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Critical Plant Studies of Children’s Literature: A Review of Current Research Trends

Xuening Wang

Abstract


As an emerging trend, critical plant studies has gradually developed into a subfield of environmental humanities, which refers to
the related discussion in culture, literature, art, philosophy, etc. This kind of study also provides a unique perspective to analyze children’s literature, for the analogy and the soul-interconnection of the child and the plant. In children’s literature, plants often play diverse and dynamic
roles, interacting with child characters as they explore, enjoy, and mature spiritually through their experiences with nature. Besides, the ample
forms of plant representations in children’s literature, such as illustrations or picture books, feature critical plant study of children’s literature
study, making an impact in both ecocriticism and ecopedagogy. This paper aims to explore the roots and climb current research trends, as well
as identify potential gaps and future directions in this developing field. By doing so, it seeks to deal with the phenomenon of plant blindness
through the innocent views of children that reshape the ecological ethics and to realize the materiality and agency of plants in rich imagination, which extends the border of ecological literacy.

Keywords


Critical Plant studies; Children’s Literature; ecocriticism; Ecopedagogy

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/rcha.v3i3.7028

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