Reading Poison: Science and Story in Nazi Children's Propaganda
Saved in:
| Title: | Reading Poison: Science and Story in Nazi Children's Propaganda |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Feldman, Daniel (ORCID |
| Source: | Children's Literature in Education. Jun 2022 53(2):199-220. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Childrens Literature, Propaganda, Authoritarianism, Jews, Social Discrimination, Nonfiction |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10583-021-09454-9 |
| ISSN: | 0045-6713 |
| Abstract: | Children's books of Nazi propaganda prove that a society can venerate science to the point of making biology the organizing principle of its educational system yet nevertheless produce children's literature shot through with fabrication and falsehood. Three children's books of Nazi propaganda that are frequently mentioned in accounts of anti-Semitism but seldom analyzed are discussed: Elvira Bauer's "Trau keinem Fuchs auf grüner Heid und keinem Jud auf seinem Eid" (1936), Ernst Hiemer's "Der Giftpilz" (1938), and Hiemer's "Der Pudelmopsdackelpinscher" (1940) illustrate the ways in which racist science and ideological narrative tautologically reinforce each other in an extreme version of how "narratives play a key role in communicating science" (Pauwels, 2019, p. 434) in children's nonfiction. These texts of lurid racism, all issued by the book publishing arm of Julius Streicher's virulently anti-Semitic newspaper "Der Stürmer," offer a monitory case study of how bad science and toxic narrative can coalesce into a literary poison intended to indoctrinate young readers. This analysis of Nazi nonfiction for children demonstrates how science and story can be exploited to promote a racist agenda. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1335608 |
| Database: | ERIC |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Children's books of Nazi propaganda prove that a society can venerate science to the point of making biology the organizing principle of its educational system yet nevertheless produce children's literature shot through with fabrication and falsehood. Three children's books of Nazi propaganda that are frequently mentioned in accounts of anti-Semitism but seldom analyzed are discussed: Elvira Bauer's "Trau keinem Fuchs auf grüner Heid und keinem Jud auf seinem Eid" (1936), Ernst Hiemer's "Der Giftpilz" (1938), and Hiemer's "Der Pudelmopsdackelpinscher" (1940) illustrate the ways in which racist science and ideological narrative tautologically reinforce each other in an extreme version of how "narratives play a key role in communicating science" (Pauwels, 2019, p. 434) in children's nonfiction. These texts of lurid racism, all issued by the book publishing arm of Julius Streicher's virulently anti-Semitic newspaper "Der Stürmer," offer a monitory case study of how bad science and toxic narrative can coalesce into a literary poison intended to indoctrinate young readers. This analysis of Nazi nonfiction for children demonstrates how science and story can be exploited to promote a racist agenda. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0045-6713 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10583-021-09454-9 |
