Playing Pirates with Tom Sawyer: The Intersection of Reader-Response Theory and Play Theory

  • Mark I. West University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer tells the story of a boy’s adventures in a Midwestern American town during the mid-nineteenth century, but it also provides an insightful account of how many children respond to literature. Although Tom is not seen reading over the course of the novel, the depictions of Tom’s play provide amble evidence that Tom enjoys reading adventures stories. The novel includes many instances of Tom incorporating elements from stories, especially pirate stories, in his pretend play. Tom’s response to pirate stories has significant connections to both reader-response theory and play theory. Although the terms reader-response theory and play theory were not yet coined when Twain published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876, Twain’s depiction of Tom’s playful response to pirate stories anticipated many of the key arguments and observations that these theorists have made concerning children’s responses to literature.

Author Biography

Mark I. West, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Mark I. West is Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he has taught since 1984.  In addition to performing administrative duties, he regularly teaches courses on children's and young adult literature.  He has written or edited fifteen books, the most recent of which is Walt Disney, from Reader to Storyteller, which he co-edited with Kathy Merlock Jackson.  His articles have appeared in various national publications, such as the New York Times Book Review, Publishers Weekly, Americana, and British Heritage, as well as many academic journals.  Before entering academia, he worked as an early childhood educator and professional puppeteer.
Published
2017-11-09
Issue
Vol. 20 No. 1 (2017)
Section
The Tortoise's Tale
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