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The Wilderness Children: Arctic Adventures, Gender and Ecocultural Criticism

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Ecocritical Perspectives on Children's Texts and Cultures

Part of the book series: Critical Approaches to Children's Literature ((CRACL))

Abstract

Gurholt in this Chapter provides a gendered ecocultural and ecocritical analysis of the alluring notion of natural intimacy between “child and nature”. In children’s literature, as in Western culture at large, a link between male enculturation and explorations of wild landscapes is a firm trend. Applying a combined narrative/discourse methodology Gurholt examines the multifaceted ways in which a Norwegian television documentary Villmarksbarna (The Wilderness Children), awarded the most popular children’s show in 2015, narrates and conceptualizes the adventures of three sister protagonists in the “wilderness” surrounding their Arctic home. The analysis argues that the show contributes to redefining the place of women and girls in male-dominated nature adventure cultures, and offers girls and boys new identification models of both caring masculinities and adventurous femininities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Education, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway

    Kirsti Pedersen Gurholt

Authors
  1. Kirsti Pedersen Gurholt
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Correspondence to Kirsti Pedersen Gurholt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway

    Nina Goga

  2. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway

    Lykke Guanio-Uluru

  3. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway

    Bjørg Oddrun Hallås

  4. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway

    Aslaug Nyrnes

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Gurholt, K.P. (2018). The Wilderness Children: Arctic Adventures, Gender and Ecocultural Criticism. In: Goga, N., Guanio-Uluru, L., Hallås, B., Nyrnes, A. (eds) Ecocritical Perspectives on Children's Texts and Cultures. Critical Approaches to Children's Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90497-9_15

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