Review: Lying, Truthtelling, and Storytelling in Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Telling It Slant
In lieu of an abstract: Anita Tarr’s monograph, Lying, Truthtelling, and Storytelling in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, addresses how the portrayal of liars and lying in children’s and young adult literature reflects the relationship between language, storytelling, and lying. Tarr claims tha...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Fincham Press
2024-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Young Adult Literature |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ijyal.ac.uk/articles/10.24877/IJYAL.185 |
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| Summary: | In lieu of an abstract: Anita Tarr’s monograph, Lying, Truthtelling, and Storytelling in Children’s and Young Adult Literature, addresses how the portrayal of liars and lying in children’s and young adult literature reflects the relationship between language, storytelling, and lying. Tarr claims that “language itself […] is more conducive to lying than to truthtelling” (2) and argues that fiction should not be considered a medium that fabricates tales for the readers’ enjoyment. Furthermore, Tarr does not just elucidate what depictions of lying look like but demonstrates, through reading different kinds of fiction, how telling stories is one form of “slanted” truthtelling. Through her reading of Aesop’s Fables, the 1949 film The Windows, and The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), Tarr establishes in the Introduction how children’s practice of storytelling is not only about reporting truths objectively but also employing a certain degree of embellishment to capture the audience’s attention. Using Emily Dickinson’s phrase to “tell it slant” (1), Tarr argues that this skill of embellished storytelling comes from a practice of lying and twisting facts to suit the purpose of good storytelling. |
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| ISSN: | 2634-5277 |