«Pagine giovani», a biannual scientific journal on children’s and youth literature in the Area 11 (Historical,Philosophical, Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences), founded in 1977 and currently published by Edizioni Anicia, has scheduled for n. 2/2025 (July–December) a special issue dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen on the 150th anniversary of his death, entitled:
Andersen, prince of children's literature. The man, the writer, the work.
Pedagogical revisitation of the Eventyr og Historier.
An exceptional and original writer, capable both of creating entirely new literary works and reinterpreting folk tales by elevating them through artistic mastery, Hans Christian Andersen is widely recognized as the “prince of children's writers”, as defined by the renowned scholar Paul Hazard. However, while his fairy tales and stories have secured his artistic legacy and a prominent place in the history of children's literature, they present challenges for educators, as they can be complex and contradictory—much like the personality of their author.
Given their complexity, a pedagogical reevaluation of Andersen’s Novelles is therefore timely, focusing on their relevance today and the ways in which certain aspects may have evolved in meaning over time. Such a critical examination takes into account advances in psychological, educational and sociological research and responds to contemporary educational concerns. One of the ongoing debates is whether all of Andersen’s stories are truly suitable for children or whether some require careful selection, excluding those that lack a traditional happy ending, those with an overwhelmingly melancholic tone, or those deeply layered with symbolic and allegorical meaning.
The Call for Papers also invites scholars to explore, from an interdisciplinary perspective, other aspects of Andersen’s work and personality, as well as his overall contribution to children's literature.
The following are some possible research themes and areas that could be explored in contributions to this Call for Papers
- Andersen: his personality and work.
- A critical and bibliographical review of national and international studies
- Language and literary style
- The animation of objects
- A comparative analysis of Eventyr og Historier, Perrault’s Contes de Ma Mère l'Oye, and the Brothers Grimm’s Kinder-und Hausmärchen
- A pedagogical Reinterpretation of Andersen’s Novelles
- Andersen’s fairy tales drawn from nordic folklore: pedagogical considerations
- An ongoing debate: are all of Andersen’s Novelles appropriate for children?
- A critical selection of Andersen’s Novelles, applying psychologically-grounded and axiologically-oriented criteria
- Implicit lessons.
- Human and civic values.
- Andersen and the epic of the humble.
- The celebration of love and sacrificial devotion.
- Andersen’s Novelles as a resource against prejudices and stereotypes.
- Relevance of Andersen’s Novelles to contemporary educational issues.
- Childhood in Andersen’s Novelles.
- Representation of women.
- Disability and representation of diversity.
- Representation of old Age.
- Death.
- Film and animated adaptations of Andersen’s Novelles.
- A passion for theatre.
- Andersen’s global legacy.
Interested contributors are invited to submit an abstract of approximately 1,000 characters (including spaces) in Italian or English, including a short biography and a selected bibliography, to the journal’s editorial coordinator at: claudiacamicia@libero.it by no later than March 1, 2025.
Submitted proposals will be evaluated through a review process and the results will be communicated by March 15, 2025.
Full articles, written in either Italian or English (ranging from 30,000 to 35,000 characters, including spaces), should include an abstract in both Italian and English, as well as any relevant illustrations, and should be submitted by May 31, 2025. All submissions will be subject to a double-blind peer review process. The expected publication date is September 2025.
(Quelle: Aussendung)