Nursery Rhymes are Subversive
March 23, 2004
Jack lost his crown? Oh dear…close the children’s ears. A librarian at the University of East London has written a new book, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown, that examines nursery rhymes in a new light. After reading this article, you’ll never think of the term “goose bumps” the same way again…
via Bookslut.
March 29th, 2004 at 9:46 am
My nieces went to a school where they changed all the lyrics to songs like jack and jill and their ilk. “Jack fell down, upon the ground…”
It was just weak, somehow. Wimpy. My kids seem to really enjoy the blood and guts (in small doses, anyway.) The impulse to skim out any unpleasantness seems so Puritan.