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Subtexts in children’s books

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講述綠色怪物密謀偷走聖誕的 "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"、小火車頭排除萬難上山去的 "The Little Engine that Could"... ... 這些經典兒童故事背後，竟有弦外之音？BBC一篇文章大膽假設，由Crystal 和 Kevin小心求證，或者會令爸爸媽媽們選擇床頭故事前多一重考慮：

 

Revisiting kids’ books in adulthood can yield all sorts of weird and wonderful subtexts, some more obvious than others. How could Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas be anything other than a parable of consumerism?

 

weird 奇怪的

(adjective 形容詞)

 

subtext 潛台詞

(noun 名詞)

 

例子：The subtext of Alice in Wonderland is actually very dark.

 

obvious 明顯的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子：It was obvious that she wanted attention when she cried so loud in public.

 

parable 寓言

(noun名詞)

 

例子：There are many parables in the bible that teach you to be a better person.

 

consumerism 消費主義

(noun名詞)

 

例子： Consumerism eats up many peoples salaries.

(compare) Hong Kong is a consumer society.  

 

Crystal’s Slang Time

The Little Engine That Could是經典兒童故事，論述小火車頭努力上山的經歷。Crystal 特別提到，故事中互相扶持的火車頭，無獨有偶都是女孩子，難道內有玄機？

You might know it as a story about trains that fosters can-do optimism, but it has also been taken as a you-go-girl feminist tale.

 

you-go-girl 去吧，加油！

► atta girl/ boy = interjection of encouragement

► career girl = a prostitute

 

兒童故事雖然簡單，但絕不等於缺乏深度。一些精美繪本更加正面處理死亡和傷痛等課題：

“This is a very simple story, but simplicity is not the same as a lack of depth. There are some exquisite picture books that tackle existential issues like death and sadness head on.”

 

exquisite 精美的；精緻的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子：Julie has exquisite taste in clothes.

 

existential 存在的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子： Some psychologists believe that fairytales help children deal with existential anxieties.

 

故事講完了，老師家長總愛如此總結：「這個故事教訓我們… …」但有專家分析，兒童故事的魅力，正正來自其隱藏訊息；說穿了反而不美：

 

The hidden nature of their messages is crucial to their magic. Explaining to a child what makes a story so captivating would ruin it. Its power to enchant depends to a considerable degree on the child’s not quite knowing why he is delighted by it.

 

crucial 至關重要的；關鍵的；決定性的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子： Safety is crucial to enjoying this adventurous activity.

 

captivating 吸引的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子：The actor is so captivating with his dreamy eyes and charming smile.

 

considerable 相當大的；相當多的；非常可觀的；相當重要的

(adjective形容詞)

 

例子： There is a considerable amount of information about the world that we do not know.

   
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