On Canon Expansion and the Artistry of Joyce Hansen

Abstract

On Canon Expansion and the Artistry of Joyce Hansen Opal Moore (bio) and Donnarae MacCann (bio) When we began this column in 1986, we proposed to broaden the established literary canon for children by questioning the critical tools used in establishing definitions of "classic" children's literature. By adding to the canon list, we hoped to offer a multicultural aspect to the valuation of children's texts. We have offered comment on books that were highly celebrated for their technical merit but failed to address the presence or needs of a multicultural audience. And we have urged critics of children's books to address issues of cultural fidelity and sensitivity along with the usual technical criteria. In the summer Quarterly (1988) Sandra Y. Govan took what we consider an important step towards establishing an ethnically expanded critical tool by applying the principles of the Black Aesthetic to her critique of Alice Childress's novel, Rainbow Jordan—a novel considered "'outstanding' in its field." Govan acknowledges that the Black Aesthetic, a credo espoused by a group of Black writers and critics in the militant 60s, is "largely ignored or discredited" by current artists and critics. And for this reason she expresses her hesitations in applying it to Childress's work. However, Govan's insightful application of the Aesthetic in her analysis of Childress's artistry suggests that there is intrinsic value to the Black Aesthetic (beyond the strident 60s rhetoric) that sustain and recommend it. In this column, we will discuss the work of another artist, Joyce Hansen, as we look at canon-building and consider the "re-dressing" of the Black Aesthetic in some of the most current and most successful writing now available for children. As a teacher in the New York City schools, Joyce Hansen devises learning strategies on behalf of the children in the public school system. As an artist, she creates a highly readable yet informative literature for the young. Her novels fall into two categories. The Gift-Giver (1980), Home Boy (1982) and Yellow Bird and Me (1986) are set in contemporary urban America; her protagonists wrestle with situations common to that setting. The second set, Which Way Freedom? (1986) and Out From This Place (1988), are historical fictions which explore the significant participation of slaves and Black free persons in the Civil War struggle. But regardless of whether her characters are living in the 1860s or the 1980s, Hansen applies the same principles and value systems which Govan calls "the substantive core of what [is] the Black Aesthetic"—that is, the value of literature is related to whether it is functional, collective, and committed (70). If the Black Aesthetic has not come very far as a critical tool, it is probably because of its association with an exceedingly turbulent period in U.S. history. However, worthy intellectual concepts usually resurface with a new paint job and a new, higher-tech name. Fortunately, the label is insignificant. What is significant about this system of literary values is that it is user-sensitive, culturally functional, formalistic, and—above all—historically grounded. What was overlooked when the Black Aesthetic was unceremoniously dumped, was the fact that it was not about being Black. The Aesthetic was about the inclusion of readers who had been previously excluded from the concerns and considerations of a nation's artists and writers. At bottom, the Aesthetic was about Art. And while the drafters of the Aesthetic were devoted to concerns of Black audience, die Aesdietic is built upon general principles of inclusion and empowerment. Literature designed for children is by definition a literature of inclusion and empowerment. The novels of Joyce Hansen are about including young people who, through circumstances of birth and economic marginality, feel excluded. And if these young people feel excluded, they are not likely to participate in the rules and goals of society. Only through empowerment can they be expected to take themselves and their lives seriously. Says Hansen: Teaching and writing give me a twin vision . . . . My first concern is always creating an interesting story . . . . Then as a teacher, I think about things such as literacy and why young adults won't read and what we can...