Consuming Agency in Fairy Tales, Childlore, and Folkliterature by Susan Honeyman
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Abstract
Readers will recognize some of the content in Consuming Agency in Fairy Tales, Childlore, and Folkliterature as a re-visitation of older works by Susan Honeyman, re-printed here as part of a more cohesive text. The book functions collectively as a statement about “the agency of young subjects through material relations” (5), or, how food is used to subjugate children. The socio-historical analysis and emphasis on the relationship between childhood and material objects (toys and food) in the fairy tales, lore, and literature presented in this book are restricted geographically to the United States. The discussion begins historically with the rise of consumer capitalism starting in the mid-19th century and continuing throughout the 20th century. With food as the thematic thread throughout the book, many of the chapters are playfully organized around a single tasty treat: gingerbread/honeycakes, candy, molasses, and spinach. According to Honeyman, these sweet temptations have a corrosive effect on young people’s agency as presented in the texts she analyzes, often favoring — and thus encouraging — children to adopt roles as objects, not subjects. Writing from the perspective of child-rights activism, Honeyman skillfully applies interdisciplinary methods to familiar texts (The Wizard of Oz and The Velveteen Rabbit, for example) in order to make a powerful argument about the manipulative nature of consumption for children.
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