ERIC Number: EJ1215506
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0045-6713
EISSN: N/A
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda: Australian Picture Books (1999-2016) and the First World War
Kerby, Martin Charles; Baguley, Margaret Mary; MacDonald, Abbey
Children's Literature in Education, v50 n2 p91-109 Jun 2019
Over the past two decades children's picture books dealing with the Australian experience during the First World War have sought to balance a number of thematic imperatives. The increasingly sentimentalised construct of the Australian soldier as a victim of trauma, the challenge of providing a moral lesson that reflects both modern ideological assumptions and the historical record, and the traditional use of Australian war literature as an exercise in nation building have all exerted an influence on the literary output of a range of authors and illustrators. The number of publications over this period is proof of the enduring fascination with war as a topic as well as the widespread acceptance that this conflict has been profoundly significant in shaping Australian public and political culture and perceptions about national character and identity (Beaumont, 1995, p. xvii). As MacCallum-Stewart (2007, p. 177) argues, authors and illustrators must therefore balance notions of 'respect' for a national foundation myth with a 'pity of war' approach that reflects modern attitudes to conflict. Whatever their ideological commitment, many authors and illustrators respond to this challenge by adopting an approach that serves to indoctrinate readers into the Anzac tradition (Anzac refers to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps raised for war in 1914. It has become a generic term for Australian and New Zealand soldiers. The Anzac tradition established at Gallipoli, Australia's first major military campaign, has been traditionally viewed as the nation's founding moment.).
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Picture Books, War, World History, Trauma, Military Personnel, Conflict, Ideology, Authors, Nationalism
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A