Contemporary Literary Criticism Approach: Darwinian Literary Studies and Its Application to Classic Western Picture Books

Dyani Prades Pratiwi; Gindho Rizano

doi:10.34050/qhhq6911

Authors

Dyani Prades Pratiwi Universitas Andalas https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6562-6272 (unauthenticated)
Gindho Rizano Universitas Andalas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5967-5331 (unauthenticated)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34050/qhhq6911

Keywords:

Children’s literature, Literary Darwinism, Human Basic Motivation, Picture Book

Abstract

The debate among academics regarding Darwinian literary theory suggests the importance of exploring its effectiveness through careful examination. Discussion and transformation of the ideas in this approach are deemed necessary due to the lack of research applying the theory. This study aims to map the core ideas in Darwinian literary studies by examining classic picture books (illustrated children's literature). The works to be discussed include: Curious George (1940) by H.A. Rey, Make Way for Ducklings (1941) by Robert McCloskey, Where the Wild Things Are (1963) by Maurice Sendak, The Giving Tree (1964) by Shel Silverstein, and Love You Forever (1986) by Robert McCloskey. This study used qualitative methods through literature studies and Darwinian literary theory to analyze the data. The results of the study indicate that the five selected works of literature present universal themes experienced by the human species, including survival, reproduction, alliances, raising offspring, natural attitudes in learning about the world, the logic of cause and effect, and providing assistance or aiding non-kin. From this study, Literary Darwinism can be applied well to the five selected classic children's works. This approach allows readers to understand the basic motivations of the main characters and the moral implications of each work within the context of real-world human issues. However, further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this theory in discussing works for adult readers, especially postmodern works with much more complex themes.

References

Abbas, H., Arafah, B., Rahman, F., Pattu, M. A., Junus, F. G., & Fachry, M. E. & Manaf, A.(2024). Ecological Literacy and Local Wisdom of Australian Aboriginal People in Welcome to My Country Written by Laklak Burarrwanga and Family. Theory & Practice in Language Studies (TPLS), 14(5), 126-140.

Carroll, J. (2004). Literary Darwinism: Evolution, Human Nature, and Literature. New York: Routledge.

Carroll, J. (2011). Reading Human Nature: Literary Darwinism in Theory and Practice. New York: State University of New York.

Darwin, C. (1871). The descent of man, and Selection in relation to sex, Vol. 1. John Murray. https://doi.org/10.1037/12293-000

Fletcher, A. (2011). Evolving Hamlet: Seventeeth-Century English Tragedy and the Ethics of Natural Selection. New York: Palgrave Macmillan

Iqbal, M. (2022). Love as Darwinian Survival Mechanism in John Green’s the Fault in Our Stars. Thesis: Universitas Andalas.

Junaid, S., & Andini, C. (2026). Emotional Construction of Toxic Relationships Discourse through Billie Eilish’s Selected Songs (Yule’s Perspective). Dialectica Online Publishing Journal, 1(3), 288-299.

Junaid, S., Andini, C., Nahdhiyah, N., & Maimun, A. M. (2026). Intertextual Transformation of Intrinsic Elements of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the Webtoon Dorm Du. Dialectica Online Publishing Journal, 1(2), 173-181.

Kramnick, J. (2011). Against Literary Darwinism. Critical Inquiry, 37 (2), p. 315- 347. https://doi.org/10.1086/657295

McClosekey, R. (1941). Make Way for Ducklings. New York: The Viking Press.

Munch, R. (1986). Love You Forever. Richmond Hill: Firefly Books

Parrish, A. C. (2014). Evolution in the English Department: The Biocultural Paradigms of Literary Darwinism and Adaptive Rhetoric. Literature Compass 11 (9), p. 649-656.

Rey, Margret and H.A. (2001). The Complete Adventures of Curious George. Boston: Houghton and Mifflin Company.

Scholastic Team. “Teachers’ Picks: Top 25 Picture Books”. Scholastic. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teachers-picks-top-25-picture-books/ . 2 Juli 2017

Maurice, S. (1963). Where the Wild Things Are. New York: Harper & Row.

Nahdhiyah, N., Rahman, F., Makkah, M., & Herawaty, H. (2022, February). The Role of Learning Literary Work in Enhancing the Awareness of Loving Nature. In 67th TEFLIN International Virtual Conference & the 9th ICOELT 2021 (TEFLIN ICOELT 2021) (pp. 296-301). Atlantis Press.

Silverstein, S. (1964). The Giving Tree. New York: Harper & Row.

Sreenan, N. (2016). Ineradicable Humanity: Literary Responses to Darwin in Zola, Hardy, and the Utopian Novel. Thesis: University College London.

Terhune, M. (2015) A Good Little Monkey:Curious George’s Undercurrent of White Dominance and the Series’ Continued Popularity. Journal of the CAS Writing Program Vol. 7. (http://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-7/terhune/ )

Weda, S., Rahman, F., & Sakti, A. E. F. (2022). The Use Of Literature In The Language Classroom At A Higher Education Institution In Indonesia. Asian Journal of Advances in Research, 5(1), 490-494.

Yudyantara, S.J. (2008). Lavene as A Victim of Darwinian System: A Study on David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross.

Zaluzna-Luczkiewicz, M. (2021) A brief overview of literary Darwinism and a Darwinian perspective on The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Language Culture Politics Vol. 1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54515/lcp.2021.1.137-152