Guides: Archives & Special Collections Exhibits: Indoctrination vs Agency: Horror in Children's Literature (Fall 2023-Present)

Indoctrination vs Agency: Horror in Children's Literature

Date of Exhibition: Fall 2023-Present

Curator: Julia Hodges (third-year undergraduate Archives Student Worker) and Hebah Uddin (PhD student in Children’s Literature and 2023-24 Graduate Student Assistant)

Location: Archives & Special Collections exhibit gallery, 3rd floor Hillman Library, University of Pittsburgh 3960 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Description: Children’s fascination with the dark and what dwells within it is enduring, as are the attempts of their adult counterparts to influence, suppress, or merely understand this desire for self-expression through the weird and macabre. This exhibit explores the journey from horror as a tool of religious and moral indoctrination to a source of children’s agency and exploration through a closer look at materials, both classic and modern, from the Horror Studies Collection and Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection in the University of Pittsburgh Library System’s Archives and Special Collections.

Little Goody Two Shoes. Astral Shift and Square Enix, 2023 (reproductions)

Grimm's Grimmest by Maria Tatar (Introduction by); Tracy Arah Dockray (Illustrator)
ISBN: 0811816753
Publication Date: 1997-09-01
Murder, kidnapping, cruel punishment, and violent revenge -- these are not the bedtime stories mummy used to read.Grimm's Grimmest presents nineteen of the original, unsanitized, unholy tales as they were first collected by the Brothers Grimm -- all fiendishly illustrated in full color.Grimm's Grimmest has the irresistible look and feel of a creaky old leatherbound volume, perhaps discovered in a forgotten trunk or dusty attic. With aged paper and a leathery stamped case, this delightfully shocking collection harkens back to a time when travelers risked roasting or worse and bad manners could yield frightful consequences. From the true horror of Aschenputtel (the original Cinderella story) to Rapunzel's dark secret, here are the authentic stories born long ago in the land of the Black Forest, at a time when fairy tales were not necessarily for children.
History of Blue Beard by Fortey, W. S. (William Samuel), publisher
Publication Date: between 1860 and 1885?
8 pages : illustrations ; 14 cm
The story of the cruel Bluebeard and his many wives. by Wood, J. T. (Joseph Thomas), -1874, publisher.
Publication Date: approximately 1850?
4 leaves : color illustrations ; 23 cm
The children in the wood : a tale for the nursery by Elliott, Mary
Publication Date: 1822
35, [1] pages, [5] leaves of plates (1 folded) : illustrations ; 15 cm
Frankenstein by Sam Ita
ISBN: 9781402758652
Publication Date: 2010-09-07
With its riveting blend of horror and science fiction, Frankenstein has gripped the public’s imagination since its publication in 1818. Now Sam Ita, the genius of paper engineering and art, transforms Mary Shelley’s tragic masterpiece into an unforgettable, stunning, and accessible pop-up book. For the third time, Ita--who created the magnificent Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea pop-ups--successfully captures the rich, dark drama of his source through amazing images. The entire story unfolds almost cinematically, in a potent mix of graphic novel panels and spectacular three-dimensional designs. The gothic building where Dr. Frankenstein carries out his sinister experiment rises high on the pa≥ a scaffold, complete with a rope noose, emerges threateningly; and the misunderstood, rageful monster looms large and menacing, ready to destroy all in his path. This is pure visual magic, and a wonderful way to experience a classic.
Goody Two Shoes by Very, Lydia L. A. (Lydia Louisa Anna)
Publication Date: 1865
[16] p. : col. ill. ; 18 x 7 cm.
Goody Two Shoes : or, the history of little Margery Meanwell, in rhyme. by Goldsmith, Oliver
Publication Date: 1825
vii, [1]-117, [2] p. : ill. ; 14 cm
Coraline by Neil Gaiman; Dave McKean (Illustrator)
ISBN: 0380977788
Publication Date: 2002-07-02
New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman's modern classic, Coraline--also an Academy Award-nominated film "Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house...." When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is a can't-miss classic that enthralls readers age 8 to 12 but also adults who enjoy a perfect smart spooky read.