Post on 23-May-2018
Urban and rural landscapes
in Portuguese picture story books:
Conference “The semantic of landscapes”
Genoa, Italy, 24-28 July 2010
in Portuguese picture story books:
reification and perceptions
A. M. Ramos* & R. Ramos**
*University of Aveiro (Portugal)
**University of Minho (Portugal)
Centre of Child Studies
Introduction (1)
� Research project "Environment and ecoliteracy in
recent literature for children"” (1/9/2009 – 31/12/2011)
� (Centre for Child Studies, Univ. of Minho, Braga, Portugal)� (Centre for Child Studies, Univ. of Minho, Braga, Portugal)
� www.ecoliteracia.iec.uminho.pt
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Introduction (2)
� Aim of this study:
� to identify the lines of intersection between the to identify the lines of intersection between the
aesthetic and recreational dimensions of children’s
literature and its pedagogical possibilities, specifically
concerning ecoliteracy.
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Theoretical framework (1)
� Linguistic and literary approach� interpretative repertoire
� discourse is understood as a “vehicle through which the self and the
world are articulated” (Tuominen, Talja and Savolainen, 2002: 273).;
� frame
«certain schemata or frameworks of concepts or terms which link � «certain schemata or frameworks of concepts or terms which link
together as a system, which impose structure or coherence on some
aspects of human experience and which may contain elements which
are simultaneously parts of other such frameworks” (Fillmore 1975: 123);
� «Frames include semantic roles, relations between roles, and relations
to other frames. (…) These structures are physically realized in neural
circuits in the brain. All of our knowledge makes use of frames, and
every word is defined through the frames it neurally activates. All
thinking and talking involves ‘‘framing.’’’ (Lakoff 2010: 71-72).
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Theoretical framework (2)
� Linguistic and literary approach
� Postmodern picture book theory (Sipe 1998, Sipe & Pantaleo 2008;
Nikolajeva 2001, Linden, 2007);
Synergy between text and image;� Synergy between text and image;
� Hybrid language;
� Aesthetic, ludic and developmental aspects of children’s
literature.
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Object of study (2)
� A collection of three
picture books, publlished
by Metropolitan Lisbon
Local Authority in 2003 Local Authority in 2003
and 2004, designed to
disseminate the natural
and cultural
surroundings of the
Portuguese capital
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Conceptual unit / diversity of objectives
� Trilogy
� Internal cohesion (the character, landscape, actions � Internal cohesion (the character, landscape, actions
and relationship between the character and the
diegetic spaces are all the same)
� Paratextual elements (collection, introductory
preface, format and graphic aspects)
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Genre hybridism (1)
� Expectations: to find narrative texts
BUT
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BUT
� incomplete and atypical narrative structures
� verbal and visual markers which make them similar to
classification books of the natural sciences
Genre hybridism (2)
Linguistic dimension
� denomination structures� (normally through the use of the verb to be): ‘ these are the fixed dunes,’ ‘I
am the cork oak tree’
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� technical vocabulary � ‘egrets,’ ‘stone pine tree,’ ‘maritime pine tree,’ ‘peregrine falcon,’
‘consolidated dune,’ ‘herbivorous sauropods,’ ‘peregrine falcon’ ‘ferns,’ ‘red
oak tree,’ ‘Portuguese oak’
� exact quantifications � ‘more than 900 plants live here,’ ‘more than 140 different mushrooms,’ ‘an
altitude of 488m’
Didacticity (1)
� strongly associated with both the hybridism of genre
�comparisons and metaphors �‘the forest is a palace packed with precious objects which demand the eyes
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�‘the forest is a palace packed with precious objects which demand the eyes
of a princess,’ ‘foliage wall,’ ‘it’s a welcoming substitute for the entrance to
the mountain range (…) it can even look like a palace’ and ‘a tapestry made up
of bits of foliage’
�frame of curiosity, surprise and discovery�‘mysterious journey,’ ‘the walks and surprises never end,’ ‘it is worth (…)
discovering them’ ‘promise the freshness of something new’
Didacticity (2)
�Visual perception - an interpretative repertoire related to the
sense of sight: the protagonist sees, nature is seen, the landscape
reveals itself�‘Ana can’t stop looking around her,’ ‘I didn’t know there were so many things
to see in this place,’ ‘you have to let your eyes mature to understand the
differences,’ ‘look at how I build these dunes,’ ‘look at these details,’ ‘the
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differences,’ ‘look at how I build these dunes,’ ‘look at these details,’ ‘the
forest is a palace which is filled to the brim with gems which demand the eye
of a princess. Ana is an extremely attentive princess’
� holistic / ecological perspective of reality - the multiplicity
of forms of understanding the world, involving all the senses�‘she heard a sound, felt a vibration and smelt the earth after the rain,’ ‘feel
these smells, this green, breathe in the humidity and watch out where you
put your feet,’ ‘the ground is both soft and hard, says Ana, touching the
blanket of leaves with pleasure’’
Natural elements and agency
� natural elements as agents of action
�‘the estuary is the place where the river runs to rest and the sea takes advantage
of that fact to mix its saltiness with the sweetness of the river water,’ ‘the Atlantic
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of that fact to mix its saltiness with the sweetness of the river water,’ ‘the Atlantic
Ocean thrives on the coastline (…) moistens the cliffs (…) creates good waves for
surfing (…) slowly comes to wipe footprints in the sand clean’ ‘I [the ocean] do
lots of things, such as drawing this coastline,’ ‘I am an artist and I make every
place a masterpiece’
Visual dimension (1)
� high quality design
� inclusion of maps
� illustrations that combine ludic dimension with scientific
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� illustrations that combine ludic dimension with scientific
models
� realistic concerns combined with fantastic features
� exploration of perspectives, points of view
� textual narrator / visual narrator
� suggestion of movement, dynamism and landscape
mutability through variations in colour and shape
Conclusions (1)
� Nature is not presented as an immutable and idyllic
backdrop within which human activity takes place. It is
portrayed as a live force, constantly moving and acting,
with changing landscapes which develop and transform
through action, combining and interacting with other
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through action, combining and interacting with other
elements such as the sea and the wind.
� these picture books give special attention to the small
things which are familiar to us, but which as a result of our
daily routines we tend to ignore or devalue.
Conclusions (2)
� «provide a structured understanding of what you are
saying. Don’t give laundry lists. Tell stories that exemplify
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saying. Don’t give laundry lists. Tell stories that exemplify
your values and rouse emotions. Don’t just give numbers
and material facts without framing them so their overall
significance can be understood. Instead find general
themes or narratives that incorporate the points you need
to make» (Lakoff 2010: 79-80).
References (1)
Adam, J. M. (1997). Les textes: types et prototypes. Récit, description, argumentation, explication et dialogue. Paris: Nathan
Capra, F. (2002). A teia da vida. Uma nova compreensão científica dos sistemas vivos. São Paulo: Cultrix
Correia, C. P. (1998). O Sapo Francisquinho. Lisboa: Relógio d'Água (illustations by Susana Oliveira)
Cotrim, J. P. & Corbel, A. (2003). A minha terra. Lisboa: Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (prefaceby Maria da Luz Rosinha)
Cotrim, J. P. & Corbel, A. (2004a). Um oceano de histórias. Lisboa: Área Metropolitana de
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Cotrim, J. P. & Corbel, A. (2004a). Um oceano de histórias. Lisboa: Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (preface by Maria da Luz Rosinha)
Cotrim, J. P. & Corbel, A. (2004b). Montanhas de verde na Serra de Sintra. Lisboa: Área Metropolitana de Lisboa (preface by Maria da Luz Rosinha)
Fillmore. Ch. (1975). ‘An alternative to checklist theories of meaning.’ In Proceedings of the first annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistic Society. Berkeley, pp. 123-131
Goatly, A. (2001). ‘Green Grammar and Grammatical Metaphor, or Language and Myth of Power, or Metaphors We Die By.’ In Fill, A & Mühlhäusler, P. (Eds.). The ecolinguisticsreader. Language, ecology and environment, London / New York: Continuum, pp. 203-225
Hallyday, M. A. K. (2001). ‘New Ways of Meaning: The Challenge to Applied Linguistics.’ In Fill, A. & Mühlhäusler, P. (Eds.). The ecolinguistics reader. Language, ecology and environment. London / New York: Continuum, pp. 175-202
References (2)
Lakoff, G. (2010). ‘Why it Matters How We Frame the Environment.’ Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 4:1, pp. 70-81
Lewis, D. (2001). Picturing text: the contemporary children's picturebook. New York: RoutledgeFalmer
Magalhães, A. (2003). Contos da Mata dos Medos. Lisboa / Almada: Assírio & Alvim / Câmara Municipal de Almada (illustrations by Cristina Valadas)
McKenzie, P. (2005). ‘Interpretative repertoires.’ In Fisher, K., Erdelez, S. & McKechnie, L. (Eds.). Theories of information behavior: A researcher's guide. Medford, NJ: Information Today, pp. 221-224
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Today, pp. 221-224Nikolajeva, M. & Scott, C. (2001). How picturebooks work. New York: Garland PublishingPotter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology; beyond attitudes and
behaviour. London: SageRamos, A. M. (2010). Literatura para a infância e ilustração: leituras em diálogo. Porto:
Tropelias & CompanhiaRamos, R. (2009). O discurso do ambiente na imprensa e na escola. Uma abordagem
linguística. Lisboa: Fund. Calouste Gulbenkian / Fund. para a Ciência e a TecnologiaSipe, L. & Pantaleo, S. (2008). Postmodern picturebooks: Play, Parody, and
Self-Referentiality. Routledge Research in EducationSipe, L. (1998). ‘How picture books work: a semiotically framed theory of
text-picture relationships.’ Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 29, nº 2, pp. 97-108Sipe, L. R. & Brightman, A. E. (2009). ‘Young Children’s Interpretations of Page Breaks in
Contemporary Picture Storybooks.’ Journal of Literacy Research, 41. pp. 68-103
Urban and rural landscapes
in Portuguese picture story books:
Conference “The semantic of landscapes”
Genoa, Italy, 24-28 July 2010
in Portuguese picture story books:
reification and perceptions
A. M. Ramos* & R. Ramos**
*University of Aveiro (Portugal)
**University of Minho (Portugal)
Centre of Child Studies