Cognitive Literary Analysis of Neil Gaiman's Gothic Children’s Novels

• Název práce v češtině: Kognitivně literární analýza gotického dětského románu Neila Gaimana
• Název v anglickém jazyce: Cognitive Literary Analysis of Neil Gaiman's Gothic Children’s Novels
• Klíčová slova: Dětská literatura|Gotická literatura|Kognitivně literární kritika|Kognitivní věda|Vývojová psychologie|Neil Gaiman
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Children’s literature|Gothic literature|Cognitive literary criticism|Cognitive poetics|Cognitive science|Development psychology|Neil Gaiman
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2020/2021
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Mgr. Helena Znojemská, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 29.06.2021
• Datum zadání: 29.06.2021
• Schválení administrátorem: zatím neschvalováno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 22.07.2021
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 07.09.2022 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 10.08.2022
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 07.09.2022
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: Mgr. Kamila Urban, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

A cognitive approach to children’s literature may allow us to view the text not as a means of single-directional transmission, whether didactic or aesthetic, but rather an active, multifaceted interaction between a sensitive reader and a text constructed to maximise their engagement,[1]suggesting that it is not primarily the epistemic value of the text, but the specific stage of the reader’s cognitive development which determines their engagement with the text, enhances their understanding of fictionality, and helps to stimulate their attention, imagination, memory, and other aspects of cognitive activity.[2]As a result, such approach may allow for an approximate estimation not only of the manner in which the reader, limited by their level of cognitive, social, and emotional development, interacts with the text but also the extent of their subsequent ability to internalize this knowledge and utilize it in real-life situations.
The proposed thesis is going argue for the positive psychological impact of three of N. Gaiman’s works of Gothic fiction targeted at children, Coraline (2002), The Wolves in the Walls (2003), and The Graveyard Book (2008), on three selected areas that characterize the qualitative and quantitative mental development during the school-age (i.e., 6-12 years); an increasingly realistic sense of the self, accompanied by a growing need for autonomy, the resulting “separation” anxiety, and a general improvement in cognitive and metacognitive skills. Of primary concern to the thesis will be the age group between six and twelve years, for practical reasons limited solely to neurocognitively normatively functioning children of the Western cultural context.
As the foundation for the assessment of the reader’s cognitive abilities, the thesis is going to rely on the information supplied by the current research in cognitive science as well as developmental and children’s psychology, primarily the theories based on the work of J. Piaget, E. Erikson, F. Kohlberg, L. Vygotskij, P. Baltes as well as social (cognitive) learning theories, especially that of A. Bandura and his followers, and others. As demonstrated by Bandura’s research on observational learning, it is not only direct involvement, but also vicarious observation which may serve as an event of social learning.[3]Social modelling and identificatory learning represent a prominent factor in the acquisition of basic pro-social skills, moral development, the adoption of gender roles, the development of language skills, and many others. Furthermore, drawing onto the information presented by cognitive science, primarily the mirror-neuron theory, the text interpretation theory of Keene and Zimmerman, and the schema theory of F. Barlett, the thesis is going to consider the immersion into a fictional world as an experience that operates not only on the conscious level but may indirectly (even subconsciously) act as a social, emotional, cognitive or somatic event.[4]Accordingly, the thesis is going argue for the role of deep cognitive and emotional engagement with age-appropriate fiction as highly beneficial for the healthy development of cognitive, metacognitive, and social skills of the child reader.
As a result, the proposed psychological benefit of Gaiman’s fiction is largely defined by his ability to portray themes the school-age child is developmentary predisposed to be concerned with, in an age-appropriate manner. Compared to fiction focused directly and exclusively on realistic social scenarios, not only does the ‘strangeness’ of fantasy fiction offer a more cognitively challenging reader experience, stimulating to the cognitive and metacognitive skills of the reader, but it also helps to develop and refine social skills and empathy, allowing the reader to observe fictional characters of similar age and life circumstances in situations otherwise sparsely available due to the reader’s limited social reach and experience. The structure of the thesis is going to follow the three main areas of development outlined above, focusing on the manner in which Gaiman addresses them, offering validation to the reader's feelings and anxieties as well as a comparison with the experience of their peers and authority figures, and suggesting effective coping strategies.
The first chapter of the main argument is going to focus on the development of an increasingly realistic sense of the self – further development of relatedness and realistic self-definition, the conflict of industry vs. inferiority as defined by Erikson, the gradual shift from external to internal motivation, as well as the role of the parent and the peer collective in this process. The second part is going to discuss the sense of hesitation and anxiety which inevitably accompanies the process, focusing on fear of failure and abandonment, as well as the transition to a more refined stage of moral development as defined by Kohlberg. The third part will conclude with a discussion of the significant development of cognitive and metacognitive skills, including Gaiman's discussion of emotionally and cognitively challenging themes such as the supernatural, family relationships, moral ambiguity but also violence, death, and the possibility of an afterlife.
[1]Maria Nikolajeva, Reading for Learning; Cognitive Approaches to Children’s Literature. (Philadelphia: John Benjamin’s Publishing Company, 2014), pp. 13 All future references are to this edition.
[2]Nikolajeva, Reading for Learning; Cognitive Approaches to Children’s Literature, pp. 17
[3]Albert Bandura, Social Foundations of Thought and Action (Upper Seddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1986)
[4]Lindsey MacGillivray, “I Feel Your Pain: Mirror Neurons and Empathy,” Health Psychology, Volume 6. No. 1, (2009) pp.16-17.

Seznam odborné literatury

Primární:
Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. London: Bloomsbury, 2012.
Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.
Gaiman, Neil. The Wolves in the Walls. Illustrated by Dave McKean. NY: HarperCollins; 2005.

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