The formidable Kenneth Kidd explores the entwined history of children’s literature and psychoanalysis in Freud in Oz: At the Intersection of Psychoanalysis and Children’s Literature (Univ. of Minnesota, November). Essays include “Three Case Histories: Alice, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz,” “’Maurice Sendak and Picturebook Psychology,” and “T Is for Trauma: The Children’s Literature of Atrocity.” The book, with its extensive endnotes, thorough bibliography (The Horn Book makes a cameo), and well-organized index, is a psychoanalytic literary critic’s dream.
On a related note (sort of), I’m reading Out of Oz (Morrow, November), the last in Gregory Maguire’s cycle of adult books that began with Wicked. Has anyone psychoanalyzed those? Galinda and Elphaba: more than friends? Liir and Nor: mommy issues? Animals and animals: identity crisis? Master’s thesis, anyone?
About Elissa Gershowitz
Hah! You said it. One of the best things about writing about Oz is that no one there ever heard of Freud, or of complexes or syndromes or the Holy Trinity of Id, Ego, and SuperSoaker Ego. Much though I love to write, I find writing about contemporary adults hard, as I think they all know more about themselves, psychologically speaking, than I ever could.
Modern-day Rain’s therapy bills would be through the roof.
Elissa, thanks for the plug! And how very cool to be mentioned in the same space as Gregory Maguire! formidably yours (or not so much, really), Kenneth
thanks so much Elissa Gershowitz
seems great book for kids