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Monsters are ubiquitous in children´s culture, including picturebooks. Monsters represent the mischievous and wild side of a global market for children´s consumer products that is contrasted by hyper-feminized and sanitized dolls, such as Barbie and Disney Princess. In picturebooks, typically marketed to children aged four to eight, the strong presence of monstrous characters may reflect a synonymous use of the words ´child´ and ´monster´ in everyday speech. The suggested affiliation or even interchangeability of monster and child in picturebooks is particularly perplexing when compared to the regular relationship between monster and human character in ´grown-up´ culture, which threatens the very essence of humanity - and which is therefore of paramount importance to understanding what it means to be human in that culture. While the field of monster studies in the humanities is thriving, this is the first study of the omnipresence of monsters in children´s culture and the markedly different relation between child and monster. Examining 65 English language picturebooks from the last 50 years, the author explores the textual conditions and functions of monsters in relation to the term ´child´. The focus lies on the mechanisms and effects of gender constructions within these narratives.

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Schneeberg, Ulrike
Ulrike Schneeberg, graduated with a PhD in American Studies from Humboldt-Universität Berlin in July 2015. She received a B.A. from the University of Cambridge in Ancient Greek, French, and German literatures, and an M.A. from the Freie Universität Berlin in comparative literature. She also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the Université de Montréal. Throughout her studies, she was a scholar of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and the Cambridge European Trust. Her current professional interest focuses on social entrepreneurship in education and on writing. Ulrike Schneeberg, promovierte im Juli 2015 an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin im Fach Amerikanistik. Zuvor erhielt sie an der University of Cambridge einen B.A. in Altgriechisch, Französisch und Deutsch, und einen M.A. von der Freien Universität Berlin in allgemeiner und vergleichender Literaturwissenschaft. Zusätzlich studierte sie an der Sorbonne in Paris und an der Université de Montréal. Während ihres Studiums und ihrer Promotion war sie Stipendiatin der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes und des Cambridge European Trust. Ihr aktuelles berufliches Interesse richtet sich auf soziales Unternehmertum in der Bildung und auf das Schreiben.

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