Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-196) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: A Framework for Analyzing Fantastic School Stories -- Ordinary Wizarding Levels: High-Stakes Standardized Testing in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series -- Not a Bent Penny More: Capital in Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle -- Imperial Institutes: Portal Fantasies and Education in Lev Grossman's Magicians Trilogy -- Nothing Exactly Like a Lesson: Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Terry Pratchett's 'Tiffany Aching' Quintet -- Conclusion.
Summary:
"What happens when the classroom and the fantastic meet? When lessons cover spells and potions alongside science and language arts? Through fantastic school stories--works of fiction involving the intersection of fantasy and school--the familiar 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, holistic 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 such as standardized testing, apprenticeships, and access to education"-- Provided by publisher.
Series:
Critical explorations in science fiction and fantasy ; 85
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.