What are the forms and functions of children’s scary entertainment? What is the role of monsters in young adults’ stories? Join us for a one-day research seminar on monsters and the uncanny in and around children’s literature and media. Everyone is welcome; no registration required. The seminar is sponsored by the Research Program for Literary Studies, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, and organized by Nina Christensen and Mathias Clasen.

Poster (PDF)

Program:

9:00-9:15:      Welcome and introduction

9:15-10:00:    Cat Lester, Warwick (UK): “’Viewer, Beware! You’re in for a Scare …’ Cyclic Structures and Uncanny Aesthetics in the Children’s Horror Anthology Series”                                   

10:00-10:45:  Susanne Ylönen, Jyväskylä (FI): “Sublated Death: Mastering Fear in Zombie Picture Books”           

11:00-11:45:  Stine Liv Johansen, AU: “Creepy and Disgusting: YouTube as a Site for Children’s Play with Everything Gross”              

11:45-12:30:  Helle Strandgaard Jensen, AU: “Horror Comics and Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Scary Stories on the Edge of Public Debates about Children’s Media Consumption 1945-1985”                   

13:30-14:15:  Mathias Clasen, AU: “Children, Monsters, and Horror: An Evolutionary Perspective”

14:15-15:00:  Michael Kamp, writer: “The Joy of Fright”

15:00-15:30:  Concluding discussion

Abstracts (PDF)