Picturebook can easily be defined as book for children made of simple and light content. However, Deborah(2003) suggests that postmodernism has had influence on picturebook, a genre of modern children literature, so unique narration structure used in ...
Picturebook can easily be defined as book for children made of simple and light content. However, Deborah(2003) suggests that postmodernism has had influence on picturebook, a genre of modern children literature, so unique narration structure used in adult literature was adopted to picturebooks. Therefore, this study tried to observe how 30 2nd grade elementary school students and 30 4th grade elementary school students living in Incheon understand and respond to the picturebook with metafictive devices. Chosen picturebooks are 「The Three Pigs」by David Wiesner and 「Bad day at Riverbend」by Chris Van Allsberg, and how children respond to the metafictive devices in these pieces was observed.
The following are the questions to this research. 1. What is the age difference in terms of children response for metafictive devices in 「The Three Pigs」?
1-1. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative characters’ in 「The Three Pigs」?
1-2. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative plot’ in 「The Three Pigs」?
1-3. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative setting’’ in 「The Three Pigs」?
1-4. What is the age difference in terms of children response for changes of characters’ outer appearances in 「The Three Pigs」?
1-5. What is the age difference in terms of children response for word balloons in 「The Three Pigs」?
2. What is the age difference in terms of children response for metafictive devices in 「Bad day at Riverbend」?
2-1. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative characters’ in 「Bad day at Riverbend」?
2-2. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative plot’ in 「Bad day at Riverbend」?
2-3. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘indeterminacy in written or illustrative setting’ in 「Bad day at Riverbend」?
2-4. What is the age difference in terms of children response for ‘change of viewpoint’ in 「Bad day at Riverbend」?
As a result of this study, significance of this study are as following.
First, this study studied the response of children to picturebook applied with ‘metafiction’, one of novel techniques used in adult literature. It is significant that I studied how children respond to parts that writings and drawings did not explain accurately while studying picturebooks with metafictive devices in the picturebook.
Second, it is significant that this study provides basic data of educational methods for metafictive picturebook by studying metafictive characteristics and fundamental factors such as character, plot, and setting, which are constituents of literature.
I suggest what must be considered in following researches as well as limits to this study.
First, age difference in terms of children response for metafictive picturebook varies depending on the question, and some without any difference at all due to the fact that the age difference for other and wrong responses from age 7 and 9 to metafictive picture is similar. I believe this is because both age 7 and 9 did not fully understand metafictive picturebook. Metafictive devices can be read with understanding by children only with diverse and full knowledge in advance. In case of ‘intertextuality’or ‘parody’ among metafictive devices, it is hard to understand and read the details accurately without any pre-knowledge for original stories. There was some difference according to age in current research, but studies need to be made according to the level of children’ understanding that differ by pre-knowledge of children accumulated by the amount of reading they do, which are one of the differences of knowledge.
Second, both of picturebooks used as research took in this study were published in English-native countries. As a result of asking question advance in terms of stories 「Hey Diddle Diddle」and 「Saint George and Dragon」within 「The Three Pigs」, there were hardly any children who knew those stories. I think that if they were stories well known and familiar to us, children’responses for metafictive devices might differ. Although today’s researches are made with responses of Korean children, more studies need to be made by comparing the responses of children from other cultures who are familiar with stories such as 「Hey Diddle Diddle」or 「Saint George and Dragon」.
Third, this research studied two picturebooks, 「The Three Pigs」and 「Bad day at Riverbend」, but children’ responses using diverse picturebooks that are published today will have to be studied in the future.