Animals Are Us: Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature; Celebrating the Peter J. Solomon Collection
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Animals Are Us: Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature; Celebrating the Peter J. Solomon Collection

Why do we tell stories to children through and about animals? Are there reasons why we shouldn’t? Animals Are Us invites explores these questions and more through influential historic examples of anthropomorphism in dialogue with contemporary books drawn from the collection of Peter J. Solomon (Harvard College Class of 1960, MBA 1963) and the holdings of Houghton Library.  The exhibition invites you to engage critically with animal anthropomorphism, and delight in the artfulness of this enduring literary genre. Catalog of an exhibition on view at Houghton Library, Harvard University, September 1, 2021 - January 7, 2022. Why do we tell stories to children through and about animals? Are there reasons why we shouldn’t? Animals Are Us invites explores these questions and more through influential historic examples of anthropomorphism in dialogue with contemporary books drawn from the collection of Peter J. Solomon (Harvard College Class of 1960, MBA 1963) and the holdings of Houghton Library.  The exhibition invites you to engage critically with animal anthropomorphism, and delight in the artfulness of this enduring literary genre.

Catalog of an exhibition on view at Houghton Library, Harvard University, September 1, 2021 - January 7, 2022.

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33 Joel Chandler Harris (American, 1848–1908, author) Arthur Burdett Frost (American, 1851–1928, illustrator) Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1895 24 x 17 cm Houghton Library, Typ 870.95.4472 Gift of Philip Hofer, 1942 Recent critical assessment of Uncle Remus ranges from adulation to condemnation. Some consider these adaptations, which were handed down orally by enslaved African Americans, to be revolutionary in their use of dialect. Their animal personages, whose vibrant personalities explore the full measure of human foibles, allow the reader or listener to connect directly. However, others see the Uncle Remus stories as harmful cultural appropriations by Joel Chandler Harris, whose attitudes toward slavery were often contradictory. 70

34 Helen Bannerman (British, 1862–1946, author-illustrator) The Story of Little Black Sambo London: Grant Richards, 1899 13 x 8 cm Houghton Library, Typ 805.99.1915 Gift of Peter J. Solomon, 2020 Children’s literature has always represented the viewpoints of dominant cultural groups. Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894) upheld the subjugation of Indians under the British Raj, which included colorism. While living in British India, Helen Bannerman wrote this story to amuse her two daughters. The dark-skinned Indian boy named Sambo (a pejorative term for an African dating back to the eighteenth century) outwits a succession of vain tigers, who eventually chase themselves into buttery oblivion. 71

33<br />

Joel Chandler Harris (American, 1848–1908, author)<br />

Arthur Burdett Frost (American, 1851–1928, illustrator)<br />

Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Say<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1895<br />

24 x 17 cm<br />

Houghton Library, Typ 870.95.4472<br />

Gift of Philip Hofer, 1942<br />

Recent critical assessment of Uncle Remus ranges from<br />

adulation to condemnation. Some consider <strong>the</strong>se<br />

adaptations, which were handed down orally by enslaved<br />

African Americans, to be revolutionary <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir use<br />

of dialect. Their animal personages, whose vibrant<br />

personalities explore <strong>the</strong> full measure of human foibles,<br />

allow <strong>the</strong> reader or listener to connect directly. However,<br />

o<strong>the</strong>rs see <strong>the</strong> Uncle Remus stories as harmful cultural<br />

appropriations by Joel Chandler Harris, whose attitudes<br />

toward slavery were often contradictory.<br />

70

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