Abstract
The paper discusses the children’s novel Gaffer Samson’s Luck (1984), by Jill Paton Walsh, from three different perspectives; those of a cultural geographer, a literary scholar and an English teacher. It is part of a larger research project on children’s perception of their place-related identities through reading and writing. The novel is used as a case study to develop a multidisciplinary approach, drawing upon theories of literature and reading, and a conceptualisation of space in cultural geography. Employing ideas from different disciplines, the paper offers an original interpretation of the text as well as innovative analytical tools for future research and for classroom application.
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Notes
Here and in all quotations from students’ work, spelling and punctuation has been adjusted for ease of reading. Names have been changed to preserve anonymity. All references to students’ comments are taken from Cliff Hodges (1990).
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Gabrielle Cliff Hodges is a Senior Lecturer in Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
Maria Nikolajeva is a Professor of Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
Liz Taylor is a Lecturer in Geography Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
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Cliff Hodges, G., Nikolajeva, M. & Taylor, L. Three Walks Through Fictional Fens: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Gaffer Samson’s Luck . Child Lit Educ 41, 189–206 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-010-9109-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-010-9109-9