Children's Stories and 'Child-Time' in the Works of Joseph Cornell and the Transatlantic Avant-Garde

Analisa Leppanen-Guerra teaches in the History of Art & Architecture Department at DePaul University, Chicago, USA. She specializes in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art and visual culture.

• Contents: Introduction; ABCs: the classroom; The Little Mermaid: the dancer; The Little Prince: the observatory; Alice in Wonderland: the wanderer; Through the Looking-Glass: the chess-game; Beauty and the Beast: the rite of passage; Sleeping Beauty: the museum; Conclusion; Postscript: 'fin du rêve'; Bibliography; Index.

Prize: Winner of a College Art Association Wyeth Foundation for American Art Publication Grant 'Various writers in the past have touched on Joseph Cornell’s fascination with childhood, and on play and toys as subjects in his work, but there has not yet been a study which deals with the subject head-on. This book is among the best in the rich literature on Cornell.' David Hopkins, University of Glasgow, UK '... this book would be of interest to those researching representations of childhood and children, as well as those considering adaptations of children’s literature. The text is also worth considering for its representations of gender identities... Leppanen-Guerra provides an amazingly detailed and interesting evaluation of Cornell’s work. She clearly situates him within the transatlantic avant-garde movement and highlights this artist’s fascinating perspective on childhood. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in adaptations of children’s literature, children in art, and representations of childhood, maturation, and gendered identities.' Children’s Literature Association Quarterly