Power, Voice and Subjectivity in Literature for Young Readers (review)

Some years ago, a Ph.D. candidate whose thesis I had examined let me know that I was "the pedantic one" among her examiners. I mention this because I am about to launch into what some might construe as unnecessary pedantic musings. Maria Nikolajeva's Power, Voice and Subjectivity for Young Readers is, like all of the author's books, an important addition to children's literature criticism, and deserves close attention on the part of everyone responsible for bringing her work to the public. Nikolajeva's approach to textuality demonstrates her masterful control of narratological criticism. Yet Power, Voice and Subjectivity has been badly served by the editing and copy-editing process, not unlike another Routledge book I reviewed in recent months. Both Routledge titles (which are to some extent representative of much that we see published these days) demonstrate intellectual rigor, yet are weakened by inattentive proofreading and lax standards of linguistic expression. Every book or article contains slips of one kind and another, but when slips multiply, the result is either to dull our sense of the accuracy and cogency of prose style or to weaken the writer's overall presentation, including his or her argument. If such weakening undermines Power, Voice and Subjectivity, this would be unfortunate; Nikolajeva here, as in her work generally, is a perspicacious reader of texts and a provocative purveyor of theory. She is, quite simply, a major voice in Children's Literature Studies.

Any author's book is, to some extent, a collaborative exercise, and when this collaboration works poorly, the result can adversely reflect on the scholarly area generally. We have come a long way in securing the acceptance of Children's Literature Studies in the academy, but the effort to maintain and even further the reputation of these studies is ongoing. Publishers ought to show their pride in a work such as the one before us by providing careful editorial collaboration. Nevertheless, I—in rather pedantic fashion—was able to compile an extensive list of typos and lacunae including errors in subject-verb agreement, comma faults, shaky idioms, missing punctuation, missing words, and misspellings.

My list takes into account only aspects of the writing that a careful copyeditor ought to notice. Other aspects of the writing such as an abundance of passive verbs, questionable syntax, or matters of word choice pertain to style and might register with readers one way or another. For instance, take the following two sentences: "The examples already discussed clearly reflect the view on the child and childhood prevalent in their respective time and culture, as well as practiced by their respective authors. All confirm adult power, even though some are slightly subversive" (178). Passive verbs vitiate the first of these sentences, and the strict logic of the syntax states that "the view" of the child and childhood is "practiced by their" authors. Idiomatically, we rarely "practice" a view, although we may express one. More to the point is the fact that "view" is singular and "their" is plural, making its referent less than clear; does it refer to "view" or to "child and childhood"? If the latter, then something has gone askew in the sentence; if the former, then noun and pronoun do not agree. Then we have the second sentence. This one contains a sleight of hand in that the subordinate clause in the predicate undermines the absolute nature of the sentence's subject. My scrutiny of the sentences here, like my assertion that ungraceful prose inhibits the communication of ideas, may or may not strike all readers as fair. But at the very least we should be vigilant about matters of grammar, clarity, and accuracy.

As I indicate at the outset, Nikolajeva is a provocative reader and theorist. In this book, her overarching theme is power, and the unequal power dynamic inherent in writing for children, writing that more often than not derives from adults who are in a position of power vis-à-vis their readers. Several of the...