Bad Seed: Monstrosity, Horror, and the Inhuman in Children’s Literature

Prof: Poulomi Saha

Course Description: From cannibalistic witches to sadistic parents to dystopian hellscapes, children’s literature is rife with terrifying figures and dark themes. This class will look at forms of monstrosity, deviance, and horror within a variety of texts that are so often figured as cute, sweet, or safe, and explore why it is that there is such pleasure in perversion.

Go here to see the course-description page on our website.

Meeting Dates:

3/2: Selection of Grimm Stories (see below for links)

• Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “Cinderella,”
• Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “Hansel and Gretel,”
• Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “Rumplestilsken,”
• Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Mermaid,”
• Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “Snow White,”

3/30: Roald Dahl selection

4/20: The Hunger Games