Black’s and Melissa Marr’s Urban Gothic Fairy Tale Heroines (Rhonda Nicol) 165

Reading in the Dark: Narrative Reframing in the Unheimlich Underworld of Merrie Haskell’s The Princess Curse (Carissa Turner Smith) 181

About the Contributors 201

Index 203